Roberto Zibetti Movies
Director Dario Argento, best known for his stylishly bloody horror films, revisits the style and themes of his early directorial efforts in this tense crime thriller. A prostitute (Barbara Lerici) discovers one of her customers has a taste for much rougher sex than she's willing to give him; trying to sneak away from her john, she accidentally walks off with one of his scrapbooks, from which she discovers her client apparently committed a series of unsolved murders almost 20 years earlier. The john tracks down the prostitute and murders her to insure her silence; this awakens in him the desire to kill again, and soon he's once again leaving a bloody swath across Italy. Ulisse Moretti (Max Von Sydow), the police detective who investigated the earlier wave of killings, is brought out of retirement when clues link the new murders to those committed in the early '80s, and the aging cop finds his sometimes foggy memory jolted back to recognition by the growing number of bloody victims. Meanwhile, Giacomo (Stefano Dionisi), whose saw his mother being killed by the murderer as a boy, learns that the killer is back at work, and sets out to investigate the case on his own. Non Ho Sonno features an original musical score by the rock band Goblin, who also wrote music for a number of Argento's best-known films. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Max von Sydow, Stefano Dionisi, (more)
- 1998
Popular Italian rock star Luciano Ligabue made his directorial debut with this Italian drama based on Fuori e dentro il borgo, his collection of autobiographical short stories about growing up in small-town Italy of the '70s. DJ Bruno (Lucian Federico) reflects on the past, a small circle of friends, and the hopes of their generation. At the group's core is Freccia (Stefano Accorsi), a heroin user until Marzia (Patrizia Piccinini) steps in to help him kick the habit. As expected, Iena (Alessio Modica) marries and settles down, while unhappy Boris (Roberto Zibetti) is a victim of his own cynicism, and Tito (Enrico Salimbeni) is driven to violence by his dysfunctional family. An older bartender (singer-songwriter Francesco Guccini) listens to the group's woes and dreams. Along with a guitar score and a closing-credits song by Ligabue, tunes of the time include ones by Iggy Pop, Roxy Music, and David Bowie. Shown at the 1998 Venice Film Festival. ~ Bhob Stewart, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Stefano Accorsi, Luciano Federico, (more)
- 1997
Three foolish Italian hunters head into the Yugoslavian wilderness for a vacation. Unfortunately, their timing is terrible and the trio end up trapped by the dawn of the war that would tear the country apart. This fact-based actioner tells their terrifying and horrific tale. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
This beautiful if ponderous soufflé of a film from director Bernardo Bertolucci serves more as an Italian travelogue than a drama. Liv Tyler stars as Lucy Harmon, an American teenager arriving in the lush Tuscan countryside to visit family friends residing there. Lucy visited four years earlier and exchanged a kiss with a handsome boy with whom she hopes to become reacquainted. Lucy's mother has committed suicide since then, and the teenager also hopes to discover the identity of her father, whom her mother hinted was a resident of the villa. Once she arrives, Lucy meets a variety of eccentric visitors, including a dying gay playwright (Jeremy Irons), a sculptor (Donal McCann), an entertainment lawyer (D.W. Moffet), and several others. Lucy has decided to lose her virginity and becomes an object of intense interest to the men of the household, but the suitor she finally selects is not the initial object of her affection. Stealing Beauty boasted an intriguing parallel between actress Tyler's role and her real life. The daughter of a famed rock and roll star, she was brought up believing that her father was someone else, a fact that Bertolucci may have had in mind when writing the story. ~ Karl Williams, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Liv Tyler, Sinéad Cusack, (more)
- 1995
This Italian film takes a chilling, nonexploitative look into the mind of a nice young man who compulsively rapes beautiful women. The rapes are graphically presented and may be disturbing to some viewers. Outwardly Luca seems to be a normal, quiet 20-year old. His mother is frequently gone. Trouble begins when Luca becomes obsessed with Valeria, the beauty who works in the next building. He begins spying on her, and then secretly filming her with his camcorder. He tries to get to know her, but she ignores him. Unable to stand her constant refusal, the frustrated young man accosts her on dark street and rapes her. The first rape was almost accidental; he encountered her on the street and he hurt her. Unfortunately, he liked the violence and begins raping every attractive woman he sees. He is particularly violent with Lorena, a jewelry saleswoman whom he beats up in a park before violating her. Much of the film focuses upon Luca's twisted thought processes. He is upset by the constant rejection he feels; especially when women say no. The film's climax is predictable, and few will feel remorse for Luca's passing. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
