Respiro

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Respiro

PG-13,

2003,

1h 35m,

Drama

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Watchlist

77%

83 Reviews

Tomatometer

86%

2,500+ Ratings

Popcornmeter

77%

Tomatometer

83 Reviews

86%

Popcornmeter

2,500+ Ratings

Grazia lives on an island off the coast of Italy with her husband, Pietro, and their three children. Grazia has a reputation in their small fishing village for her manic behavior, but her family stands by her. After Grazia releases all the dogs in the local kennel, however, Pietro is pressured to institutionalize his wife. He refuses, but Grazia runs away anyway, choosing to hide in a cave near the sea.

Critics Consensus

A sweet, but slight picture filled with beautiful people and locations.

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Terry Lawson

Detroit Free Press

Aug 8, 2003

4/4

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

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Marc Savlov

Austin Chronicle

Jul 27, 2003

3/5

You can almost feel the dull heat radiating off the screen -- it's a wonder cinematographer Fabio Zamarion's lenses didn't simply melt clean off -- and this thick and hazy brilliance infuses the story with all sorts of strange neo-realistic vibes.

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Bill Muller

Arizona Republic

Jul 19, 2003

3/5

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

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Matt Brunson

Film Frenzy

Apr 17, 2025

2.5/4

The film works nicely as long as it operates in a realistic (make that neorealistic) vein, but it eventually turns into an awkward and onerous watch with no endgame in sight.

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Felicia Feaster

Creative Loafing

Jan 29, 2020

Respiro is a psychologically dense, provocative film that feels like a cautionary tale about a vision of paradise that is compromised by a civilization that keeps uncontrollable forces in check.

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Mark Halverson

Sacramento News & Review

Aug 7, 2008

5/5

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Hagrid S

Jan 18, 2017

Drama unfolding on the Sicilian island of Lampedusa. Some breathtaking landscape shots, but the film is strongest when depicting with Sicilian machismo and youth band violence, which feels authentic and can be quite shocking. Valeria Golino's strong performance and beauty carry much of the film. The second half slowly drifts off, losing narrative tightness and urgency in favour of a more symbolic, dreamlike mode. Thematic indebtedness to Roberto Rossellini's "Stromboli", starring Ingrid Bergman, is apparent in the clash of personal sensitivities and societal norms.

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Emanuele Crialese

Director

Valeria Golino

Grazia

Vincenzo Amato

Pietro

Francesco Casisa

Pasquale

Veronica D'Agostino

Marinella

Filippo Pucillo

Filippo

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Synopsis

Grazia lives on an island off the coast of Italy with her husband, Pietro, and their three children. Grazia has a reputation in their small fishing village for her manic behavior, but her family stands by her. After Grazia releases all the dogs in the local kennel, however, Pietro is pressured to institutionalize his wife. He refuses, but Grazia runs away anyway, choosing to hide in a cave near the sea.

Director: Emanuele Crialese
Producer: Domenico Procacci, Anne-Dominique Toussaint, Raphael Berdugo
Screenwriter: Emanuele Crialese
Distributor: Sony Pictures Classics
Production Co: Fandango, Medusa Film
Rating: PG-13 (Thematic Elements|Nudity)
Genre: Drama
Original Language: Italian
Release Date (Theaters): May 23, 2003, Original
Release Date (DVD): May 1, 2008
Box Office (Gross USA): $1.1M
Runtime: 1h 35m
Sound Mix: Dolby Stereo, Dolby Digital, Dolby A, Surround, DTS, Dolby SR
Aspect Ratio: Flat (1.85:1)

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