Não Se Mova

While waiting for the brain surgery of his daughter Angela, victim of a motorcycle accident, the surgeon Timoteo (Sergio Castellitto) recalls his torrid affair with and passion for Italia (Penélope Cruz), a simple woman from slums in the periphery of the big city where he lives.

When I bought the DVD "Non ti Muovere", I was expecting to see an above average dramatic romance. I felt attracted by name of Penélope Cruz in the credits and the good references in IMDb, but my best expectations were superseded. "Non ti Muovere" is a very intense low budget movie, a precious gem to be discovered by movie lovers, with a touching and sad love story that recalled me Fellini's "Le Notti di Cabiria": There are two points very similar in these films: the character of the lonely and simple Italia, who works cleaning hotels, and recalled me the prostitute Cabiria; and the very poor isolated location in the slums where both characters (Italia and Cabiria) live. "Non ti Muovere" is more erotic, but both stories are centered in the humble female lead character. Penélope Cruz is awesome, with a stunning and heartbreaking performance of an abused woman with no possessions. She really deserved a nomination to the Oscar for such a wonderful acting. I do not follow the work of the practically unknown (to me) Sergio Castellitto, but his direction and performance in this film are outstanding. My vote is nine.

Title (Brazil): "Não se Mova" ("Do not Move")

Here is a movie which is better than the book it is adapted from. Not unlike film version of "the Hours", the film version of "Non Ti Muovere - Don't Move" surpasses the quality of the book. Castellito proves that not only is he one of the best actors in Italy but he is also a first-rate movie director. His directing puts in an amazing load of emotions into a story which was depicted rather coldly in the book. The scene where Castellito-Timeteo has a fight with Cruz-Italia after she announces that she underwent an abortion is worthy of movie anthologies. One of the best surprises of the film is undoubtedly Penelope Cruz that emerges from the castrating roles in Hollywood and proves herself as an emotionally intense actress. I hope the film receives the acclaim it deserves in its showing at the Cannes Festival in May.

The film is almost surreal. It is difficult to imagine a genuine romance arising out of a rape scene. But the film hints - leaving the viewer to decide for one's self - that Italia's abusive childhood made her desperate for love - any love. Similarly, Tino's hate for his father may have been a factor in his becoming the dissolute adult he is.

It is significant that Tino's wife, with whom he has fallen out of love, is an attractive, affectionate, professionally successful woman. Italia, his mistress is plain looking and older than her years.

We have to suspect that wife suspects. Yet Tino's frequent, prolonged and unexplained absences are simply glossed over. This sort of simplifies things, but it is rather difficult for the viewer to accept.

In Australia we are fortunate to have 3 or 4 festivals each year showcasing the latest films from France, Germany, Greece and Italy. "Don't look Now" is screening as part of the Italian one

Sergio Castellitto is quite well known here, perhaps mainly for his lead role in "Mostly Martha" where he shone. He brings a great presence to the screen although his character here is darker than the outgoing Italian chef in Martha.

"Don't Look Now" is a riveting story of a surgeon sitting in the waiting room of a hospital where he works with his 15 yo daughter and only child seriously injured fighting for her life in the operating room. Whilst waiting he recounts the crucial moments in his life and mainly his sordid and violent (his) relationship with Cruz, a derelict young woman and the interplay and very much parallel life with his wife, a successful journalist played by Claudia Gerini who looks very much like an Italian Diane Lane.. beautiful hair, classical looks.

The contrast between his married homelife and Cruz situation is black and white. His house overlooks a beautiful beach, Cruz's is in a dusty hellhole in the middle of a construction site.

This film makes perfect use of flashbacks something I normally detest particularly ones that move in reverse order like Momento or the French Film "Irreversible"

The rape scene between Cruz and Castellitto is much briefer than that in "Irreversible" but just as uncomfortable to watch.

I couldn't quite work out the attraction between Cruz's and Castellitto's characters as there was no gentleness in his approach at first (it was rape) but somehow he falls in love with her.

But there is a lot to enjoy here and a lot to think about afterwards. It is the sort of movie that you should see once and could see a number of times to get all the angles.

For Cruz this could perhaps be compared to Halle Berry's performance in Monsters Ball or Charlene Theron's in Monster. But unlike these other two films, Cruz's character is only one of the 3 or 4 varied relationships Castellitto's character has in the film. These relationships and how they interplay is why it is such an interesting movie.

Watching this movie I couldn't stop thinking of a great Italian novel, "Un amore" (probably translated in English as "A love") by Dino Buzzati. Both treat the subject of an impossible love, but Buzzati's is much more concrete and much better. "Non ti muovere" lacks psychological insight, the characters seem too void, the relationships between them don't have that something that would make them seem real.It's very possible that one simply doesn't get it. This could and should have been an interesting depiction of a middle-age crisis, of a person who just doesn't fit in the picture that it's his life, but instead it's a seemingly meaningless love story, with an unaesthetic Penelope Cruz, who, unfortunately for her is no great actress.