You might think Shia Labeouf portraying a 20th-century Italian saint under the direction of perpetual bad-boy expat Abel Ferrara is a pretty strange prospect. But that’s just the iceberg tip of the oddities in “Padre Pio,” which, despite the American star’s casting in the title role, often appears uninterested in its own venerated ostensible subject.
Instead, much of this awkward English-language period piece focuses on peasants’ struggle to overthrow padrone control just after the First World War. Depicting that conflict often feels beyond the modest production’s scale — and, in any case, is never meaningfully connected to the angsty histrionics of Labeouf, who seems to be in his own separate, indulgent, semi-improvised movie. Though coherent relative to Ferrara’s last narrative feature, the impenetrable espionage tale “Zeroes and Ones,” this eccentric misfire will likely puzzle fans of his past cult favorites, while flummoxing Catholic viewers who expect straightforward religious uplift.
Instead, much of this awkward English-language period piece focuses on peasants’ struggle to overthrow padrone control just after the First World War. Depicting that conflict often feels beyond the modest production’s scale — and, in any case, is never meaningfully connected to the angsty histrionics of Labeouf, who seems to be in his own separate, indulgent, semi-improvised movie. Though coherent relative to Ferrara’s last narrative feature, the impenetrable espionage tale “Zeroes and Ones,” this eccentric misfire will likely puzzle fans of his past cult favorites, while flummoxing Catholic viewers who expect straightforward religious uplift.
- 6/2/2023
- by Dennis Harvey
- Variety Film + TV
Abel Ferrara’s Padre Pio is a fusion of two souls, each as rough-hewn and fragmentary as the other. Set in the immediate aftermath of World War I in the Italian village of San Giovanni Rotondo and filmed on location, it’s partly a biopic about the Catholic saint Pio of Pietrelcina (Shia Labeouf), for whom every waking moment seems a dark night of the soul. But it’s also a dramatization of the struggle between the landed gentry and the soldiers who return disillusioned from the war, culminating in violence after a stolen election.
Ferrara and co-writer Maurzio Braucci, instead of treating Catholicism and Marxism as antagonistic, find resonance in their iconography, their shared valorization of the downtrodden, and the zeal of their adherents—as well as their crises of faith. It isn’t heresy to say that Padre Pio is a spiritual successor to Pier Paolo Pasolini’s The Gospel According to St.
Ferrara and co-writer Maurzio Braucci, instead of treating Catholicism and Marxism as antagonistic, find resonance in their iconography, their shared valorization of the downtrodden, and the zeal of their adherents—as well as their crises of faith. It isn’t heresy to say that Padre Pio is a spiritual successor to Pier Paolo Pasolini’s The Gospel According to St.
- 5/30/2023
- by William Repass
- Slant Magazine
"It feels like a sin to question these things, it feels like a sin to be angry with the Lord." Gravitas Ventures has revealed an official trailer for Padre Pio, a new film from American director Abel Ferrara, who now lives and works in Italy. This premiered at the Venice Days sidebar of the Venice Film Festival last year (did anyone even see it?) and opens in the US this June. This biopic from Ferrara follows Roman Catholic Saint Padre Pio in his early years. At the end of World War I, Padre Pio begins his ministry at a remote monastery in southern Italy. Soon, his charisma and storied visions bring him fame. Shia Labeouf stars alongside Cristina Chiriac, Marco Leonardi, Asia Argento, Vincenzo Crea, Luca Lionello, Brando Pacitto, Stella Mastrantonio, and Salvatore Ruocco. Some may remember that this role "saved" Labeouf's life, as he claimed in an interview last...
- 5/9/2023
- by Alex Billington
- firstshowing.net
Exclusive: Gravitas Ventures has nabbed North American rights to the Shia Labeouf-led drama Padre Pio from filmmaker Abel Ferrara, slating it for a day-and-date release on June 2nd.
Related Story Neon Acquires Domestic Rights To Anne Hathaway Sundance Movie ‘Eileen’ Related Story Gravitas Ventures Acquires Sophie Lane Curtis Drama 'On Our Way' Starring Micheál Richardson, Vanessa Redgrave And Jordana Brewster Related Story Jennifer A. Goodman Thriller 'The Unseen' Starring 'Breaking Bad's Rj Mitte Acquired By Gravitas Ventures
In the film penned by Maurizio Braucci and Ferrara, which world premiered at last year’s Venice Film Festival, it’s the end of World War I and the young Italian soldiers are making their way back to San Giovanni Rotondo, a land of poverty, historic violence and the ironclad rule of the church and its wealthy landowners. Families are desperate; the men are broken, but victorious.
Related Story Neon Acquires Domestic Rights To Anne Hathaway Sundance Movie ‘Eileen’ Related Story Gravitas Ventures Acquires Sophie Lane Curtis Drama 'On Our Way' Starring Micheál Richardson, Vanessa Redgrave And Jordana Brewster Related Story Jennifer A. Goodman Thriller 'The Unseen' Starring 'Breaking Bad's Rj Mitte Acquired By Gravitas Ventures
In the film penned by Maurizio Braucci and Ferrara, which world premiered at last year’s Venice Film Festival, it’s the end of World War I and the young Italian soldiers are making their way back to San Giovanni Rotondo, a land of poverty, historic violence and the ironclad rule of the church and its wealthy landowners. Families are desperate; the men are broken, but victorious.
- 3/28/2023
- by Matt Grobar
- Deadline Film + TV
Sneak Peek Season 2 of the Italian teen drama series "Baby", based on a true story, following students at an elite high school in Rome who are forced into prostitution, premiering October 18, 2019 on Netflix:
Cast includes Alice Pagani as 'Ludovica', Riccardo Mandolini as 'Damiano Younes, Chabeli Sastre Gonzalez as 'Camilla Govender Rossi', Brando Pacitto as 'Fabio Fedeli', Lorenzo Zurzolo as 'Niccolo Govender Rossi', Galatea Ranzi as 'Elsa', Tommaso Ragno as 'Director Fedeli', Massimo Poggio as 'Arturo Altieri', Mehdì Nebbou as 'Khalid Younes', Giuseppe Maggio as 'Fiore', Mirko Trovato as 'Brando', Federica Lucaferri as 'Virginia', Beatrice Bartoni as 'Vanessa', Marjo Berasategui as 'Camilla's Mom', Isabella Ferrari as 'Simonetta', Claudia Pandolfi as 'Monica' and Paolo Calabresi as 'Saverio'.
Click the images to enlarge and Sneak Peek "Baby" - Season 2...
Cast includes Alice Pagani as 'Ludovica', Riccardo Mandolini as 'Damiano Younes, Chabeli Sastre Gonzalez as 'Camilla Govender Rossi', Brando Pacitto as 'Fabio Fedeli', Lorenzo Zurzolo as 'Niccolo Govender Rossi', Galatea Ranzi as 'Elsa', Tommaso Ragno as 'Director Fedeli', Massimo Poggio as 'Arturo Altieri', Mehdì Nebbou as 'Khalid Younes', Giuseppe Maggio as 'Fiore', Mirko Trovato as 'Brando', Federica Lucaferri as 'Virginia', Beatrice Bartoni as 'Vanessa', Marjo Berasategui as 'Camilla's Mom', Isabella Ferrari as 'Simonetta', Claudia Pandolfi as 'Monica' and Paolo Calabresi as 'Saverio'.
Click the images to enlarge and Sneak Peek "Baby" - Season 2...
- 9/16/2019
- by Unknown
- SneakPeek
Title: Piuma Director: Roan Johnson Starring: Luigi Fedele, Blu Yoshimi Di Martino, Michela Cescon, Sergio Pierattini, Francesco Colella, Francesca Antonelli, Bruno Sgueglia, Francesca Turrini, Brando Pacitto, Clara Alonso. In Italian “Piuma” mean feather. Roan Johnson’s latest film tries to grasp the difficulties of millennials in confronting parenthood, as they aspire to bequeath “lightheartedness” to their children. The comedy alternates grotesque irony and schmaltzy sensationalism, by telling the story of Ferro (Luigi Fedele) and Cate (Blu Yoshimi Di Martino), two teenagers who grew up in different families, but face the same problems. Between hesitation and leaps of faith, acceptance of responsibility and hotheadedness, the two protagonists will spend the nine most [ Read More ]
The post Piuma Movie Review (Venice Film Festival 2016) appeared first on Shockya.com.
The post Piuma Movie Review (Venice Film Festival 2016) appeared first on Shockya.com.
- 9/5/2016
- by Chiara Spagnoli Gabardi
- ShockYa
Title: L’estate addosso (Summertime) Director: Gabriele Muccino Starring: Brando Pacitto, Matilda Lutz, Taylor Frey, Joseph Haro. Gabriele Muccino began his conquest of America through Will Smith’s support who wanted him to direct both ‘In Pursuit of Happyness’ and ‘Seven Pounds.’ Muccino’s star and stripes adventure continued directing actors of the calibre of Gerard Butler, Uma Thurman, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Dennis Quaid and Jessica Biel (‘Playing For Keeps’), as well as Russell Crowe and Amanda Seyfried (‘Fathers and Daughters’). In his latest film Muccino tries to go indie bringing Italy and the USA together…but the outcome is disastrous. The coming-of-age story of two adolescents, the naive Marco (Brando Pacitto) and the bigot [ Read More ]
The post L’estate addosso (Summertime) Movie Review (Venice Film Festival 2016) appeared first on Shockya.com.
The post L’estate addosso (Summertime) Movie Review (Venice Film Festival 2016) appeared first on Shockya.com.
- 8/31/2016
- by Chiara Spagnoli Gabardi
- ShockYa
The summer after high school graduation is a contemplative time, a period when the future seems so frightening and yet so filled with possibility. Gabriele Muccino’s latest film “Summertime” follows Marco (Brando Pacitto) and Maria (Matilda Lutz), two Italian teens uncertain about their future but eager to embark on a road-trip through America. They land in San Francisco where they meet Matt (Taylor Frey) and Paul (Joseph Haro), a gay couple who take them in and show them around the city. Soon, the four become fast friends and embark on enthusiastic explorations of love, life, and themselves, trying to discover and define who they are during a summer they’ll never forget. Watch an exclusive trailer for the film below.
Read More: ‘Fathers and Daughters’ Trailer: Amanda Seyfried Learns To Love Again With The Help of Aaron Paul
Muccino first role to prominence with his 2001 film “The Last Kiss,...
Read More: ‘Fathers and Daughters’ Trailer: Amanda Seyfried Learns To Love Again With The Help of Aaron Paul
Muccino first role to prominence with his 2001 film “The Last Kiss,...
- 8/26/2016
- by Vikram Murthi
- Indiewire
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