Twice Born (2012)

A mother brings her teenage son to Sarajevo, where his father died in the Bosnian conflict years ago.

Director:

Sergio Castellitto

Writers:

Margaret Mazzantini (novel), Sergio Castellitto (screenplay)

Stars:

Penélope Cruz, Emile Hirsch, Adnan Haskovic

7 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Penélope Cruz	...	Gemma
Emile Hirsch	...	Diego
Adnan Haskovic	...	Gojco
Saadet Aksoy	...	Aska
Pietro Castellitto	...	Pietro
Mira Furlan	...	Velida
Jovan Divjak
Vinicio Marchioni	...	Gemma's husband
Branko Djuric	...	Doctor (as Branko Duric)
Jane Birkin	...	Psicologa
Luca De Filippo	...	Armando
Sergio Castellitto	...	Giuliano
Bruno Armando
Fausto Russo Alesi
Juan Carlos Vellido	...	Official Ministry

Storyline

The fervent affair of the Italian Gemma and the American photographer Diego will be put to the test by the insurmountable problem of infertility, as the couple's desperate desire to conceive will prompt them to make difficult choices. Now, sixteen years after the 1992 siege of Sarajevo, Gemma--after accepting her old friend Gojko's invitation--will return to the once war-torn city accompanied by her 16-year-old son, Pietro, only to unearth powerful memories and bottled-up emotions. But, there, decades after her perilous escape, Gemma is also in for a terrible and tragic revelation--one that will uncover the true horrors of war and the full extent of her loss.

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Plot Keywords:

female nudity | bare breasts | pubic hair | sarajevo | delivering a baby | 

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Taglines:

A story of love. A story of war. A story of life.

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Genres:

Drama | Romance | War

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for violence including a rape scene, sexuality/nudity, language and some drug content

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook Official site [Japan]

Country:

Italy Spain

Language:

English Italian Bosnian

Release Date:

6 December 2013 (USA)

Also Known As:

Twice Born

Filming Locations:

Bosnia-Herzegovina

Box Office

Budget:

€13,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$14,947, 8 December 2013, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$14,947, 8 December 2013

Company Credits

Production Co:

Medusa Film, Alien Produzioni, Mod Producciones

Technical Specs

Runtime:

127 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Emile Hirsch (Diego) is the only American in the cast.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Gemma: [on phone] Hello?
Gojco: [on the other end] May I speak with Gemma?
Gemma: This is Gemma.
Gojco: Gemma? Gemma, is that really you?
Gemma: Gojco?
Gojco: Yes, Gemma. It's me
Gemma: My Gojco?
Gojco: Your Gojco.
[laughs]

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Soundtracks

Lullaby
Written by Sia (as S. Furler), Samuel Dixon (as S. Dixon)
Performed by Sia (as SIA)
© Chrysalis Music Ltd.
Published in Italy by Bmg Rights Management Italy S.r.l.
© 2005 Emi Music Publishing S.r.l.
(p) 2008 Monkey Puzzle Records ltd.
Courtesy of Universal Music Italia Srl
Courtesy of i.e : three Ltd

User Reviews

A lovely overlooked film.

This movie was panned by the critics. It a has 19% rating at Rotten Tomatoes. The audience gives it 73%. The audience is right. This movie is a treasure. Most of the negative reviews come from Americans who, I am sure, never watched this lovely film. The Americans make a habit of lying. Their film critics are no exception. There is no way that all of those negative reviews come from people who have seen this movie. I often marvel at the factual mistakes in mainstream press reviews and have long suspected that they will review a movie they have not seen. This movie proves my thesis. Audience reviews are a much better barometer of whether a movie is worth one's time or not. This is definitely worth your time. Easily among the best of 2012. It never puts a foot wrong and builds to a most unexpected but satisfying conclusion. Perhaps love does not conquer all but it is the most resilient of our gifts as this film so ably shows.