Emanuele Crialese's sophomore feature is an original blend of fantasy and reality. Set on the gorgeous island of Lampedusa just off the coast of western Sicily, RESPIRO tells the tale of Grazia (a brilliant Valeria Golino), a wife and mother whose unpredictable antics make her the talk of the island. Nonetheless, her family--husband Pietro (Vincenzo Amato), daughter Marinella (Veronica D'Agostino), sons Pasquale (Francesco Casisa) and Filippo (Filippo Pucillo)--love her dearly. After Grazia commits several increasingly wreckless acts, the townspeople convince Pietro to send her to a mental institution. Determined to remain on the island, close to her family, Grazia enlists the aid of Pasquale, who sets her up in a nearby cave. After searching for days, Pietro discovers her sun dress lying on the sand, and the island mourns her death. But after Pietro swims into the sea to plant a statue of the Virgin Mary, his prayers for her return are somehow answered. Based on an ancient Lampedusa legend, RESPIRO sets a mood that is at once realistic and fantastical, which reflects the energy of the island itself. Playing the passionate, fiery, and loving Grazia, Golino shows why she is one of cinema's most electrifying actresses.

Part of the New Directors/New Films 2003 series presented by The Department of Film and Media at the Museum of Modern Art and the Film Society of Lincoln Center in New York City.

Theatrical Release: MARCH 28, 2003 (NY)

DVD Features:

Region 1
Keep Case
Widescreen - 1.85
Audio:
Dolby Digital 5.1 - English

Valeria Golino: Italian Actress
Vincenzo Amato: 
Francesco Casisa: Actor, RESPIRO (2003)
Veronica D'Agostino: Actor, RESPIRO (2003)
Filippo Pucillo: Actor, RESPIRO (2003)
Emma Loffredo: Actor, RESPIRO (2003)

Emanuele Crialese: Director, RESPIRO (2003)

Domenico Procacci: Producer/"The Station"

Emanuele Crialese: Director, RESPIRO (2003)

"...Valeria Golino gives the performance of her career....[RESPIRO] massages the eye but eventually gets under your skin as well..."
"[The] film looks gorgeous."
"...Beautifully directed....Crialese suggests links between landscape, climate and behavior that is expressed with a flowing, light-handed grace..."
"...[RESPIRO] bursts with such pulsing vitality and sensual appreciation of nature that you can almost taste the salty air and feel the sun beating down on your shoulders..."