Dir. Sergio Castellitto, 2004, USA/UK, 125 mins, Subtitles Cast: Sergio Castellitto, Penélope Cruz, Claudia Gerini, Elena Perino
Don't Move sees Castellitto behind the camera for the second time and he has much to be proud of in this bold Italian drama, both for his direction and for his convincing lead performance (not to mention the fact that he co-wrote the script with his wife Margaret Mazzanti who penned the original best-seller). He plays Timoteo, a surgeon who finds out that the latest bike crash victim to arrive in his ward is his teenage daughter Angela (Perino). Throughout the film, she teeters between life and death, forcing Timoteo to reflect on his life, his troubled marriage to Elsa (Gerini), his failings as a father, but primarily his love affair with the lowly Italia (Cruz).
The film's credibility hinges on his passionate relationship with Italia. It is engaging because it is so unlikely; firstly, he is already successful as a surgeon and his wife is a high-flying (and very beautiful) journalist. In contrast, Italia is destitute and unattractive (Hollywood beauty Cruz is practically unrecognisable behind the panda-like eyes, dirty teeth and bad makeup) and indeed Timoteo's initial attraction to her is one of contempt; he rapes her after she comes to his aid when his car breaks down in her derelict neighbourhood. Later he falls in love with her, and whilst on paper this plot becomes increasingly hard to swallow, thanks to a gutsy performance from Cruz, it actually works.
Another thing which saves the film from mere melodrama is the occasional subtle humour. Timoteo's character is reminiscent of Kevin Spacey's Lester Burnham in American Beauty as he shouts to the neighbours about his affair (his wife is on the phone behind him, but he knows she's too wrapped up in herself to hear him). Visually the film throws in the odd joke too: Timoteo's tongue-in-cheek 'I Love Italy' t-shirt only adds to his guilt when he takes his pregnant mistress to his surgery for a check-up and pretends he doesn't know her.
However, apart from the occasional witty respite, Don't Move remains a stark, gritty tale and Castellitto's pace does not let up. Timoteo is hardly a likeable character either. He rapes a woman, apologises later but then immediately rapes her again. He shows no remorse to his wife as he leads his double life and never admits he has been cheating on her. But his character is intriguing despite his flaws and his predicament is telling about modern society.
Ultimately, the film is about control, and the repeated use of the title within the dialogue alludes to this. As a surgeon, Timoteo is in control of other people's fates. As a father, he tries to dictate to his daughter what sports she should do. But when his daughter is critically injured, he realises the limits to his control and being an atheist he has to turn to something else for help. The film finds him seeking solace through his therapeutic nostalgia for Italia and, as with most good films, we see a depth of character in the protagonist by the time we reach the conclusion, however much we may resent him for his actions.
Thanks to its unsentimental direction and strong performances (with Cruz stealing the show), Don't Move avoids being slushy and is instead moving and, more importantly, thought-provoking. It is unsurprising that a strictly objective directorial approach to such subject matter would come out of Europe as opposed to a Hollywood stable. But perhaps with Castellitto's wife so heavily involved, we were always guaranteed an accurate representation of the author's vision (something which often gets lost on celluloid) and such an intimate basis for production can only add to the film's magic.
Nick Jones |
