Respiro

Valeria Golino plays Grazia.

The beautiful Italian-Greek film and TV actress Valeria Golino, who I had previously seen in Rain Man (1988) Frida (2002) and 36 Quai des Orfevres (2004), plays Grazia mother of three in Respiro (2002) a film written and directed by Emanuele Crialese who was responsible for 2006’s Golden Door a story about an Italian family’s migration from their homeland to New York at the beginning of the 20th century which starred Charlotte Gainsbourg.

Grazia, lives in a close knit community of Lampedusa, a small Italian island southwest of Sicily, with her fisherman husband Pietro (Vincenzo Amato) and her three children. She has what could be described as an unconventional attitude which shows signs of a manic depressive. Her in-laws decide she needs medical attention and plan to send her to Milan to attend a mental institution. She runs away and hides in a cave looked after by her 14 year-old son who brings food and fresh clothing.

This delightfully charming simple down to earth story is a joy, it completely draws you in and you can’t help warming to the characters and caring what happens to them. Lampedusa natural beauty is used to enhance the cinematography making this wonderful wee film a pleasure to watch.