Respiro

Fishermen from an island village off the coast of Sicily eke out a hand-to-mouth existence as they struggle with the challenges of the sea and the cutthroat aspects of open commerce. Against this backdrop, one fisherman’s wife (played by the ever-sensual Valeria Golino) also struggles with a volatile mental condition marked by occasion seizures. Her brash, generally rebellious attitude perplexes and shocks the male-dominated community, and her family and neighbors begin talking about sending her to a mainland institution for treatment as well as for her safety and their own. The woman’s relationships with her husband and three children, at the heart of the story, are complemented by gorgeously photographed, neo-realistic scenes of both humanity and nature. The film was written and directed with a stunning grasp of both passion and compassion by Emanuele Crialese.