Synopsis
A mosaic of several intertwined stories questioning the meaning of life, love and hope, set during the last six days in the life of Eluana Englaro, a young woman who spent 17 years in a vegetative state.
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Cast
- Isabelle HuppertDivina Madre
- Alba RohrwacherMaria
- Toni ServilloUliano Beffardi
- Maya SansaRossa
- Michele RiondinoRoberto
- Pier Giorgio BellocchioDr. Pallido
- Gianmarco TognazziMarito della Divina Madre
- Brenno PlacidoFederico
- Fabrizio FalcoPipino
- Gigio MorraIl persuasore
Recommendations
- 100
Village Voice
Subtle emotional intelligence has always distinguished Bellocchio's filmmaking, and Dormant Beauty is constructed from fine-grained layers of it, the filmmaker's equivalent of a master cabinetmaker's craft. - 90
The Hollywood Reporter
Refusing to offer easy answers or perspectives, Dormant Beauty is directed in such a way it doesn’t need to take a clear-cut position on the question, because like all the director’s work it has no concern with convincing people of anything, but a great deal of interest in illuminating contemporary Italian society. - 80
Time Out
Bellocchio counters these flaws with an energetically combative aesthetic (he makes you feel like you’re riding out a sociopolitical tempest, careening between perspectives) and an overarching humanism that gives equal weight to the many feelings stirred up by this hot-button situation. - 75
New York Post
Swift and often compelling, it’s also blessedly unbiased. - 70
The New York Times
If Dormant Beauty does not rank among Mr. Bellocchio’s best movies, it nonetheless still occasionally shows him at his best. His eye for the latent beauty and evident absurdity of Italian life remains acute, as does his appreciation for vivid performance. - 70
Variety
"Beauty" has numerous scenes of enormous power, though removing one unnecessary plot strand would allow deeper probing elsewhere. - 67
The Playlist
The film’s well-written, beautifully performed (not least from Huppert, who’s typically stunning as her icy, grief-stricken matriarch, and the moving Servillo, of “Il Divo” and “Gomorrah” fame), and nicely made, if a good 15 minutes overlong. - 67
The A.V. Club
Though the movie eschews facile sloganeering, few of its characters or narrative threads are able to develop beyond their function as metaphors.
