Stefania Rocca Movies

Bad Lieutenant director Abel Ferrara takes the helm of this allegorical drama concerning an actress locked in the throes of a profound spiritual crisis, and the affect that it has on both the director of her latest film and a New York journalist. Marie Palesi (Juliette Binoche) is a major European screen star who has just finished shooting her latest film, a revisionist religious drama directed by maverick American film director Tony Childress (Matthew Modine). In the film, Palesi portrayed the character of Mary Magdalene not as a common prostitute, but a full-fledged disciple whose power struggle with Peter set the stage for centuries of controversy. But the role has had a greater impact on Palesi than anyone could have foreseen, and after the shoot wraps, she makes the decision to remain in the Middle East and make a pilgrimage to Jerusalem. A year later, New York investigative journalist Ted Younger (Forest Whitaker) is producing a week-long network series examining the historical facts about Jesus Christ. After attending a screening for Childress' film, Younger contacts the director about the possibility of interviewing both himself and Palesi for the project. Unfortunately for Younger, Palesi has disappeared and Younger has no idea how to track her down. But while married journalist Younger is currently having an affair with an actress (Marion Cotillard) who just happens to know Palesi's number in Jerusalem, convincing the elusive starlet to appear on his special will pose a whole new set of challenges. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Mainstream Italian filmmaker Alessandro D'Alatri directs the light romantic comedy Casomai (If By Chance). Thirtysomething ad executive Tommaso (Italian TV star Fabio Volo) gets married to upscale makeup artist Stefania (Stefania Rocca). In a rural church outside of Milan, the priest (Gennaro Nunziante) questions the couple and the congregation about the lasting power of relationships. Told in a series of flashbacks and future sequences, the upper-class couple struggles with the social pressure of friends, career, and family members. Their love is further tested with parenthood, infidelity, and separation. ~ Andrea LeVasseur, Rovi

Following up on his innovative work Timecode, which featured four stories being told in real time simultaneously, Mike Figgis returns to a modified form of his technique in this film about the tourists, the prostitutes, the tour guides, a killer, and a film crew who frequent the Hungarian Palace Hotel in Venice, Italy. A corrupt Eastern European politician and his moll are visiting the city to complete a shady business deal while Sophie is a high-priced call girl who makes an office in one of the hotel's suites. The film crew is attempting to shoot a Dogma 95-style adaptation of John Webster's The Duchess of Malfi only to run into one problem after another. Magic is a professional assassin with a very odd kink -- he must have sex immediately after completing a job. Quintus, who abandoned his attempts to get fame and fortune as an actor, is a tour guide with an unusual secret. And then there is maid who not only has the skeleton key to the hotel, but also a habit of snooping. This film was screened at the 2001 Toronto Film Festival. ~ Jonathan Crow, Rovi

He was a poor carpenter who never traveled further than 50 miles from his home and died at the age of 33, but his teachings changed the world and he's still followed by hundreds of millions of people around the world, 2,000 years after his death. Jesus, originally produced as a television mini-series, offers a glimpse of the human side of the messiah, as well as recounting the story of his life and martyrdom. Jeremy Sisto stars as Jesus, with Jacqueline Bisset as Mary, Armin Mueller-Stahl as Joseph, Gary Oldman as Pontius Pilate, and Debra Messing as Mary Magdalene. The home video release is expanded from the broadcast edition, featuring material that was cut for time purposes. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

In this offbeat romantic drama, Francesco (Lothaire Bluteau), a cartoonist who draws an adults-only sex-and-adventure feature, finds his relatively quiet life in Messina turned upside down by the arrival of a film crew from England, who've moved into town to shoot a movie under the direction of an eccentric American filmmaker (L.M. Kit Carson). Yasmin (Laila Rouass), a beautiful actress from Pakistan, is starring in the film, and Francesco soon finds himself falling in love with her. Yasmin finds herself attracted to Francesco as well, much to the annoyance of her director. L.M. Kit Carson, who also served as executive producer on this film, is best known as a screenwriter, having worked on films as diverse as Paris, Texas and The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Donatella Majorca directed this erotic computer drama starring Stefania Rocca, who's also in the cast of the 1997 futuristic computer film Nirvana. Viola (Rocca) compiles data and interviews on dreams, desires, sleep, and insomnia for a large research firm. Ending a ragged relationship, Viola browses the Internet and encounters a sex site where she meets Mittler (Ennio Fantastichini), who becomes her online lover. In erotic experiments, she masturbates to Mittler and becomes obsessed with him as he leads her into various sex games, activities which cause her to neglect her work. Mittler tells her to seduce laborer Lorenzo (Stefano Rota), who is doing maintenance work on her apartment. When Mittler learns that a genuine relationship has developed between Viola and Lorenzo, he becomes insanely jealous. Mittler's invasion of her private life leads her to track and confront him. Shown at the 1998 Venice Film Festival. ~ Bhob Stewart, Rovi

Paralyzed after an auto accident, wheelchair-bound Pablo (Stefano Dionisi) teaches at a Rome residential community center for the disabled. Initially, he resents conscientious objector Daniele (Massimo Bellinzoni), but they soon become friends. However, a romantic triangle develops after blonde Chiara (Stefania Rocca) comes between the two. With a blowup to 35mm, this film played at several 1997-98 fests (Sundance, San Jose). ~ Bhob Stewart, Rovi

A computer virus endows Solo (Diego Abatantuono), the hero of a virtual reality game, with human consciousness, thereby creating all kinds of headaches for his creator Jimi (Christopher Lambert). The trouble begins in the futuristic metropolis of Northern Agglomerate three days before Christmas. With little time left, video-game designer Jimi has no choice but to give his newest game, "Nirvana," to his powerful bosses. Unfortunately, the virus strikes just before the deadline. At first Solo doesn't know he is a graphic image, but when he finds out, he fervently pleads with Jimi to destroy every existent copy of the game so that he will not have to live the same sequence of events over and over for eternity. Jimi, vulnerable after the mysterious and sudden disappearance of his lover Lisa (Emmanuelle Seigner), agrees to honor Solo's wishes, but is unable to simply erase the program because his every move, on and off the job, is monitored by a giant, Orwellian computer. He therefore takes off for the Arab quarter and enlists the aid of two hackers, Joystick (Sergio Rubini), an expert at sabotaging databases, and Naima (Stefania Rocca), a woman with the skills to destroy the prototype of the computer game. With the company's henchmen hot on their heels, the threesome set off on a colorful journey through real and virtual worlds to destroy Solo before it is too late. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi