Sunday, May 02, 2010

Respiro

Last night I watched 'Respiro' (2002) by Emanuele Crialese (b.1965). Set in southern Sicily on the Mediterranean island of Lampedusa, Crialese's warm and moving story of a young woman, Grazia, who behaves unconventionally, to the annoyance of the tight-knitted community, is a wonderful film. Crilese states of Grazia, the central character of the film-

"We have this weird tendency as human beings to look for the black sheep...they're the ones who get the blame, but it's through their sacrifice that we understand more about ourselves."

'Respiro's main attractions are equally, the great performance of Valerio Golino as the rebellious mother, the poor but supportive fishing community, and the spectacular coast-line, all of which are beautifully photographed throughout. The film concludes wordlessly, with a highly atmospheric piece of music which accompanys a collective swim and the reconciliation of runaway mother to husband and children .

2 comments:

kevin said...

This sounds like an interesting film and I agree 100% with the quote. One for me to check out. European cinema still holds on to the idea of a poetry of images.

Your mum was a bit of a stunner! Apologies for making that observation...

Kevin Faulkner said...

I hope to post reviews of many more Euro-films. It's alright Kev, no need to apologize for your observation, now she's aged 74 Mum was flattered!