Mountain FogQUIET CHAOS (CAOS CALMO): A DIFFERENT TAKE ON GRIEF
May 18th 2009 08:06
Nanni Moretti stars as Pietro in Quiet Chaos (Caos Calmo).
With his 2001 feature, The Son’s Room, screenwriter, director, producer and actor Nanni Moretti proved himself a dab hand at capturing the grief that can consume a family after the death of an immediate relative. It’s a subject that’s back on the agenda for his new feature, Quiet Chaos (here, Moretti is both star and co screenwriter), but rather than it being the story about the loss of a son, this time it’s the loss of a wife, and the result is the portrayal of a very different kind of emotional fallout.
In Quiet Chaos, Moretti stars as Pietro, a film executive whose life takes an irreversible and devastating turn one fateful morning. After taking it upon himself to rescue a woman drowning in the surf near his villa, Pietro experiences the irony of life firsthand when he returns home to discover his wife dead from a nasty accident.
Devastated, the nascent widower must begin to make the necessary psychological adjustments to adapt to life as a single parent, with the sole responsibility for raising his ten-year-old daughter Claudia (Blu Yoshimi). Almost instinctively, Pietro starts to ignore his work commitments, instead opting to spend his days in a park outside of Claudia’s school, waiting for her to emerge from class and always in sight should she need reassurance.
As Pietro establishes a quiet rhythm to his days in the park, he’s continually visited by family and work colleagues who are at first concerned for the widower, but soon come to find his strange calm a safe haven from the quarrels and quandaries of their hectic lives. Through it all, Pietro remains confused as to why the tragedy hasn't proven more cathartic, that the grief is quietly agonizing instead of grossly debilitating.
In adapting Sandro Veronesi’s novel for the screen, Moretti, along with his fellow writers Laura Paolucci and Francesco Piccolo, has done an excellent job in opening up Pietro's story cinematically, leaving a screenplay that barely hints at its literary origins. In this respect, director Antonello Grimaldi and cinematographer Alessandro Pesci have also come out to play, lending a simple tale a very fine cinematic sweep as they descend from Claudia’s classroom window to her waving father, or gently follow Pietro about the simple geography and assortment of passers-by that fulfils the park.
Indeed, the entire film develops a very gentle rhythm as Pietro slowly works through his muted grief, trying to remember what gave life meaning before the death of his wife. With this in mind, the filmmakers have carefully lined up the important beats of the story and slowly knock them off, one by one. In this way, Quiet Chaos is strangely fascinating, even if the pace is at times a bit too languid and the drama a touch too unobtrusive. Pietro’s state of calm makes it difficult for the writers to plumb the depths of his emotional condition, but they slowly make headway as the film moves into its second half through the careful observation of the protagonist’s dealings with both friends and strangers.
Many of the best scenes in Quiet Chaos involve Pietro's discussions with his brother, Carlo (the engaging Alessandro Gassman).
For his part, Moretti brings a fabulous countenance to the part of Pietro, with almost his whole character communicated through the seasoned actor’s expressive eyes. In close support is the charismatic Alessandro Gassman as Pietro’s younger sibling, Carlo, who tries his best to alleviate the emotional pressure placed upon his brother, while Valeria Golino (perhaps best known by English-speaking audiences for her work in Hot Shots) is also excellent as Pietro’s flighty sister-in-law.
For its subject matter, Quiet Chaos turns out to be a surprisingly subdued film that is almost too restrained for its own good. There’s an encouraging lack of mawkishness on display here, but some may actually find the considered approach a little too laid back. Still, there’s plenty to enjoy, particularly with the smattering of engaging humour, best illustrated by Carlo’s visits, which provide young Claudia with a playful counterpoint to the wilted emotions of her father. Ultimately, Quiet Chaos is a different take on grief, but one that still comes with its own careful doses of catharsis.
Quiet Chaos plays in selected Australian cinemas from May 21.
Check out the trailer for Quiet Chaos below:
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Comment by David O'Connell
Screen Fanatic
I've never seen any of Moretti's work but do have The Son's Room on tape somewhere I think, just never got around to watching it. Is it better than Quiet Chaos?
Comment by Matt Shea
20/20 Filmsight
Having said that, I preferred this - it just takes a different approach to family grief that sets it apart from The Son's Room, which hits more familiar beats. This also has a nice little soundtrack, which I'm sure will help get you to the ticket booth!
... Also, I didn't mention it, but watch out for one of the more bizarre cameos of recent times.
Comment by David O'Connell
Screen Fanatic
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Comment by Matt Shea
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