Chiedo asilo (1979)

Roberto has a new job as the teacher at a nursery school. The first child he meets is Gianluigi, who's mute. Roberto is spirited, bringing a TV into class, then a donkey. He takes children ... See full summary »

Director:

Marco Ferreri

Writers:

Roberto Benigni, Gérard Brach,

Stars:

Roberto Benigni, Francesca De Sapio, Dominique Laffin

1 win & 1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview:
Roberto Benigni	...	Roberto
Francesca De Sapio	...	Chiara
Dominique Laffin	...	Isabella
Luca Levi	...	Luca
Girolamo Marzano	...	Mario
Carlo Monni	...	Paolo
Chiara Moretti	...	Irma
Roberto Amaro	...	Robertino

Storyline

Roberto has a new job as the teacher at a nursery school. The first child he meets is Gianluigi, who's mute. Roberto is spirited, bringing a TV into class, then a donkey. He takes children on an unscheduled field trip to their fathers' plant. He dates Isabella, the mother of one of his students, and soon she's pregnant. He's moody about it, so Isabella leaves for her family's abandoned movie theater in Sardinia, but not before Roberto is briefly arrested and questioned about past radical activity. He takes ten children, including Gianluigi, to Sardinia for the baby's birth, and there, surrounded by the sea, the mother of us all, he and Gianluigi play out their surprising bond.

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Plot Keywords:

school | teacher | pregnancy | troubled kids | modern society | 

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama

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Details

Country:

Italy France

Language:

Italian

Release Date:

24 October 1979 (Italy)

Also Known As:

Seeking Asylum

Filming Locations:

Bologna, Emilia-Romagna, Italy

Company Credits

Production Co:

23 Giugno, A.M.S. Productions, Best International

Technical Specs

Runtime:

110 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

User Reviews

there is Benigni, what more?

one of the more controlled performance of Roberto Benigni, it worth alone, but the movie has its value also. It was sometime sweet, other bitter, if you have let a child in your soul I believe he/she would appreciate this strange mode to look at the reality, at a world sometimes too difficult to be explained or to be completely happy with. Maybe it's easier for an Italian to fully appreciate every moment and scene of this intense movie, but I strongly suggest it because Ferreri+Benigni is a couple that could happen to see only once. And maybe you would re-analyze all their productions, especially the other works of Marco Ferreri, usually more direct and bitter.Enjoy