''Pasolini'' is a 2014 English-language internationally co-produced drama film directed by Abel Ferrara and written by Maurizio Braucci about the final days of Italian film director Pier Paolo Pasolini (played by Willem Dafoe). It was selected to compete for the

Golden Lion The Golden Lion ( it, Leone d'oro) is the highest prize given to a film at the Venice Film Festival. The prize was introduced in 1949 by the organizing committee and is now regarded as one of the film industry's most prestigious and distinguishe ...

at the 71st Venice International Film Festival. It was also screened in the Special Presentations section of the

2014 Toronto International Film Festival The 39th annual Toronto International Film Festival, the 39th event in the Toronto International Film Festival series, was held in Canada from 4–14 September 2014. David Dobkin's film '' The Judge'', starring Robert Downey Jr. and Robert Duv ...

Plot

Pier Paolo Pasolini ( Willem Dafoe) is fifty-three, and lives in the rowdy Rome of the 1970s. He has just finished shooting his latest film '' Salò, or the 120 Days of Sodom'', a film that has shocked both critics and audiences. Pasolini is increasingly opposed by the people, critics and politicians, both for his homosexuality, and because he is considered impulsive and scandalous in showing his reality to the public. Pasolini is going to shoot a new film (which was never made), in which he cast Eduardo De Filippo ( Ninetto Davoli) and Ninetto Davoli ( Riccardo Scamarcio) - with whom he has a special relationship. While Pasolini is working on the film, his mother ( Adriana Asti) and his cousin try to dissuade him from the project, because it would be too wild and visionary for the Italian public to accept. Pasolini continues with his work, missing many interviews with journalists. He begins a relationship with a boy from the suburbs of Rome, Pino Pelosi, and takes him to a restaurant in the seaside village of

Ostia Ostia may refer to: Places *Ostia (Rome), a municipio (also called ''Ostia Lido'' or ''Lido di Ostia'') of Rome *Ostia Antica, a township and port of ancient Rome *Ostia Antica (district), a district of the commune of Rome Arts and entertainment ...

. Pasolini wants to be with him in a loving relationship, but the boy gets mad at him, attacking him and some other companions. Pasolini is later beaten up and then run over with his own car. In the days following, the press says Pasolini's murder was politically motivated by the police and those whom the poet had always loved and immortalized in his works.

Cast

* Willem Dafoe as Pier Paolo Pasolini * Ninetto Davoli as Eduardo De Filippo * Riccardo Scamarcio as Ninetto Davoli * Valerio Mastandrea as Domenico "Nico" Naldini * Adriana Asti as Susanna Colussi Pasolini * Giada Colagrande as Graziella Chiarcossi * Salvatore Ruocco as Socialist politician * Maria de Medeiros as Laura Betti * Francesco Siciliano as Furio Colombo *

Luca Lionello Luca Lionello (born January 9, 1964) is an Italian actor. Biography Born in Rome to actor and voice dubbing artist Oreste Lionello, he has been actor since 1986. Since then, Lionello came to international attention in 2004, when he played the ...

as narrator

Production

According to Ferrara, his plans to make a film about Pasolini have gone far back as the 1990s. Originally, the project was not meant to have been an actual biopic of Pasolini's life. Instead, it was to have starred

Zoë Tamerlis Lund Zoe (also ZOE, Zoë, Zoé, etc.) can refer to: *ζωή (''zōḗ''), the Ancient Greek word for " life" People * Zoe (name), including list of persons and fictional characters with the name Film and television * ''Zoe'' (film) * ZOE Broad ...

as "a female director living the life that Pasolini lived." However, Lund's death prevented this idea.

Reception

On the review aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes, the film has a 78% approval rating, based on 55 reviews, with a weighted average of 6.8/10. The website's consensus reads, "''Pasolini'' may frustrate viewers seeking a straightforward biopic, but director Abel Ferrara's unconventional approach is well-matched by Willem Dafoe's performance." On Metacritic, the film has a score of 71 out of 100, based on 18 critics.

References

External links

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Pasolini 2014 films 2014 drama films 2014 biographical drama films 2014 LGBT-related films 2010s English-language films English-language Belgian films English-language French films English-language Italian films 2010s Italian-language films 2010s French-language films Belgian multilingual films Belgian biographical drama films Belgian LGBT-related films French multilingual films French biographical drama films French LGBT-related films Italian biographical drama films Italian LGBT-related films Italian multilingual films Films about film directors and producers Films directed by Abel Ferrara Films shot in Italy Cultural depictions of Italian men Pier Paolo Pasolini French-language Belgian films 2010s French films