You might think Shia Labeouf portraying a 20th-century Italian saint under the direction of perpetual bad-boy expat Abel Ferrara is a pretty strange prospect. But that’s just the iceberg tip of the oddities in “Padre Pio,” which, despite the American star’s casting in the title role, often appears uninterested in its own venerated ostensible subject.
Instead, much of this awkward English-language period piece focuses on peasants’ struggle to overthrow padrone control just after the First World War. Depicting that conflict often feels beyond the modest production’s scale — and, in any case, is never meaningfully connected to the angsty histrionics of Labeouf, who seems to be in his own separate, indulgent, semi-improvised movie. Though coherent relative to Ferrara’s last narrative feature, the impenetrable espionage tale “Zeroes and Ones,” this eccentric misfire will likely puzzle fans of his past cult favorites, while flummoxing Catholic viewers who expect straightforward religious uplift.
Instead, much of this awkward English-language period piece focuses on peasants’ struggle to overthrow padrone control just after the First World War. Depicting that conflict often feels beyond the modest production’s scale — and, in any case, is never meaningfully connected to the angsty histrionics of Labeouf, who seems to be in his own separate, indulgent, semi-improvised movie. Though coherent relative to Ferrara’s last narrative feature, the impenetrable espionage tale “Zeroes and Ones,” this eccentric misfire will likely puzzle fans of his past cult favorites, while flummoxing Catholic viewers who expect straightforward religious uplift.
- 6/2/2023
- by Dennis Harvey
- Variety Film + TV
Abel Ferrara’s Padre Pio is a fusion of two souls, each as rough-hewn and fragmentary as the other. Set in the immediate aftermath of World War I in the Italian village of San Giovanni Rotondo and filmed on location, it’s partly a biopic about the Catholic saint Pio of Pietrelcina (Shia Labeouf), for whom every waking moment seems a dark night of the soul. But it’s also a dramatization of the struggle between the landed gentry and the soldiers who return disillusioned from the war, culminating in violence after a stolen election.
Ferrara and co-writer Maurzio Braucci, instead of treating Catholicism and Marxism as antagonistic, find resonance in their iconography, their shared valorization of the downtrodden, and the zeal of their adherents—as well as their crises of faith. It isn’t heresy to say that Padre Pio is a spiritual successor to Pier Paolo Pasolini’s The Gospel According to St.
Ferrara and co-writer Maurzio Braucci, instead of treating Catholicism and Marxism as antagonistic, find resonance in their iconography, their shared valorization of the downtrodden, and the zeal of their adherents—as well as their crises of faith. It isn’t heresy to say that Padre Pio is a spiritual successor to Pier Paolo Pasolini’s The Gospel According to St.
- 5/30/2023
- by William Repass
- Slant Magazine
"It feels like a sin to question these things, it feels like a sin to be angry with the Lord." Gravitas Ventures has revealed an official trailer for Padre Pio, a new film from American director Abel Ferrara, who now lives and works in Italy. This premiered at the Venice Days sidebar of the Venice Film Festival last year (did anyone even see it?) and opens in the US this June. This biopic from Ferrara follows Roman Catholic Saint Padre Pio in his early years. At the end of World War I, Padre Pio begins his ministry at a remote monastery in southern Italy. Soon, his charisma and storied visions bring him fame. Shia Labeouf stars alongside Cristina Chiriac, Marco Leonardi, Asia Argento, Vincenzo Crea, Luca Lionello, Brando Pacitto, Stella Mastrantonio, and Salvatore Ruocco. Some may remember that this role "saved" Labeouf's life, as he claimed in an interview last...
- 5/9/2023
- by Alex Billington
- firstshowing.net
Exclusive: Gravitas Ventures has nabbed North American rights to the Shia Labeouf-led drama Padre Pio from filmmaker Abel Ferrara, slating it for a day-and-date release on June 2nd.
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In the film penned by Maurizio Braucci and Ferrara, which world premiered at last year’s Venice Film Festival, it’s the end of World War I and the young Italian soldiers are making their way back to San Giovanni Rotondo, a land of poverty, historic violence and the ironclad rule of the church and its wealthy landowners. Families are desperate; the men are broken, but victorious.
Related Story Neon Acquires Domestic Rights To Anne Hathaway Sundance Movie ‘Eileen’ Related Story Gravitas Ventures Acquires Sophie Lane Curtis Drama 'On Our Way' Starring Micheál Richardson, Vanessa Redgrave And Jordana Brewster Related Story Jennifer A. Goodman Thriller 'The Unseen' Starring 'Breaking Bad's Rj Mitte Acquired By Gravitas Ventures
In the film penned by Maurizio Braucci and Ferrara, which world premiered at last year’s Venice Film Festival, it’s the end of World War I and the young Italian soldiers are making their way back to San Giovanni Rotondo, a land of poverty, historic violence and the ironclad rule of the church and its wealthy landowners. Families are desperate; the men are broken, but victorious.
- 3/28/2023
- by Matt Grobar
- Deadline Film + TV
Actor Jim Caviezel made a big impression with his leading performance in The Passion of the Christ. He put his blood, sweat, and tears into the making of this film – literally. Some serious accidents occurred on the set that left him injured several times, which tested his resolve. Another actor from The Passion of the Christ accidentally whipped Caviezel for real, which began to make him feel “like Satan.”
‘The Passion of the Christ’ hit theaters in 2004 Jim Caviezel as Jesus | Philippe Antonello/Marquis Films Ltd.
The Passion of the Christ is a retelling of Christ’s crucifixtion, who is played by Caviezel. Based on the New Testament, Judas (Luca Lionello) directly causes the downfall of Jesus when he betrays him in favor of the Roman Empire. He’s condemned to death, but he’s first forced to endure horrible torture via dragging a crucifix to Calvary, where he’s...
‘The Passion of the Christ’ hit theaters in 2004 Jim Caviezel as Jesus | Philippe Antonello/Marquis Films Ltd.
The Passion of the Christ is a retelling of Christ’s crucifixtion, who is played by Caviezel. Based on the New Testament, Judas (Luca Lionello) directly causes the downfall of Jesus when he betrays him in favor of the Roman Empire. He’s condemned to death, but he’s first forced to endure horrible torture via dragging a crucifix to Calvary, where he’s...
- 2/25/2023
- by Jeff Nelson
- Showbiz Cheat Sheet
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