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Nanni Moretti, Valeria Golino, Isabella Ferrari, Alessandro Gassman, Blu Yoshimi ... see more see more... , Hippolyte Girardot , Kasia Smutniak , Denis Podalydès , Charles Berling , Silvio Orlando , Roman Polanski , Alba Rohrwacher , Manuela Morabito , Roberto Nobile , Babak Karimi , Beatrice Bruschi , Antonella Attili , Sara D'Amario , Cloris Brosca , Tatiana Lepore , Stefano Guglielmi

With Quiet Chaos (Caos Calmo), acclaimed Italian helmer Nanni Moretti steps away from his standard directorial role to essay the lead and co-author the script in a gentle psychological drama directed ... read more read more...by Antonello Grimaldi. Moretti stars as Pietro, a film executive whose life takes an irreversible and devastating turn one fateful morning. During a trip to the beach with his brother, Pietro's path intersects with that of a woman, Eleonora (Isabella Ferrari), who is drowning in the ocean; horrified, Pietro rushes in to save her. He subsequently returns home only to discover that his wife, Lara, just died in a nasty falling accident; devastated to the core, this nascent widower must make the necessary psychological accommodations to adjust to life as a single parent, with sole responsibility for raising his ten-year-old daughter, Claudia (Blu Yoshimi). Almost instinctively, as a reaction to Lara's death, Pietro opts to sit and wait for his daughter to finish school each day (in a park across from the school), in lieu of abandoning her to his own priorities and commitments. This means that the fellow's colleagues in the film industry must, by necessity, come to do business with him in the park. Through it all, Pietro remains silently dumbfounded that the tragedy itself hasn't shaken him more, that the grief (the "quiet chaos" of the title) is subtly agonizing instead of grossly traumatizing and debilitating. Nevertheless, he ultimately begins to approach a full realization and acceptance of his loss, and gains an enhanced awareness of himself and others from the potentially crippling events thrust into his path. Valeria Golino (Rain Man) co-stars; Roman Polanski appears in a cameo as one of Pietro's industry colleagues. ~ Nathan Southern, Rovi

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66% liked it

3,510 ratings

Critics

74% liked it

35 critics

Unrated, 1 hr. 52 min.

Directed by: Antonio Luigi Grimaldi

Release Date: June 26, 2009

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DVD Release Date: January 26, 2010

Stats: 172 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (172)


  • fb1144932598
    June 26, 2010
    fb1144932598
    A quiet character study regarding a man dealing with the accidental death of his wife, leaving him to care for their ten year old daughter. Facing uncertainties at work and seemingly unable to process his loss, Pietro (Nanni Moretti) daily waits for his daughter in the park acros... read mores from her school. He attracts the notice of several other people who frequent the park and receives visits from colleagues, friends, and relatives. His brother, Carlo (Alessandro Gassman), and crazy sister-in-law, Marta (Valeria Golino), check in with him from time to time to express their concerns and to try to induce him into a more normal routine, to no avail. The interaction between the father and daughter feels quite natural and provides a handle with which to understand their grief process. There are lighter moments to relieve the gloom, and the bright daily scenes also help to mask what otherwise could have been maudlin. One sex scene toward the end detracted from the overall tone of the film. It seemed out of place and completely unnecessary. This viewer has no problem with scenes of this nature as long as they flow naturally from the story. This one was too jarring and gratuitous.
  • July 25, 2008
    I liked it even more than The Son's Room; it's similar in a way, but here it doesn't take so long to show the pain, and it's more original. Great, great dialogues and stupid sex scenes.
  • September 8, 2011
    slow and moving but doesn't really go anywhere in this tale of a father & daughter dealing with the death of his wife/mother.

Critic Reviews


Owen Gleiberman
July 22, 2009
Owen Gleiberman, Entertainment Weekly

[Nanni] Moretti makes this 'study' in despair a naggingly neutral, at times borderline coy experience. Full Review

V.A. Musetto
June 26, 2009
V.A. Musetto, New York Post

Moretti gives his usual excellent performance. But the script throws in too many other elements while it should be concentrating on the father-daughter relationship. Full Review

A.O. Scott
June 26, 2009
A.O. Scott, New York Times

The film, while uneven -- sometimes too on the nose, sometimes anecdotal and diffuse -- is generally absorbing, thanks mostly to the quality of the acting.

Ella Taylor
June 24, 2009
Ella Taylor, Village Voice

Not even the momentary participation extraordinaire of a vertically challenged famous filmmaker self-exiled from the United States can save this phony pseudo-drama from its final collapse into a heap ... Full Review

Jay Weissberg
October 18, 2008
Jay Weissberg, Variety

Beautifully modulated, fluidly told film expresses pain with warm understatement. Full Review

Natasha Senjanovic
October 18, 2008
Natasha Senjanovic, Hollywood Reporter

Nanni Moretti superbly carries family tragedy, infusing it with depth and humor.

Andrew Schenker
June 29, 2009
Andrew Schenker, Slant Magazine

Grief has rarely felt quite so empty as it does in Quiet Chaos. Full Review

Kent Turner
June 26, 2009
Kent Turner, Film-Forward.com

Quiet Chaos jerkily shifts tones, from oddly comic ... to blunt. And by blunt I mean an indiscreet, in-your-face sex scene that turns the viewer from observer to pervy voyeur. Full Review

Joshua Rothkopf
June 25, 2009
Joshua Rothkopf, Time Out New York

Unfortunately, Quiet Chaos can't help but become heated, and a ridiculous climax sabotages much of the emotional weight. Full Review

Richard Mowe
May 28, 2009
Richard Mowe, Boxoffice Magazine

Grimaldi's sensitive direction, allied to a subtle score by Paolo Buonvino, sharp script and accomplished acting, helps to turn this into an original and complex study of the unpredictability of human... Full Review

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