Quiet Chaos (2008)

A look at the strange bereavement behavior of an Italian executive. Based on a novel by Sandro Veronesi.

Director:

Antonello Grimaldi

Writers:

Sandro Veronesi (book), Nanni Moretti

Stars:

Nanni Moretti, Valeria Golino, Isabella Ferrari

16 wins & 33 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Nanni Moretti	...	Pietro Paladini
Valeria Golino	...	Marta
Isabella Ferrari	...	Eleonora Simoncini
Alessandro Gassmann	...	Carlo Paladini (as Alessandro Gassman)
Blu Yoshimi	...	Claudia Paladini
Hippolyte Girardot	...	Jean Claude
Kasia Smutniak	...	Jolanda
Denis Podalydès	...	Thierry
Charles Berling	...	Boesson
Silvio Orlando	...	Samuele
Roman Polanski	...	Steiner
Sara D'Amario	...	Francesca
Manuela Morabito	...	Maria Grazia
Roberto Nobile	...	Taramanni
Babak Karimi	...	Mario

Storyline

Pietro is a successful businessman with a wife and a daughter. One day he helps his brother save two women from drowning at the beach. When he returns home he finds that his wife has died. Now Pietro has to take care of his daughter, Claudia. When he drives her to school soon after, he decides to wait for her all day in front of the school, and soon that's what he does every day. He eats at the nearby café, gets to know the people who come by and follows from afar the fusion developments at work. Pietro's brother expects him to snap out of it, but who will snap first?

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Plot Keywords:

brother | school | bereavement | italian | businessman | 

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Genres:

Drama | Romance

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Did You Know?

Trivia

Kasia Smutniak wears a T-shirt of the last tour of The Who. Director Antonello Grimaldi, a big fan of The Who, bought it at their live concert in summer 2007 at the Arena of Verona.

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Goofs

In the park, Marta throws a water bottle in his shirt Pietro. In the next scene, the shirt is dry.

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Connections

References Psycho (1960)

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Soundtracks

Your Ex-Lover Is Dead
Written by Evan Cranley (as E. Cranley), Torquil Campbell (as T. Campbell), Amy Millan (as A. Milan), Chris Seligman (as C. Seligman) and Pat McGee (as P. McGee)
Performed by Stars

User Reviews

Where tragedy sparks the need for change.

Chaos is part of the human condition, as is death. Combine those three aspects in a narrative that explores the grieving process of a well-to-do business man, and you have the basic plot for this film.

Each of us grieves in our own way but generally in a manner that's well-known and understood. The man of this story, Pietro Palladini (Nanni Moretti) is different, however, when his wife dies unexpectedly (in the first ten minutes): his attitude is one of apparent indifference. Moreover, his behavior takes another turn when he insists on remaining outside his daughter's school every day, all day, instead of returning to his highly paid, high-powered position as a senior executive with a company that's infighting a merger with an American outfit. When called by his office, he insists he can do his work in his car, or while sitting on a park bench opposite the school...

That sort of aberrant attitude raises questions and helped this viewer to stay with the story to peel back the layers and find out what's eating Pietro.

As the widower, Nanni Moretti gives a quietly brooding and pensive performance that has an almost di Nero quality. It's contrasted nicely with Carlo (Alessandro Gassman), Pietro's celebrity brother who is as extroverted as Pietro is the opposite – the veritable chalk and cheese. Between the two is Pietro's daughter (Blu Yoshimi) who also displays a marked lack of affect after the death of her mother. On the periphery to those three are the women who intrude upon Pietro's solitary quotidian watch over his daughter's school: Marta (Valeria Gollino), his nervously unstable sister-in-law; Eleonora (Isabella Ferrari), the woman whom he rescued from drowning in the film's opening sequence; and the stunningly ravishing Jolanda (Kasia Smutniak), the young woman who insists upon walking her dog – and herself – closer to where Pietro sits, with each passing day. As Pietro sits and watches her, his gaze tells us he's wandering into fantasy, without a doubt...

And, from time to time, some of Pietro's colleagues from the office turn up to discuss office politics and the impending merger – capped, I might add, with a cameo from Roman Polanski as Steiner, the business mogul who wants to use Pietro to help with the merger.

Except for one torrid, animalistic sex scene – simply a cry for connection between two lonely people – this is a gentle story that's beautifully photographed around Rome and Lazio, Italy. The acting, especially from Moretti and Yoshimi, is without fault, I think; and Valeria Gollino always gives pleasurable viewing. The soundtrack is adequate; the pacing is in sync with a story that is very much about self-analysis and introspection i.e. some might think too slow – but the editing and direction keep the narrative moving well.

So, enjoy the views, the music, the shaded park, and the transient visitors as Pietro comes to terms with his loss. Highly recommended.

Details

Official Sites:

Bac Films [France] Official site [Italy]

Country:

Italy UK

Language:

Italian French English

Release Date:

26 June 2009 (USA)

Also Known As:

Caos Calmo

Filming Locations:

Rome, Lazio, Italy

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$3,190, 28 June 2009

Gross USA:

$11,434

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$11,326,121

Company Credits

Production Co:

Fandango, Phoenix Film Investments, Rai Cinema

Technical Specs

Runtime:

105 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1