Don't Move (DVD)
APPROX. 122 MINS. - PROD. YEAR: 2004 - MPA RATING: NR
" Don't Move isn't a bad film, but it's an overwrought one which unfortunately overshadows any interesting parallels and performances.
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Out of fairness, Castellitto, Cruz, and Gerini turn in solid performances, with Cruz as raw and animal-like as we've seen her. I have to say, though, that I find it amusing that all of the passionate sex scenes happen without any pants being unzipped. And there seems to be more passion, more connection between Castellitto and Gerini than him and Cruz. That "relationship" is all about him, while she goes along with it, saying nothing, as she did when she first was molested, we learn in flashback.
As for the flashbacks within flashbacks, aside from the Italia revelation, they don't really tell us enough to make us understand any of the main characters better or draw closer to them. If anything, we pull farther away from Timoteo the more we know about him. He's an extremely unlikable man who inexplicably was a likable and sensitive boy who was traumatized by neighborhood ruffians beating a frog to death with a broom. But what does that tell us about the controlling and sadistic doctor who forces himself on a woman? Predictably, the film ends tragically, but it also ends with more heavy-handedness. I won't spoil it by telling you what, but I will ask, Where did the shoe come from? But even that's not as heavy-handed and artificial than the repetition of the title phrase.
Video: "Don't Move" is presented in anamorphic 2.35:1 widescreen, "enhanced" for widescreen televisions, which is to say that the letterboxing is only slightly reduced. The picture quality is actually pretty good. Despite slight graininess, the colors are bold and vivid, and there's precise delineation even with difficult shots like the aerial raindrops.
Audio: The audio is Italian Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo with English subtitles, and while it's nothing special it's not a liability either. The soundtrack is all-English songs with the exception of the final song, and none of the music seems distorted, muffled, or tinny, so there's decent treble/bass balance.
Extras: There's a boring behind-the-scenes feature that was slow-moving and tough to watch, along with an unrated deleted sex scene that, like the other sex scenes, doesn't show any skin. The most interesting extras are actually three Cruz screen tests and the short feature with Mazzantini talking.
Bottom Line: "Don't Move" isn't a bad film, but it's an overwrought one which unfortunately overshadows any interesting parallels and performances.
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