Remember Me, My Love (2003)

In the dysfunctional Italian middle-class family Ristuccia, the middle-aged executive Carlo has a stalled life without passion, bored in his work and having a monotonous life with his wife ... See full summary »

Director:

Gabriele Muccino

Writers:

Gabriele Muccino (story), Gabriele Muccino (screenplay)

Stars:

Fabrizio Bentivoglio, Laura Morante, Nicoletta Romanoff

8 wins & 28 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Fabrizio Bentivoglio	...	Carlo Ristuccia
Laura Morante	...	Giulia Ristuccia
Nicoletta Romanoff	...	Valentina Ristuccia
Monica Bellucci	...	Alessia
Silvio Muccino	...	Paolo Ristuccia
Gabriele Lavia	...	Alfredo
Enrico Silvestrin	...	Stefano Manni
Silvia Cohen	...	Elena
Alberto Gimignani	...	Riccardo
Amanda Sandrelli	...	Louise
Blas Roca-Rey	...	Matt
Pietro Taricone	...	Paolo Tucci
Giulia Michelini	...	Ilaria
Maria Chiara Augenti	...	Anna Pezzi
Andrea Roncato	...	Luigi

Storyline

In the dysfunctional Italian middle-class family Ristuccia, the middle-aged executive Carlo has a stalled life without passion, bored in his work and having a monotonous life with his wife Giulia. Giulia is a frustrated and hysterical woman because she gave up of being an actress in her youth to dedicate to the family. Their needy son Paolo feels lost and rejected, trying to find who he is and flirting with a schoolmate. Their seventeen years old daughter Valentina is decided to work in a television show, and is fighting to have an audition. When Carlo meets his former sweetheart Alessia in a class reunion, they confess to each other that their marriages are in crisis and both feel passion arising again. Meanwhile Giulia is invited to an audition in a stage production and to participate of a play. Paolo tries to make friends using marijuana in his birthday party, and Valentina has sex with different guys trying to be a dancer of the famous TV show 'Ali Babbi'. Their relationships ...

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Plot Keywords:

underage sex | alienation | sexism | sexist | chauvinism | 

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Taglines:

Some loves are never forgotten

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Genres:

Comedy | Romance | Drama

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for language, some sexuality and teen drug use

Details

Official Sites:

Official site [Italy] Roadside Attractions

Country:

Italy France UK

Language:

Italian French English

Release Date:

14 February 2003 (Italy)

Also Known As:

Remember Me, My Love

Filming Locations:

Rome, Lazio, Italy

Box Office

Budget:

€5,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

€2,976,745 (Italy), 16 February 2003, Limited Release

Opening Weekend USA:

$19,684, 5 September 2004, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$223,878, 12 December 2004

Company Credits

Production Co:

Fandango,Buena Vista International Film Production France,Vice Versa Film

Technical Specs

Runtime:

125 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Quotes

Paolo Ristuccia: Tell me the truth Valentina, what do you think of me? What am I like from the outside?
Valentina Ristuccia: You know what I think about you.
Paolo Ristuccia: Tell me anyway.
Valentina Ristuccia: I think you're clueless and inexpressive, when you talk it sounds like you've got a rag in you mouth and people can't understand a f**k, you don't shower and you dress like a communist loser when the world goes in the opposite direction. This is what I think.
Paolo Ristuccia: Anything else?
Valentina Ristuccia: No, that's enough.

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Connections

Features Samsara (2001)

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Soundtracks

Look at Me
Performed by Geri Horner
Written by Andy Watkins and Paul Wilson

User Reviews

The Inner Sanctum of Family, The Durability of Love

RECORDATI DI ME is a beautifully written and constructed film by Italian director Gabriele Muccino about the workings of a 'normal middle class' family and the bonds and challenges that peak at the time of fragmentation of the family unit that accompanies 1) middle age of the parents and 2) departure of the children at the end of high school. How those crises and adjustments inform the durability of the family unit makes up this thoroughly engrossing and touching film.

Carlo Ristuccia (Fabrizio Bentivoglio) is the father embedded in a life long job that is mundane and not at all in line with his dreams of being a writer (he has been writing a novel for years, yet unfinished). His wife Giulia (Laura Morante) is a committed mother but longs to return to the acting stage she abandoned for marriage. Their two children are Valentina (Nicolette Romanoff) who is determined to become a glamorous TV star and Paolo (Silvio Muccino) who is aimless in his desire for a life of meaning, a life which would prove he is not as unexceptional as he views himself.

Gradually each member of the family encounters escape routes: Carlo meets his old girlfriend Alessia (Monica Bellucci) and begins an affair with her; Giulia is asked to audition for a part in a play directed by one Alfredo (Gabriele Lavia) who makes her feel desirable and noticed; Valentina sleeps around to land a part in a TV giveaway show 'Ali Babbi', and Paolo attempts to attach himself to a girlfriend by planning a birthday party with contraband hashish which he feels will make him appear important in the eyes of his peers. As each of these crises reaches a peek, Carlo sustains a back injury while fleeing his home and his resultant hospitalization results in altered perceptions of what the family is all about.

The twists and turns of the plot are, of course, far more involved than this short synopsis, and it is the development of each of these characters and the way that they approach change that makes the film work so well.The acting is excellent and the direction is past paced even for a two and a half hour movie. Yes, much of this has been said before, but the wit and pathos combine to create a story well worth telling and watching. It is a story about dreams, lost possibilities, and the need to fulfill them.