ALLAN HUNTER at the Movies

QUIET CHAOS (Caos calmo) has all the ingredients of a typical tv-movie weepie. A sudden death leaves a middle-aged television executive alone to care for his young daughter and pick up the pieces of his life.

It could easily be an afternoon matinee on Five. In the hands of Italian director Antonello Grimaldi, it emerges as a much more sensitive and thoughtful human drama.

The film does have the advantage of starring Nanni Moretti, one of Italy’s greatest filmmakers and most engaging public figures. He brings a great deal of charm and restraint to this rare acting appearance as Pietro.

Shocked by the death of his wife, he sheds no tears but starts to focus all his attention on his daughter Claudia (Blu Yoshimi). He neglects his company during the delicate stages of a major merger. Instead, he spends his days outside Claudia’s school, reassuring her that he will always be there for her.

The time is spent in quiet contemplation as he comes to know the neighbourhood and the regulars who visit. It is a chance to take stock and re-focus on his true priorities.

This may sound a little whimsical, but Pietro’s vigil unfolds with a good deal of wit and incident. There are some excellent secondary characters in Pietro’s charismatic brother Carlo (Alessandro Gassman) and his troubled sister-in-law Marta (Valeria Golino) and more than enough incident in his life to keep the film fresh, complex and involving.

Ultimately, this is a poignant heartwarmer alive to all the quirky coincidences and contradictions of daily existence.

Nationwide release

Director: Antonello Grimaldi
Cast: Nanni Moretti, Valeria Golino, Isabella Ferrari, Alessandro Gassman, Blu Yoshimi, Hippolyte Girardot, Roman Polanski
Screenwriters: Nanni Moretti, Laura Paolucci, Francesco Piccolo based on the novel Caos calmo by Sandro Veronesi
Certificate: 15
Running time: 112 mins
Country: Italy
Year: 2008