One night while driving home, Antonio almost hits a young girl, Lisa, who has been chasing a cat that had escaped. Antonio is intrigued by what a girl of 12 can be doing alone at night, Lisa confesses she is not supposed to, as the mother, Maria arrives in her motor scooter. Maria is suspicious of this stranger who should have no business talking to her daughter.
Antonio begins to obsess about Maria, a young woman who is having problems running her frozen food store and making ends meet. He begins to follow her. He is a driver who works for a small firm where he is always ready to cover up for a married colleague whenever he is needed. Maria begins to warm up to Antonio to the point that she invites him for a dinner that leads to a romantic night. After that, Maria turns cold toward the young man, which doesn't make sense.
One day Antonio, who is left at the store to cover Maria who has to run an errand, discovers how she has been borrowing money from a loan shark. Antonio stalks Saverio, until he is able to ask him about the money Maria has to pay him. Saverio takes a liking to Antonio, who makes himself indispensable to the money man, who he soon discovers is running illegal apartments for mostly Muslim illegal immigrants.
The problem with Antonio is he can't make Maria accept him completely. She makes no bones in telling him how she views their situation. She tells him point blank how she feels about him and not to expect anything from her. Maria is a lonely woman who dwells on her misery with no hope to accept what Antonio feels for her.
Giuseppe Piccioni bowls us over with his take on these lonely people, that having so much in common, never get to share the intimacy and love they feel for one another. Maria is a wounded woman who can't accept the kind of love Antonio offers her. Mr. Piccioni, who co-wrote the screen play with Umberto Contarello, is one of the best directors working in the current Italian cinema. In this film, as well as in "Fuori dal Mondo", he shows he clearly understands what his characters are going through.
Luigi LoCascio makes a deep impression as Antonio. This complex man is much more than what we see on the surface. He is a compassionate man whose own childhood has been shaped by the absence of his father, who abandoned him and his mother to go to Argentina. Sandra Ceccarelli is also excellent as the wounded woman who has to struggle in order to make a living for her and her daughter under strained conditions. Silvio Orlando, makes a perfect portrait of Saverio, the petty gangster who befriends Antonio and take him under his wing.
The film is also blessed with a marvelous musical score by Ludovico Einaudi that serves to create the moody action well. Arnaldo Catinari's excellent dark cinematography enhances everything one sees in the movie.
Highly recommended for fans of Giuseppe Piccioni.
Antonio begins to obsess about Maria, a young woman who is having problems running her frozen food store and making ends meet. He begins to follow her. He is a driver who works for a small firm where he is always ready to cover up for a married colleague whenever he is needed. Maria begins to warm up to Antonio to the point that she invites him for a dinner that leads to a romantic night. After that, Maria turns cold toward the young man, which doesn't make sense.
One day Antonio, who is left at the store to cover Maria who has to run an errand, discovers how she has been borrowing money from a loan shark. Antonio stalks Saverio, until he is able to ask him about the money Maria has to pay him. Saverio takes a liking to Antonio, who makes himself indispensable to the money man, who he soon discovers is running illegal apartments for mostly Muslim illegal immigrants.
The problem with Antonio is he can't make Maria accept him completely. She makes no bones in telling him how she views their situation. She tells him point blank how she feels about him and not to expect anything from her. Maria is a lonely woman who dwells on her misery with no hope to accept what Antonio feels for her.
Giuseppe Piccioni bowls us over with his take on these lonely people, that having so much in common, never get to share the intimacy and love they feel for one another. Maria is a wounded woman who can't accept the kind of love Antonio offers her. Mr. Piccioni, who co-wrote the screen play with Umberto Contarello, is one of the best directors working in the current Italian cinema. In this film, as well as in "Fuori dal Mondo", he shows he clearly understands what his characters are going through.
Luigi LoCascio makes a deep impression as Antonio. This complex man is much more than what we see on the surface. He is a compassionate man whose own childhood has been shaped by the absence of his father, who abandoned him and his mother to go to Argentina. Sandra Ceccarelli is also excellent as the wounded woman who has to struggle in order to make a living for her and her daughter under strained conditions. Silvio Orlando, makes a perfect portrait of Saverio, the petty gangster who befriends Antonio and take him under his wing.
The film is also blessed with a marvelous musical score by Ludovico Einaudi that serves to create the moody action well. Arnaldo Catinari's excellent dark cinematography enhances everything one sees in the movie.
Highly recommended for fans of Giuseppe Piccioni.