Critic Reviews

• Roger Moore, Orlando Sentinel

  A sad, slight film but with a sweet, smooth finish that makes you feel richer for having watched and absorbed and felt.

• Terry Lawson, Detroit Free Press

  A small, sensual and unforgettable Italian drama that transports us to a place wonderfully exotic yet strangely familiar.

• Bill Muller, Arizona Republic

  A beautifully scenic but languid character study that could use a shot of adrenalin and a more straightforward story line.

• Peter Howell, Toronto Star

  A quietly disarming drama by Emanuele Crialese that tugs at family ties and calls into question the conventional definition of 'normal.'

• Eleanor Ringel Gillespie, Atlanta Journal-Constitution

  Valeria Golino proves she can act as good as she looks.

• Rick Groen, Globe and Mail

  Somewhere along the way, Respiro just seems to run out of breath.

• Matt Kelemen, Las Vegas CityLife

  Crialese's stated purpose is to create a sense of magical realism, and even as he draws on an actual fable to do so, there's an incomplete feeling to the production.

• Robert Roten, Laramie Movie Scope

  It is sort of the opposite of 'Northern Exposure' where everyone is quirky, and loving it. Here, quirkiness is opposed strongly.

• Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat, Spirituality and Practice

  Respiro begins as a portrait of a woman who refuses to abide by the conventions of the comunity and ends with a bit of inspired magical realism.

• Dennis Schwartz, Ozus' World Movie Reviews

  Though the story is warmly humanistic it is too paper thin to mean much.

• Phil Villarreal, Arizona Daily Star

  We're slouched back with our heads resting on the tops of the seats, relaxing and letting our minds leap out of our heads to spend 95 minutes at play in Lampedusa.

• Oz, eFilmCritic.com

  A mixture of great Italian cinema and fluffy silliness.

• Steve Schneider, Orlando Weekly

  An inviting performance by Golino and some outstanding underwater photography enliven director/writer Emanuele Crialese's adaptation of an Italian legend.

Read all 13 critic reviews