Quiet Chaos Review

Quiet Chaos (Caos Calmo) Review

Cast: Nanni Moretti, Valeria Golino, Isabella Ferrari, Alessandro Gassman, Blu Yoshimi
Director: Antonio Grimaldi
Screenplay: Sandro Veronesi (Book) Nanni Moretti (writer)
Genre: Drama
Rated: MA15+
Running Time: 107 Minutes

Synopsis:

Nanni Moretti stars in and co-wrote this moving Italian drama about grief. Pietro (Nanni Moretti) has just lost his wife, and he is left alone with their young daughter (Blu Yoshimi). He promises the girl that he will wait for her in the car when she returns to school for the first time, but then his temporary offer turns into habit. Now, Pietro spends his days in his car, watching the world around him and grieving in his own way.

My Verdict:

Whilst at the beach, Brothers Carlo and Pietro respond to calls for help and rescue two women. Receiving little thanks for their efforts they return to their holiday villa where they find Pietro's wife has tragically died in an accident. Company executive Pietro instantly becomes a single father to his 10-year-old daughter Claudia (Blu Yoshimi). Dropping Claudia off at school she questions whether Pietro will be there when she's finished for the day. Spontaneously, Pietro tells her that he's not going anywhere, that he will stay right there in the park across the road from the school. And so he does. And he does the same thing the next day and the day after and the day after...

Covering all seasons of a year, Pietro spends his days in the park where his friends come to him, to console him, to conduct business, to just interact with him. It is here that Pietro comes to some sort of understanding regarding his emotional reaction to the sudden death of his wife. As he sits, he watches the quiet chaos happening around him.

A controlled Nanni Moretti plays Pietro as being very detached and extraordinarily contemplative. Not showing his emotions, it is sometimes hard to understand the motives of his character and his interactions with those who visit him. There is his fiery sister-in-law Marta (Valeria Golino), his successful and famous brother Carlo, (Alessandro Gassman), various business colleagues and the woman he saved at the beach. Along with these exchanges is the view Pietro has of life from the confines of the park, using it as his private recovery and therapy. With little history of some characters, the reasons behind these exchanges can sometimes be confusing.

There are also some scenes that seem odd choices including a sex scene that borders on explicit and totally changes the tone when it appears - irritatingly so. Still, as a study of grief, Quiet Chaos does offer a very different and interesting perspective.

Rating : ***

Christina Bruce




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