Sandro Petraglia Movies

A dysfunctional family is torn apart in a moment of violence and anger in this thriller from director Ferzan Ozpetek. Antonio (Valerio Mastandrea) is a burly and short-tempered man who works as a bodyguard for Elio Fioravanti (Valerio Binasco), a high-ranking politician. Antonio is officially married to Emma (Isabella Ferrari), but she's left him and has gone to live with her mother Adriana (Stefania Sandrelli), taking their kids Valentina (Nicole Murgia) and Kevin (Gabriele Paolino) with her. Antonio is determined to win Emma back, and when Kevin is invited to a birthday party thrown for Elio's daughter by the politician's young trophy wife Maja (Nicole Grimaudo), he hopes it will give him a chance to reconnect with his family. However, at the party Emma makes it clear that she has no interest in getting back together with Antonio and wants him to stop following her. Antonio flies into a rage, attacks Emma, then storms off with Valentina and Kevin in tow. Once Emma collects herself, she realizes she must act quickly if she wants her children back, and with the help of Mara (Monica Guerritore) they comb the city in search of Antonio. Un Giorno Perfetto (aka A Perfect Day) was an official selection at the 2008 Venice Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

A brilliant detective from Southern Italy investigates the death of a young girl found drowned in a remote lake in the mountains of Friuli in director Andrea Molaioli's dramatic mystery. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

Giancarlo De Cataldo's best-selling tale about three lifelong friends effectively take control of organized crime in modern-day Rome comes to the screen in this sweeping crime drama from director Michele Placido. Libanese (Pierfrancesco Favino) is the cold-hearted leader of a juvenile delinquent trio that also includes undyingly loyal Freddo (Kim Rossi Stuart) and power-hungry Dandi (Claudio Santamaria). After kidnapping and casually murdering a baron (Franco Interlenghi), the scheming friends soon form the shady alliances with the local gangsters, corrupt cops, and secret service members that will allow them the opportunity to effectively corner the market on heroin sales. Meanwhile, determined Inspector Sciloja (Stefano Accorsi), who has made it his goal to bring Libanese and his cronies to justice, stealthily manages to trace back the marked ransom money from the baron's kidnapping to Dandi's girlfriend Patrizia (Anna Mouglalis) - an alluring call girl whom the inspector soon finds himself falling for. But Inspector Sciloja isn't the only one to fall under the spell of a female who seems strangely out of his reach. On the other side of the law, Freddo becomes enamored by the decidedly pure Roberta (Jasmine Trinca), whose attempts to educate the smitten thug in the beauty of the Italian Masters seem to be made in vain. In projecting a fictionalized tale of murderous criminality against the larger backdrop of Italy's turbulent social history during the waning decades of the 20th Century, director Placido strives to craft a film that is not only entertaining, but historically relevant as well. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

Directed by Marco Tullio Giordana and La Meglio Gioventu, this film chronicles the youth, emotional development, and milestone events in the lives of brothers Nicola (Luigi Lo Cascio and Matteo Carti (Alessio Boni) between 1966 and the early 2000s. Despite being polar opposites -- Nicola is a free spirited, romantic psychiatrist; Matteo is an angst-ridden idealist and member of the Italian police force -- the brothers stay connected through the nature of life, family, and time, even during their long periods of separation from one another. ~ Tracie Cooper, All Movie Guide

In this drama that recalls the neo-realist films of the 1940s, Sciarra (Claudio Amendola) is a police detective who is leaving the force due to an incurable respiratory ailment. On his last day, Sciarra's superiors, the Commissioner (Peppe Servillo) and Porcaro (Valerio Binasco), give him a final assignment he's not very pleased about. Domenica (Domenica Guiliano), an orphaned 12-year-old girl, was raped, and when a suspect turns up dead, Sciarra is ordered to escort the girl to the morgue so that she can confirm or deny whether the dead man is the one who attacked her. Circumstances prevent this from being an easy task, and over the course of a long day, Sciarra becomes friendly with Domenica, who struggles to hold on to her innocence and optimism in a world that has allowed her very few illusions. Domenica also features American actress Annabella Sciorra as Betibu, Sciarra's ex-girlfriend and a sometime police informant. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

This Italian comedy opens by detailing the listless lives of a quartet of angry punks, all named Antonio, who live in the rural coastal town of Pescara in 1990. The focus changes, however, when one of them manages to go to Bologna to study at the local university. Books and college girls seem beyond him, so he drifts about the seedier corners of Amsterdam. A second Antonio joins him and the events of the Gulf War help to reshape the second Antonio's views, and he becomes both a conscientious objector and a protest leader. ~ Jonathan Crow, All Movie Guide

Based on an acclaimed, popular historical novel by Dacia Maraini, this 18th-century set costumer follows the adventures of a deaf-mute noblewoman who strives to escape her dark past and the social conventions that force her to remain married to a man she detests. The story begins when the already speechless title duchess is 12 years old. In hopes of shocking her back into speaking, her grandfather takes her to a hanging. The causes of Marianna's affliction are revealed slowly as the story progresses, but the whole truth is not revealed until the end. Though she is much loved by her family, they still force her to marry her ancient uncle when she is only 13. Her wedding night is horrific as is the birth of her first daughter. Her husband is desperate for an heir so she is forced to endure his unwanted attentions until she is finally able to bear him a son. Despite her oppressive life, Marianna is able to find freedom in subtle ways. She also has time to save a peasant girl from a terrible situation. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

A police captain plays a mental game of cat and mouse with a convicted terrorist as they cross Italy in an armored car. The story is set in 1983 and takes place over a 24-hour period. The prisoner Braccio, serving the fourth year of a 30-year sentence, is told that he is going to Milan where he can spend one month visiting with his lover Giulia. His guard is known only as the Captain. As they travel, the kindly captain encourages Braccio to speak of the past and the events that led to his conviction. Braccio doesn't know that the Captain is really after the names of his former cohorts. Along the way, the two have several key encounters that eventually lead Braccio, who will get a reduced sentence if he rats, to make a painful decision. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

This intelligent Italian comedy centers on an academically and physically run-down school and is presented from the viewpoint of the teachers. The main character is Vivaldi, who passionately believes that the purpose of education is to allow students to creatively express themselves. To this end, he comes up with all sorts of crazy ways to enliven his history class so that the students will pass their final exams. On the other side, is Sperone, a dour disciplinarian who inspires fear in all who encounter him. Vivaldi is romantically interested in the comely physics teacher Majello, but apparently she and Sperone are having a hot affair. The reasons for Vivaldi's assumption are made clear during a flashback. On the final day of the school year, the situation comes to a rapid boil as Majello has had a major fight with her husband, Sperone is bitterly disappointed, and Vivaldi desperately tries to pass a student who spends the entire day imitating a fly. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

Pier Paolo Pasolini was a beloved Italian filmmaker, poet and novelist whose murder in 1975 threw the whole nation into shock. This drama attempts to document the killing and the aftermath while exploring the true motives for the killing. The film opens as the police are in hot pursuit of a car racing along the waterfront of Ostia. At the end of the chase they end up arresting one Pino Pelosi, a male prostitute who confesses to bludgeoning the director to death and running him over with a car. The initial evidence goes along with Pelosi's story. Intermingled with the drama is actual police and press footage of the murder scene, the trial and other related events. As the court goes to trial, it soon becomes apparent that Pelosi is not telling the whole truth. Despite the findings of the media, the police and the lawyers seem to be in an inordinate hurry to close the case and dismiss it as yet another gay killing. Although the film avoids making elaborate postulations about the whole truth of the killing, it does not deny the fact that Pelosi did not act alone. Unfortunately, though Pelosi was imprisoned for his crime, he refused to reveal the identities of the others involved. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

Anna-Ambrogio grew up loving the sea and sailing, and nothing would please her more than being able to become a merchant seaman. However, it is the early 1960s, and women are not welcome either at sea or at the various marine academies that train youngsters for oceangoing careers. She has one supporter in her quest, a broad-minded and well-experienced sailor named Leo. With his encouragement, she batters down the men-only barriers at the merchant-marine academy, and through the force of her determination and persistence she manages to overcome the ingrained prejudices of her instructors and classmates to graduate. Afterwards, in Lisbon, she finds that even with her new credentials, overcoming the prejudices of potential employers is not simply a matter of determination and persistence, but then her old mentor comes to her assistance here, as well. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide