Raphael Berdugo Movies

A young girl gets pushed beyond her limits and exercises legal justice swiftly and brutally in this earnest biopic of a real-life Mafia betrayer. The year is 1991. Rita Atria (Veronica D'Agostino), a young Sicilian girl from the village of Balta, has grown up completely enshrined in organized crime -- to such a degree that she takes many of the mob's activities for granted. This all changes when her honest father and brother get slain, which breaks Rita's heart. In response, she begins to slyly observe the more nefarious goings-on in the village, and starts keeping a detailed diary of the residents and their criminal activities. In November of the same year, Rita takes the journal to Paolo Borsellino (Gérard Jugnot), an investigative judge based in Palermo, and shares its contents with him. This, in turn, sets into motion a seemingly irreversible series of events that threaten to topple the village's criminal infrastructure. And though the Italian government places Rita in a witness protection program, the Sicilian Mafia knows her all too well and attempts to carry out its own crude form of justice against the young betrayer. ~ Nathan Southern, Rovi

A Beirut beauty salon serves as a microcosm of modern society in director Nadine Labaki's look at liberated conversation in a conflicted society. Over the course of their day it becomes readily apparent that women are truly the same everywhere, regardless of the society they live in. While single Layale struggles with her growing attraction to a married man, Muslim bride-to-be Nisrine fears that her husband will find out that she has already lost her virginity, and Rima wages a futile war against her lesbian instincts. As with many women who frequent the salon, Jamale does everything within her power to reverse the visible effects of aging. As Rose laments the fact that she has sacrificed her own happiness in order to care for her older sister, the intimate conversations shared over the course of a typical day reveal just how universal the lives, loves, and concerns of contemporary women truly are. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

French filmmaker and professor of music Denis Dercourt directs the family drama Mes Enfants Ne Sont Pas Comme Les Autres (My Children Are Different). Widowed cellist Jean Debart (Richard Berry) is strict with his two children in regards to their musical education. Teenager Adele (Elodie Peudepiece) studies the cello but yearns for some rebellious independence while 11-year-old Alexandre (Frederic Roullier) is firmly committed to playing the piano and observing his father's wishes. Their stern grandfather Maître Erhardt (Maurice Garrel) is an orchestra conductor and their uncle Gerald (Mathieu Amalric) is a less-ambitious musician who finds work making background sounds. Soon Adele finds herself growing away from her father's harsh rules when she meets fellow musician Thomas (Malik Zidi). ~ Andrea LeVasseur, Rovi

Italian director Emanuele Crialese's Respiro tells an intimate tale of a family living in a quiet fishing community. Grazia (Valeria Golino) is deeply committed to her husband Pietro (Vincenzo Amato) and their children, as well as stray dogs. She suffers from extreme mood swings that result in serious physical attacks in times of high anxiety. Pietro decides to send her to get help, but this prompts Grazia to run away. She survives with the help of her son Pasquale (Francesco Casisa). Respiro was screened during Critics Week at the 2002 Cannes Film Festival. ~ Perry Seibert, Rovi