QUIET CHAOS
aka CAOS CALMO aka CALM CHAOS

Year: 2008
UK: New Wave Films
Cast: Nanni Moretti, Valeria Golino, Isabella Ferrari, Alessandro Gassman, Blu Yoshimi, Hippolyte Girardot, Kasia Smutniak, Denis Podalydes, Charles Berling, Silvio Orlando, Blu Yoshimil, Roberto Nobile, Alba Rohrwacher, Manuela Morabito, Beatrice Bruschi
Director: Antonello Grimaldi
Country: Italy
Language: Italian (English subtitles)
UK: 111 mins
UK Certificate: 15 contains strong language and sex
UK Release Date: 24 October 2008

Synopsis

Based on the book by Sandro Veronesi, winner of the Strega Award 2006, QUIET CHAOS was adapted from a prize-winning Italian novel and stars director Nanni Moretti, who also co-wrote the screenplay, but this time leaving the direction to Antonello Grimaldi. It was in competition at tthe Berlin Film Festival 2008 and opened in Italy shortly afterwards, where it went to No 1 in the box-office.

Quiet chaos is what Pietro Paladini has had in his heart ever since the death of his wife. One summer day, Lara loses her life, while Pietro is elsewhere - fate has sent him to the sea to save the life of another woman, a stranger. An absurd coincidence that Pietro is unable to explain to his 10 year-old daughter Claudia.

Pietro takes Claudia to her first day of school and impulsively decides to spend the day there outside the school and wait for her until school finishes. He does the same the next day, and the day after that. He sits quietly, anywhere...waiting. He waits for the pain to arrive, but, after the strange quiet chaos in his mind and in his heart, a period of reawakening begins.

Pietro observes the world from where he is, fixed in place, and little by little discovers the dark side of others: his bosses; his co-workers; his relatives. They all rush to console him, but all they are able to do is to confide their own sorrows to him until they give into his incomprehensible calm. Claudia will be the one to save her father.

Whilst the film deals with loss, or the lack of feelings of loss, it has been made with a light understatement and humour. Besides a standout performance from Moretti, there are appearances from Valeria Golino as his earthy sister-in-law, and several distinguished French actors playing his work colleagues.