Francesca Archibugi Movies

Two men with virtually nothing in common strike up the closest of friendships but must deal with the impending shadow of mortality, in this gentle comedy-drama from cause-célèbre Italian director Francesca Archibugi. Successful screenwriter Alberto (Antonio Albanese) checks himself into the hospital complaining of chest pains; meanwhile, affluent garage owner Angelo (Kim Rossi Stuart suffers from a massive heart attack and winds up in the same room next to Alberto, where he makes a series of courageous but unsuccessful attempts to rebound and feels his condition deteriorating. In-between Alberto's visitations from various movie industry friends (established via a series of cameos) and Angelo's chats with pregnant wife Rossana (Micaela Ramazzotti), the patients become acquainted, and before long they mutually regress to goofy, teenage behavior and begin swapping confidences. Angelo develops a deep-seated level of respect and admiration for Alberto - enough that he begins to perceive the writer as someone who can provide for Rosanna and the kids after his own death - and Alberto, who has seldom been close to anyone, develops a real sense of what friendship means for the first time in his life. ~ Nathan Southern, All Movie Guide

In a village rocked by an earthquake, one family struggles to make a new home for themselves while juggling a variety of personal crises. In a small town in Umbia, an earthquake devastates several neighborhoods, and Paolo Zerenghi (Marco Baliani), the city's deputy mayor, finds himself in charge when the mayor is discovered to be seriously injured. The Zerenghi home is also destroyed in the quake, and Paolo, his wife Stefania (Ornella Muti), and their two children are forced to live in a trailer until their house can be rebuilt -- a cramped situation made all the worse when the Zerenghis are forced to take in aging Mrs. Moccia (Ilaria Occhina) and her handsome son, Giovanni (Valerio Mastrandrea). Agostino (David Bracci), one of the Zerenghi siblings, notices that Stefania and Giovanni seem to be getting along unusually well, and with his parent's relationship showing the strain of Paolo's new responsibilities, he suspects his mother may be straying with the good-looking visitor. Young Agostino is also having romantic problems of his own, having developed a crush on two neighborhood girls, Vale (Margherita Porena) and Tina (Michela Moretti), and now having to choose between one or the other. While Domani is fictional, it was inspired by actual events after a massive earthquake hit the Umbia section of Italy in 1997. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

This Italian documentary tells how guitarist-composer Battista Lena (husband of director Francesca Archibugi) assembled amateur and professional musicians, ages 8 to 80, to create Banda Sonora, a 56-piece jazz band seen rehearsing in the Italian countryside and giving an evening performance at the Umbria Jazz Festival. Shown at the 1997 Venice Film Festival. ~ Bhob Stewart, All Movie Guide

This gentle Italian drama is based upon the 1919 autobiographical novel by Federico Tozzi. The film tells the story of teenagers Ghisola and Pietro whose closeness is born of the pain the two experience in their daily lives. Ghisola, only 14-years old, must work in the fields away from her family. Pietro is emotionally abused by his father. When his father discovers their mutual affection, he sends Ghisola away. Pietro does not see her again until he is an adult. She has changed. Now pregnant and alone, Ghisola tries to seduce Pietro so he will marry her. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

This 1991 Italian period drama is not to be confused with the 1990 Australian vampire film with the same English-language title, Wicked. The entire story, a genuine psychological detective tale, concerns the attempt by a young doctor (Julian Sands) working early in the 20th century in a Swiss clinic to uncover the root cause for the persistent mental breakdown of a young woman (Giuliana De Sio) who has recently suffered the death of her daughter. Despite the resistance of the clinic's administration to his use of Freudian methods, the doctor begins his analysis at the clinic but finds that he must travel to Italy to interview the woman's family and friends in order to get at the ultimate cause. A version of this film capably dubbed into English was released at the same time as its Italian-language version. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide

American character actor James Russo stars in the Italian melodrama La Cintura (The Belt). Russo's first mistake is to fall in love with Eleanora Brigliadori. His second mistake is to marry her. Experiencing a sexual epiphany on her wedding night, Brigliadori decides that she enjoys being brutally beaten. Reluctantly, Russo indulges his bride's S&M yearnings, but when he wants to put a stop to this activity, he learns to his horror that it's too late to turn back. La Cintura is based on a novel by Alberto Moravia. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

The complex relationships of aristocrats in the 18th century, including their romances, is the subject of this nearly operatic dramatic retelling of Goethe's famous novel. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide