L'attesa (2015)

A mother unexpectedly meets her son's fiancée at a villa in Sicily and gets to know her as she waits for her son to arrive.

Director:

Piero Messina

Writers:

Giacomo Bendotti, Ilaria Macchia

Stars:

Juliette Binoche, Giorgio Colangeli, Lou de Laâge

7 wins & 9 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview:
Juliette Binoche	...	Anna Remigi
Lou de Laâge	...	Jeanne
Giorgio Colangeli	...	Pietro
Domenico Diele	...	Giorgio
Antonio Folletto	...	Paolo
Corinna Locastro	...	Rosa
Giovanni Anzaldo	...	Giuseppe Remigi

Storyline

A mother unexpectedly meets her son's fiancée at a villa in Sicily and gets to know her as she waits for her son to arrive.

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Plot Keywords:

lie | sicily | title at the end | procession | easter | 

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Genres:

Drama

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Official Sites:

Indigo Film [Italy] Juliette Binoche: The Art of Being - Official Fansite

Country:

Italy France

Language:

Italian French

Release Date:

29 April 2016 (USA)

Also Known As:

L'attesa

Filming Locations:

Italy

Box Office

Budget:

€3,200,850 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$5,686, 1 May 2016, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$52,407, 26 June 2016

Company Credits

Production Co:

Indigo Film, Barbary Films, Medusa Film

Technical Specs

Runtime:

100 min

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Soundtracks

WAITING FOR THE MIRACLE
Music by Leonard Cohen - S. Robinson
Performed by Leonard Cohen
(c) SM Publishing (Italy), S.r.l. (c) Sharon Robinson Songs
Editore per I'Italia Cafe Concerto Srl
(p) 1992 Sony Music Entertainment

User Reviews

Keeping you guessing from start to finish

"L'Attesa" (2015 release from Italy; 99 min.; English title: "The Wait") brings the story of two women. As the movie opens, we see Anna (played by Juliette Binoche) at a church service, it looks like a funeral. Not long thereafter, Anna gets a phone call, during which she mentions "He's not here, I'm his mother, but come on over". Shortly thereafter, a young lady named Jeanne arrives at the estate (in Sicily, we later learn). She is the girlfriend of Anna's son Giuseppe. Anna tells her that Giuseppe will be back later in the week, in time for Easter. Where is Giuseppe? Why won't he take Jeanne's calls? What is really going on here? To tell you more would spoil your viewing experience, you'll just have to see for yourself how it all plays out.

Couple of comments: this is the feature debut of Italian writer-director Piero Messina, who previously was assistant-director in the Oscar-winning "The Great Beauty". Here, he builds a mystery as to why Giuseppe is absent, when he might return (or not) and what really happened to him. We are left guessing from start to finish, while we see the great Juliette Binoche deliver another towering performance as she grieves (whose funeral was that anyway? do we really believe it when Anna tells Jeanne "My brother died"?), Up-and-coming French actress Lou de Laâge as Jeanne is equally outstanding, a new talent we surely have not seen the last of. As mentioned, the movie is set in Sicily, which I typically do not associate with lakes and water, both of which are prominent in the film. Last but certainly not least, there is a ton of great music in the movie, both the original score (which director Messina co-composed I might add) and songs placements. There is a note-worthy scene in the movie which plays out as Leonard Cohen's "Waiting for the Miracle" is blaring, and the XX's "Missing" plays over the movie's end credits. There couldn't have been a more appropriate song to close out the movie.

"L'Attesa" opened this weekend at my local art-house theater here in Cincinnati and I couldn't wait to see it. The Friday early evening screening where I saw this at turned out to be a private screening: I was literally the only person in the theater, to my surprise. That said, it is clear that this movie is going to struggle to find a large audience: it is slow-moving, with no clear resolutions, and "all talk, no action". These are not criticisms as far as I'm concerned, au contraire, I found myself mesmerized by the way the movie unfolded, and this flew by in no time. If you are in the mood for a somber but top-notch foreign film dealing with grief, absence, and longing, I'd encourage you to check this out, be it in the theater, on VOD or eventually on DVD/Blu-ray. "L'Attesa" is HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!