Matteo Garrone Movies

This Italian drama follows the exploits of two Albanian immigrants struggling to establish themselves in bustling Rome. Their story began as one of three stories in director Matteo Garrone's debut feature Land in Between (1996). Protagonists, Gherti (Julian Sota) and Ghini (Llazar Sota) live in a crowded flat with their uncle, and they work in a restaurant. The two find their living arrangements unsuitable, so their boss attempts to help them by suggesting that they move in with his friend, known only as The Photographer (Corrado Sassi). It's a nice place, but the brothers find the small neighborhood intimidating. Eventually, Gherti tires of his brother's domineering ways and leaves him. Soon afterward, Gherti becomes friends with Lino, who came from Sardinia thirty years before. Several years ago, Lino's wife went mad and disappeared; he fears she has drowned. The film played at the 1998 Venice Film Festival where director Garrone received a FEDIC Award - Special Mention and a Runner(s) up Kodak Award. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

Matteo Garrone's The Embalmer tells the sad story of a love triangle. Peppino (Ernesto Mahieux), a mob-connected dwarf who works as a taxidermist, establishes a working relationship with Valerio (Valerio Foglia Manzillo), who loves animals. The closeted Peppino, who carries a torch for Valerio, is threatened when Valerio takes up with Deborah (Elisabetta Rocchetti), who moves in with the pair. Soon the tension leads to horrible acts committed by and on the different members of the group. The Embalmer was screened at the Director's Fortnight during the 2002 Cannes Film Festival. ~ Perry Seibert, Rovi

A man unexpectedly finds himself talking care of four women, three of whom he barely knows, in this sunny comedy from Italy. Gianni (Gianni di Gregorio) is a man in his mid-sixties who still lives with his mother; given that Valeria (Valeria De Franciscis) is well into her nineties, these days he looks after her rather than the other way around, though she remains quite spry given her age. Gianni and Valeria share an apartment in a building owned by Luigi (Alfonso Santagata); Gianni owes money on the rent, and Luigi, who wants to take off for the midsummer festivities of Ferragosto, makes him a deal -- Luigi will forgive the debt if his elderly mother, Marina (Marina Cacciotti), can stay with Gianni and Valeria for a few days. Gianni grudgingly agrees, but is upset when he discovers Luigi has also brought his aging aunt Maria (Maria Calì). Word apparently circulates that Gianni is running an informal home for the elderly, as his friend Marcello (Marcello Ottolenghi) stops by and drops off his mother, Grazia (Grazia Cesarini Sforza), for a day or two. While Gianni scrambles to look after the various needs of four elderly women, it soon becomes clear the ladies have strongly differing views on a number of subjects, making his job all the more difficult. Pranzo di Ferragosto (aka Mid-August Lunch) was written and directed by Gianni di Gregorio, who also played the harried son; it was the first directorial project for the veteran screenwriter. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Affable Neapolitan fishmonger Luciano (Aniello Arena) teams with his wife to pull off a series of small-yet-profitable scams, but finds his perception of life starting to shift after being convinced by his family to try out for the hit reality game show Big Brother. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi