“Respiro” a breath of fresh air

There’s something beautiful about a movie in which the world or the universe isn’t held in the hands of a single superhero, or even a small team of superheroes. Worlds are made and destroyed in the 2002 Italian film “Respiro,” sure, but they are the worlds of individuals.

“Respiro,” written and directed by Emanuele Crialese, stars Valeria Golino, Vincenzo Amato, and Francesco Casisa. It tells the story of a family whose mother (played by Golino) might best be described as manic-depressive - her moods swing wildly betweens negligent, carefree happiness, and violent, plate-smashing anger or depression. With a reserved fisherman husband, a rapidly-maturing adolescent daughter, and two younger sons inclined to get into fights, the mother’s instability throws the family into chaos. The adults of the town talk of moving her to a mental institution.

This film is unbelievably beautiful. Without a single Hollywood-style dolled-up character, Crialese a town made beautiful in its austere and diverse scenery and a family of real humans. There’s very little inhibited about this film; if you’re used to nudity equating to sex, be prepared for a bit more casual, sex-devoid nudity than you might otherwise expect. In fact, my own association of nudity with sex caused me some nervousness over the casual family nudity in the movie. Consider yourself forewarned.

Everything from the plot to the scenery is well executed in the film. In fact, I was so mesmerized, I don’t think I could list many flaws, aside from the fact that when the movie had lasted one hour, it felt like it had been two full hours of action-packed plot. It felt busy, although it started slow.

I would definitely recommend this film to anyone with an interest in Italian or, more generally, European films. I don’t watch many American films these days, and I would rank “Respiro” as highly as I would “Amélie” in my book of awesome movies.