Respiro

A deeply atmospheric movie which seems to be set in the realm of magic realism, Emanuele Crialese's Respiro follows the headstrong Grazia (Valeria Golino). She's the wife of hard-working fisherman Pietro (Vincenzo Amato) and mother to three children, all of whom live on the island of Lampedusa, off the coast of Sicily. A picturesque, naturally dramatic and sun kissed land, Grazia is deeply connected to her surroundings and the sea, even at the expense of maintaining a facade of respectability in her close-knit, rather conservative fishing community. Given to certain acts of extreme behaviour, she often finds herself at odds with her fellow villagers.

While the natural trajectory of the narrative is routinely cast aside when it suits the director, there's an intoxicating beauty about Respiro which makes it difficult to resist. The cinematography is lavish and astoundingly beautiful while Crialese manages to capture the ambience of the beautiful environment and its people. The performances are impressive with the beautiful Valeria Golino weighing in with a substantial turn, which is both ethereal and strangely powerful. The performance, like the film which it propels, may be a little too wilful for general consumption, but there's something undeniably gorgeous about it.