Gianni Zanasi Movies

A moderately successful, thirtysomething rocker in dire need of a warm bed and a home-cooked meal returns to his family home in Rimini, only to be faced with a series of crises both large and small in this affectionate family comedy from director Gianni Zanasi. Stefano Nardini (Valerio Mastandrea) is a post-punk guitarist stuck in a strange career limbo; while he isn't exactly an unknown, he wouldn't be considered a household name by any means. When Stefano returns to his childhood home for a momentary reprieve from the rock & roll nightlife, his family welcomes him back with open arms. Unfortunately for Stefano, this retreat will be far from relaxing, since everyone under the roof seems locked into some sort of personal crisis. For starters, once-studious sister Michela (Anita Caprioli) has abandoned her education in favor of working with dolphins, and struggling mother Giuliana (Gisella Burinato) is taking self-help classes from a loopy guru who claims to hold the secrets to a happier life. On the more serious end of things, brother Alberto (Giuseppe Battiston) is locked into a bitter split with his ill-content wife -- a deeply personal woe that is only compounded by the fact that the family factory he runs has sunken deep into debt. When Alberto proves reluctant to divulge the sorry state of the family business to father Walter (Teco Celio), loyal siblings Stefano and Michela do their best to pitch in and set things right. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Italian filmmaker Gianni Zanasi's sophomore effort is this fanciful coming-of-age drama. Fifteen-year-old Andrea (Andrea Corneti) lives in a world of his own, in which a casual friendship with a pretty young girl gets blown up in his mind into an epic romance. He invites her for a romantic weekend to visit a motor show in nearby Bologna, but she fails to show up at the bus station. Instead, his older sister Stefania -- who's planning an amorous getaway herself with her beau Angelo -- appears and Andrea tags along. At Bologna, Andrea passes himself off as the son of a Formula One driver, while Stefania wonders whether or not she should go all the way with Angelo. A Domani was screened at the 1999 Venice Film Festival. ~ Jonathan Crow, Rovi