The mystery of religious faith gets a ferocious and deeply contextualized workout in Abel Ferrara’s latest film, “Padre Pio,” which stars Shia LaBeouf and opens Friday.
The mystery of religious faith gets a ferocious and deeply contextualized workout in Abel Ferrara’s latest film, “Padre Pio,” which opens Friday. It’s an idiosyncratic not-quite bio-pic of the controversial Italian saint, a priest and a Capuchin friar who developed a cultish following in a rural village in the years following the First World War.
The movie begins, soon after the armistice, with a pointed juxtaposition of Padre Pio’s journey from the rugged countryside to the monastery, and the arrival of a group of veterans returning home. There and throughout, Ferrara’s agitated handheld camerawork lends the action a sense of immediacy and of looming chaos—violent feelings on the verge of eruption. In the center of town, women and children wait in the street for transports that may bring their husbands and fathers home from combat.
Amid the brewing storm of political violence, Pio is a man apart. His apartness is embodied in the casting and in performance. The entire cast spotlights Italian actors, performing in accented English, whereas Pio is played by, speaking in his own American voice. The incongruity passes nearly instantly—Pio’s personality and his range of experiences are so exceptional as to make his accent seem a part of his character.
Ferrara seems fascinated by the politics and desperation of an oppressed populace, forced into war against their will and returning home to endure old, unrelenting burdens. They make smart, principled efforts to improve their lot and Italian society at large, and yet they face a torrent of violence from the overlords that seems continuous with the war they survived.
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Shia LaBeouf Writing Auschwitz Movie With Abel FerraraShia LaBeouf is reportedly writing a script set in the Holocaust concentration camp Auschwitz, according to director Abel Ferrara.
Read more »
Tyler Boyd: I was missing piece in Bengals’ AFC championship game lossConsider Tyler Boyd the missing link — he certainly does.
Read more »
One Piece's Netflix Show Can Finally Fix Luffy's Brother ProblemNetflix’s One Piece can build up some critical characters from the original, fixing some problems with Luffy’s brothers in the process.
Read more »
Save over 25% on this 484-Piece LEGO Brick Box today on AmazonPay less for LEGO today on Amazon.
Read more »
NYT Business Editor Didn’t ‘Give a F*ck’ About Backlash to Elizabeth Holmes Puff PieceDuring a business desk all-hands call on Tuesday, according to Vanity Fair, New York Times business editor Ellen Pollack told staffers she didn’t “give a f—k” about criticism over the oddly sympathetic profile of Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes.
Read more »