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Poster for Respiro

Respiro

2002 · 1h 35m · PG-13 Comedy, Drama
Directed by Emanuele Crialese

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Overview

Grazia is a free-spirited mother-of-three married to shy fisherman Pietro and living on the idyllic but isolated island of Lampedusa in the Mediterranean Sea. She shows signs of manic depressive behavior — one moment she's laughing wildly and swimming half-naked in the sea, while the next she's curled in a ball on her bed. Out of her earshot, the adult members of her extended family vaguely discuss sending her to a facility of some sort in Northern Italy.

Director and cast

Critics on Rotten Tomatoes

Top critics, in their words

All reviews
76%
Tomatometer
Fresh

A sad, slight film but with a sweet, smooth finish that makes you feel richer for having watched and absorbed and felt.

Roger Moore, Orlando Sentinel
Fresh

A small, sensual and unforgettable Italian drama that transports us to a place wonderfully exotic yet strangely familiar.

Terry Lawson, Detroit Free Press
Rotten

A beautifully scenic but languid character study that could use a shot of adrenalin and a more straightforward story line.

Bill Muller, Arizona Republic
Fresh

A quietly disarming drama by Emanuele Crialese that tugs at family ties and calls into question the conventional definition of 'normal.'

Peter Howell, Toronto Star
Fresh

Valeria Golino proves she can act as good as she looks.

Eleanor Ringel Gillespie, Atlanta Journal-Constitution

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