Don't Tell (2005)

Instant Favorite.

I wanted to like it more than I actually did... But much of the humor totally escaped me and I walked out only mildly impressed.

There is, somehow, an interesting story here, as well as some good acting. There are also some good scenes

All of these films share one commonality, that being a kind of emotional center that humanizes a cast of monsters.

Dark shadows from a woman's past come back to haunt her in this film,Don' Tell.It was written and directed by Cristina Comencini that was based from her own novel.It stars Giovanna Mezzogiorno together with Alessio Boni,Stefania Rocca,Angela Finocchiaro, and Luigi Lo Cascio.Don't Tell tells the story of Sabina,a woman who would seem to have a charmed life -- she has a successful career as a voice actress, a loving and supportive relationship with her boyfriend, Franco, and a pair of close friends she can confide in, Maria and Emilia. But Sabina's contented existence is shattered when she inadvertently dredges up a long-dormant memory of how during her childhood she was sexually abused by her father. Confused and ashamed, Sabina finds it impossible to talk about her memories with Franco and her friends, but the terrible images refuse to go away. Seeking closure, Sabina travels to the United States to talk to the one person who may have a true insight to her problems, her brother, Daniel.What is the secret? Sabina is determined to bring clarity and serenity in her life. Finally manages to free herself from her so-called "beast in the heart."The film would have been a powerful one considering that it touches issues such as child abuse,sexuality,gender and lesbianism.It's awkward story would have been a good view but unfortunately,the director involved isn't named Pedro Almodovar to generate the viewer's interest.No question that we have witnessed brilliant performances especially from Giovanna Mezzogiorno and Stefania Rocca but it movie falls short as the narrative is told on screen.No question that should the director involved had the experience to film these type of movies,then it would have been an Italian classic.

Sabina is a woman who seems to have it all: a job she loves, a nice boyfriend, and a great apartment. Yet, Sabina is carrying a heavy burden in her heart. It all comes to a head when she has to make a decision about the death of her parents, as we witness at the start of the film. All the bottled emotions are struggling to come out as she decides to spend Christmas with her brother Daniele in America. She wants to see her older sibling in order to make sense of her past and get closure with a horrible past.Sabina's boyfriend Franco, an actor, is selected to be in a soap opera. Being a theater actor, he is not completely satisfied with the idea, but being realistic, he has to compromise. Sabina, in parting, asks Franco not to see other women while she is away, knowing well the way things are in the world where Franco moves.Instead of being a joyous reunion, both siblings show a restraint in the way the visit develops. Daniele, who is a professor at an American university, plays the tour guide, pointing different aspects of the place he now calls home, but he never mentions anything about his own childhood. It takes a while for Daniele to open up to Sabina because she wants to get to the bottom of the secret that has damaged them both for life. Both, it turns out, are the victims of family sexual abuse by their father, an ugly situation perpetuated by the mother, who knowing about it, prefers to keep it hidden. When the truth comes out, we watch in horror scenes from both siblings childhood.Cristina Comencini, the author of the novel in which this film is based, adapted and directed with sure hand. She is the daughter of the distinguished Italian director Luigi Comencini. She has learned well as she sets her story with great precision, creating characters that one can relate to.The best thing in the film is the work of Giovanna Mezzogiorno. She brings life into Sabina, something that with another actress might not have been as easy. Ms. Mezzogiorno is simply splendid because she makes us care for this wounded woman who is searching for closure in understanding what was done to her at an early age. Equally excellent are Alessio Boni, who appears as Franco, the boyfriend, and Luigi LoCascio makes an impression as Daniele. Both these actors continue to surprise.

This is the first movie I've seen this year(2007) and it's not a bad start at all. While it did come out 2 years ago, I'm only getting to see it now not only because it's a foreign film but also for the fact that I'm so backed up on films I've said I would try and catch up on.'Don't Tell' was an Oscar nominee for best foreign film back in 2005 and rightfully so. From the theme music and the DVD's menu screen, to the opening credits and the whole hauntingly peering feeling surrounding it, I had a feeling it was going to be good. I have to admit I was a little lost in the beginning, as I hadn't bothered to read the synopsis for fear of ruining the suspense. Anyhow, it didn't take too long to figure it out.As the film begins, we meet a beautiful young woman named Sabina who is visiting a mausoleum and apparently is having a hard time dealing with the loss of her parents. After she finishes up with the legal proceedings concerning her parents bodies, she goes to work. There we find out that she is a voice-over artist. During one of her dubbing duties, she is visibly traumatised when she has to voice-over a rape victim but at this point in the film it's to early to speculate as to why a professional such as herself would feel that way. Later on, we meet her boyfriend Daniele, an actor who seeming loves Sabina more than his own art. Things go by normally from here on, until one night after having sex with Daniele, Sabina has a very disturbing dream involving her childhood. Troubled very much by this, she visits her blind childhood best-friend the next day and tactfully tries to extract some visions of her past. But her best-friend paints a beautiful picture for Sabina. Times goes by and the dream refuses to leave Sabina, so much so that it begins to hurt her relationship with Daniele. That Christmas, she decides to fly to America to visit her brother and his family and it is this holiday that unleashes all the skeletons in the cupboard and puts all the demons to rest.The director's attention to detail is perhaps the most stunningly admirable aspect of the film. Everything you see or might take for granted is actually very vital to the story, and in case you miss some things while watching, don't worry they will fall into place and make sense by the end of the film. There was a shot in the beginning where Sabina was running through a cemetery and the camera kept noting all the defaced and mutilated gravestones, statues etc. etc. Even when the camera finally rests on a seemingly normal monument from the front, it's later revealed to damaged from behind. Sabina's perhaps sums it up best when she said "families are all about seeming...you never know what's true or not" and that's just the way the film was shot as well. You never know what's really real and what's not. The thing I took away from watching this is that no matter how low you may think you've reached in your life, no matter how damaged you are, there's always a chance to reinvent yourself and silence the demons from the past.

Cristina Comencini is the daughter of legendary Italian director Luigi Comencini, one of the makers of the Italian comedy from the Fifties to the Seventies. Cristina is an established director as well -she's also an appreciated writer. Her films are very different from the features of her father -either they're more dramatical or contain a less hilarious comedy."La bestia nel cuore" means "The beast in the heart" in English. The film is based on a book written by Cristina Comencini herself.Sabina (Giovanna Mezzogiorno), a dubbing actress, wants to see again her brother Daniele (Luigi Lo Cascio) -who works in America as a Universitiy teacher. They both share a terrible experience: when they were child they were abused by their father.This horrible experience is like a beast in the heart because it's impossible to recover from. They search for truth and try to elaborate it. In this film there are other characters with painful situations. Emilia (Stefania Rocca) is a blind woman friend of Sabina, she's lesbian; Maria (Angela Finocchiaro) is a 50 year old woman who faces the fact of having been left by her husband for a very very young girl. These people too have a beast in their heart.The film is dramatical, of course, but the atmosphere is not heavy at all -there are also moments in which we can laugh. So the film doesn't go in only one direction.There are a lot of reflection hints, it's not an easy film -because we all have bigger or smaller beasts in ourselves...-. But you don't go out of the cinema depressed and sad, not at all. There's a message of hope.The film his a high quality movie, with excellent actors. Giovanna Mezzogiorno won a price at the last Venice Film Festival: she deserved it because she acts very well. She's dramatical but in a believable way -she doesn't put too much emphasis and pathos in the role. A real actress.