Respiro

Theatrical Release Date: 2003 05 23 (USA - Limited)

UPC: 043396002142

Studio: Columbia TriStar

MPAA Rating: PG13   Contains:[Brief Nudity, Adult Situations]

Summary: Italian director Emanuele Crialese's Respiro tells an intimate tale of a family living in a quiet fishing community. Grazia (Valeria Golino) is deeply committed to her husband Pietro (Vincenzo Amato) and their children, as well as stray dogs. She suffers from extreme mood swings that result in serious physical attacks in times of high anxiety. Pietro decides to send her to get help, but this prompts Grazia to run away. She survives with the help of her son Pasquale (Francesco Casisa). Respiro was screened during Critics Week at the 2002 Cannes Film Festival. ~ Perry Seibert, Rovi

Category: Drama

Awards: Grand Prize – Cannes Film Festival Young Critics Award – Cannes Film Festival Film Presented – Telluride Film Festival

Features: Trailers
DVD-ROM materials

Respiro

Format: Digital Video Disc (DVD)

Release Date: 10/21/2003

Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 Theatre Wide-Screen

Audio: DD5.1 Dolby Digital 5.1

Runtime: 95 Minutes

Sides: 1

Number of Discs: 1

Subtitles: English

Region: USA & territories, Canada

Chapters: Side #1 --
1. Start [4:00]
2. Grazia [3:25]
3. A Nice Tattoo [4:59]
4. A Show on the Beach [4:18]
5. Pietro [2:33]
6. Punishing Pasquale [2:25]
7. A Shot to Calm Her Down [1:43]
8. Antonietta the Pharmacist [3:18]
9. New in Town [1:17]
10. The Word on the Street [3:45]
11. In Pursuit of Marinella [2:47]
12. Sea Urchins [1:32]
13. A Miracle Cure [2:40]
14. Where There's Smoke... [1:54]
15. Five Tickets to Win [1:04]
16. Trains & Make-Up [2:31]
17. A Protective Brother [5:08]
18. Pastora [2:18]
19. Gerard & Olivier [3:12]
20. Who Let the Dogs Out? [2:24]
21. "You Have to Go to Milan" [4:22]
22. A Place to Hide [5:11]
23. "They Found Her" [6:10]
24. In Mourning [4:00]
25. Talking to the Hens [2:10]
26. Saint Grazia [2:00]
27. "I Saw My Wife!" [2:58]
28. St. Bartolo's Feast [11:01]

Josh Ralske

Emanuele Crialese's Respiro is a warmly entertaining fable that captures both the joys and hardships of living in a small Italian island fishing village. There's a raw beauty to the surroundings, particularly the gorgeous azure sea, and Crialese also explores the provincialism and backbiting inherent in living in such a small, remote community. There are aspects of life on Lampedusa that seem so backward (particularly in the way the men treat the women, but also in the way the women judge each other) that it's not immediately apparent in which era the film is set. The Patty Pravo song with which Grazia (Valeria Golino) sings along and one unexpected reference to Rambo clue us in. There are fine performances in the supporting roles from Vincenzo Amato (who starred in Crialese's previous feature, Once We Were Strangers) as the insecure and taciturn Pietro, Filippo Pucillo as the steely younger son, Filippo, and Veronica D'Agostino as the blossoming teenage daughter, Marinella. But the core of the film is in the relationship between the unstable, passionate Grazia and her adoring older son, Pasquale (Francesco Casisa), who nobly tries to protect his mother when the villagers convince Pietro to send her away to an institution. The film occasionally seems overly familiar, but the strong performances from Golino and Casisa in these complex roles keep it from lapsing into clich?. The harsh details of life on Lampedusa -- from the treatment of stray dogs to the warring factions of bored teenage boys -- also ring true, keeping the film grounded in reality. ~ Josh Ralske, Rovi

Cast and Crew: John Surman  Composer (Music Score) 
Domenico Procacci  Producer 
Emanuele Crialese  Director 
Emanuele Crialese  Screenwriter 
Valeria Golino  Actor 
Vincenzo Amato  Actor 
Francesco Casisa  Actor 
Veronica D'Agostino  Actor 
Filippo Pucillo  Actor 
Muzzi Loffredo  Actor 
Elio Germano  Actor 

Country: France,Italy