Don't Move (2004)

In Australia we are fortunate to have 3 or 4 festivals each year showcasing the latest films from France, Germany, Greece and Italy. "Don't look Now" is screening as part of the Italian one

Sergio Castellitto is quite well known here, perhaps mainly for his lead role in "Mostly Martha" where he shone. He brings a great presence to the screen although his character here is darker than the outgoing Italian chef in Martha.

"Don't Look Now" is a riveting story of a surgeon sitting in the waiting room of a hospital where he works with his 15 yo daughter and only child seriously injured fighting for her life in the operating room. Whilst waiting he recounts the crucial moments in his life and mainly his sordid and violent (his) relationship with Cruz, a derelict young woman and the interplay and very much parallel life with his wife, a successful journalist played by Claudia Gerini who looks very much like an Italian Diane Lane.. beautiful hair, classical looks.

The contrast between his married homelife and Cruz situation is black and white. His house overlooks a beautiful beach, Cruz's is in a dusty hellhole in the middle of a construction site.

This film makes perfect use of flashbacks something I normally detest particularly ones that move in reverse order like Momento or the French Film "Irreversible"

The rape scene between Cruz and Castellitto is much briefer than that in "Irreversible" but just as uncomfortable to watch.

I couldn't quite work out the attraction between Cruz's and Castellitto's characters as there was no gentleness in his approach at first (it was rape) but somehow he falls in love with her.

But there is a lot to enjoy here and a lot to think about afterwards. It is the sort of movie that you should see once and could see a number of times to get all the angles.

For Cruz this could perhaps be compared to Halle Berry's performance in Monsters Ball or Charlene Theron's in Monster. But unlike these other two films, Cruz's character is only one of the 3 or 4 varied relationships Castellitto's character has in the film. These relationships and how they interplay is why it is such an interesting movie.

Fmovies: Cruz is never less than fascinating as the witless, kind, determined Italia. As in Monster (Charlize Theron), part of the fun comes from watching a celebrity actress become almost unrecognisable. With her badly-applied mascara, trailer-trash blonde highlights, sluttish mini skirts and thrift-shop synthetic tops, with her stiff, bandy-legged high-heel waddle and her rag doll floppiness when passion threatens, she is an entirely believable denizen of the urban and social borderlands. The film is a triumph, and it would have been interesting to see if Penelope Cruz would have beaten the other Oscar nominess had the film been release in the USA last year.

It's so unfair that great movies like this one are the ones that nobody heard off. Here in Portugal was one of the underdogs in theaters, for great pity of mine. If you have the idea that Penelope Cruz is just a pretty woman that lost her talent when began working in the USA, you're wrong. We can see a real actress in this movie, we can see what she can really do. It's a beautiful drama story, with simple characters, where a man, a doctor with a nice social position, married and supposily happy meets the woman of his life in the ugly, poor and incredibly sad Italia ( Penelope crux). All I can say is please watch it because it's just brilliant.

Don't Move fmovies. While waiting for the brain surgery of his daughter Angela, victim of a motorcycle accident, the surgeon Timoteo (Sergio Castellitto) recalls his torrid affair with and passion for Italia (Penélope Cruz), a simple woman from slums in the periphery of the big city where he lives.

When I bought the DVD "Non ti Muovere", I was expecting to see an above average dramatic romance. I felt attracted by name of Penélope Cruz in the credits and the good references in IMDb, but my best expectations were superseded. "Non ti Muovere" is a very intense low budget movie, a precious gem to be discovered by movie lovers, with a touching and sad love story that recalled me Fellini's "Le Notti di Cabiria": There are two points very similar in these films: the character of the lonely and simple Italia, who works cleaning hotels, and recalled me the prostitute Cabiria; and the very poor isolated location in the slums where both characters (Italia and Cabiria) live. "Non ti Muovere" is more erotic, but both stories are centered in the humble female lead character. Penélope Cruz is awesome, with a stunning and heartbreaking performance of an abused woman with no possessions. She really deserved a nomination to the Oscar for such a wonderful acting. I do not follow the work of the practically unknown (to me) Sergio Castellitto, but his direction and performance in this film are outstanding. My vote is nine.

Title (Brazil): "Não se Mova" ("Do not Move")

It has been a couple of days since i first watched the movie, and believe me or not, i saw it twice. The first time I was alone and its effect was so strong that I would have Italia (Penelope) in my mind all the time.

Yes, they made her ugly, but it needs more than being ugly and kitsch so as to be convincing in a role. And she did it, she did it in a natural way that lead the movie unfold like Real Life. Great performance that i will keep in my mind for a long time...

The script, the cast ,as swell as the inventive direction, the lighting and the colors were brilliant. It made possible for the viewer to experience great emotions of the movie's heroes and to be placed right in the heart of a really shocking story. It wasn't a happy movie, neither was it a movie that tried to moralize in the frame of a cynic world. It was a breathtaking, tragic story, but at the same time it gave away an optimistic vision. This combination conduced to a truly beautiful story. The movie was in total a unity of well connected elements, elements for making the movie unforgettable in my mind! Thanks to Sergio and Penelope!

A groundbreaking and agonizing Italian modern cinema movie, which apparently caused some controversy due to its violent rape scene. Not a huge fan of Penelope Cruz, but I was pleasantly surprised to see how well she fit in with the character. As a director, Castellitto has done an exceptional job in managing to turn a somewhat unrealistic scenario into a truly down-to-earth passionate story. I am sure that his wife and co-director Mazzantini shares much of that credit. I thought the the last scene could have been developed better as it seemed to indicate a typical old-school Italian ending. It was interesting to note the dazed look on the faces of many people in the audience once the movie was over.