Quiet Chaos

• Director: Antonio Luigi Grimaldi
• Writer: Nanni Moretti, Laura Paolucci, Francesco Piccolo
• Cast: Nanni Moretti, Valeria Golino, Alessandro Gassman
• Theatrical Release Date: June 26, 2009
• Distributor: IFC Films
• Festivals: Berlin International Film Festival, Locarno International Film Festival, Chicago International Film Festival, Hong Kong International Film Festival, Seattle International Film Festival
• On The Web IMDB Entry

Synopsis: Moretti stars as Pietro, a film executive whose life takes an irreversible and devastating turn one fateful morning. During a trip to the beach with his brother, Pietro's path intersects with that of a woman, Eleonora (Isabella Ferrari) who is drowning in the ocean; horrified, Pietro rushes in to save her. He subsequently returns home only to discover that his wife, Lara, just died in a nasty falling accident; devastated to the core, this nascent widower must make the necessary psychological accommodations to adjust to life as a single parent, with sole responsibility for raising his ten-year-old daughter Claudia (Blu Yoshimi). Almost instinctively, as a reaction to Lara's death, Pietro opts to sit and wait for his daughter to finish school each day (in a park across from the school), in lieu of abandoning her to his own priorities and commitments. This means that the fellow's colleagues in the film industry must, by necessity, come to do business with him in the park. Through it all, Pietro remains silently dumbfounded that the tragedy itself hasn't shaken him more, that the grief (the "quiet chaos" of the title) is subtly agonizing instead of grossly traumatizing and debilitating. Nevertheless, he ultimately begins to approach a full realization and acceptance of his loss, and gains an enhanced awareness of himself and others from the potentially crippling events thrust into his path. [Synopsis courtesy of All Movie Guide]