Quiet Chaos

Although I watched the movie right to the end, it was like I was waiting for something to happen. Nanni was kind of a person who never had any serious engagement with anyone in his past an present life. He was like a neural person even did not know his old wife! he was engaging with the people around him just on the surface, not really my type. You can watch the movie once but not really my type!

A touching reflection on how a man's life is made meaningful by those of others. I am writing this review because I found the existing ones --positive and negative -- both superficial and misguided. In evaluating a Nanni Moretti film, one should use a different bar than that used to judge a James Bond film. So the critics that call it 'uneventful' need to come to grips with the genre before passing judgment. Probably, their super-sized box of popcorn they ate while watching the film at home kept them from reading the subtitles. Even more depressing, the fans that reviewed this film positively appear to like everything but point of the film itself. Namely, they like the photography, the colors, or the music. To these frivolous aesthetes I say this: I not watch drama for the eye candy, but to possibly sympathize with the lives of the cinema characters. So, what is this film about? Quiet Chaos portrays the days of delicate man, Pietro, who has lost his wife and decided to mourn by not going to work, and spending instead his days on a square in front of his daughter's primary school. As the days go by, his life beings to interject with those of other inhabitants of the city... an attractive mysterious female dog-walker, or an affectionate cafe owner. Similarly, the people from his previous life, including colleagues, brother, ex-lover, come by the square with visits, requests, suggestions and offers. The happy and the sad, the young and old, the mighty and humble... all meet in a sun-lit square of an Italian suburb. They are all part of Pietro's life. As is, especially, his beloved daughter. My own favorite scene is that of his of his car alarm key and the mentally challenged boy that walks by every day. On hearing the alarm once, the boy smiles and salutes the car. And Pietro repeats that ritual every day, even cutting his lunches short to be there when the boy comes. The film (which, unlike yet other misguided reviewers have written is not sad at all) also shows the gravitas and judgment in Pietro's reactions to the various people that call for a reaction or a decision from him. Its core message is this. By understanding, de-dramatizing, helping or simply quietly respecting others, Pietro wins the trust and love of those around him. And because they fill up his hours, his days, and his space, those around him become him. In this sense, the film is a powerful celebration of the importance of others in our lives, and against the cowboy individualism that presides contemporary cinema, as well as our time and age.

I'm another viewer who could never quite engage with the main character or the storyline. The film was fine and I also watched it to the end, but I didn't feel like a really cared.

I felt incredulous, or perhaps envious, that the main character could remain so stagnant without it seeming to have any particularly negative consequence with regard to his employment or his relations with his family and friends (other than a few gentle words from his young daughter towards the end of the film.) I didn't like the character enough not to feel slightly annoyed to play voyeur to his graphic sexual encounter.

If you're sick of Hollywood then definitely watch this film, but I feel that I have seen more interesting world cinema

I watched this because I am learning Italian and have heard of Nanni Moretti but had never seen him in a film before. I enjoyed it a lot.

It was like a lot of European films: not over-acted, not cheesy, but subtle, interesting, often funny and what others have said, I also found it heart-warming. I liked the Uncle Carlo character a lot and thought the little girl was really good. It's so refreshing not to have annoying American child actors when you watch any non-American film.

I would also recommend Little White Lies as another interesting and subtle film (French). I like the way these films are both understated but develop the characters very well.

Grieve is such a profound sentiment and we all deal with it in different ways like this father who stands for months in front of his little girl school, after the sudden death of his wife. A beautiful and touching film.