Dino Abbrescia 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, All Movie Guide

True love, jealousy, and betrayal bring about a good old-fashioned case of body swapping in Italian director Sergio Rubini's 2002 fantastical dark comedy Soul Mate. Rich and unbelievably spoiled, Teresa (Valentina Cervi) is accustomed to getting what she wants. In her most recent conquest, she managed to steal her cousin Maddalena's (Violante Placido) boyfriend, Tonino (Michele Venitucci), even going so far as getting the young man to agree to an engagement. But when the appointed time comes, Tonino backs out and seeks out his true love and soul mate Maddalena. Enraged, Teresa tracks down the village mystic, Benedetta (Maria De Fano), only to meet with the old woman's refusal to cast any spell for the sake of evil. Fortunately for Teresa, Benedetta's son, Angelantonio (director Sergio Rubini), isn't so scrupulous and goes about learning what he needs to in order to enable Teresa to swap bodies with Maddalena. Meanwhile, Maddalena convinces Angelantonio to transport her into Teresa's body, in order to test Tonino's ability to judge beyond outward appearances -- setting in motion the final test to Maddalena and Tonino's relationship. ~ Ryan Shriver, All Movie Guide

Returning to the characters of his 1995 debut In the Thick of It, Gianni Zanasi directs this docu-drama that blurs the border between fiction and reality. Invited by a local community, Zanasi gathers the two stars from his previous film -- teenaged Lorenzo Viaconzi and older, more jaded Paolo Sassanelli -- for an all-expenses-paid trip. The director chronicles the trip from its planning to its completion while switching from straight reporting to re-enacting moments of sweet poignancy. ~ Jonathan Crow, All Movie Guide