Not much is given away in the trailer for The Wait, the first feature from Italian director Piero Messina. A mother connects with her son’s girlfriend before he is due home, and Sicily is given a quality that can be interpreted as either dreamlike or feverish depending on the individual moment. The extra bit of information I’ll give away is that the film takes place over Easter weekend, which adds some hefty religious symbolism to the idea of waiting.
Messina served as assistant director on Paolo Sorrentino’s The Great Beauty, hence the gorgeous visual style on display, while Juliette Binoche seems to be busting out the full force of her meaningful stares. That’s a sellable combo right there (it’s enough for me, at least), while Lou de Laâge (Breathe) adds an exciting wildcard to this two-hander.
The Wait is unabashedly arthouse, and I’m guessing that theme is going to overpower plot in this one. It should serve as a nice palate cleanser to all the blockbusters we’re getting this year, and it’s quite possibly the start of a very noteworthy career by Messina.
The Wait is directed by Piero Messina and stars Juliette Binoche, Lou de Laâge, and Giorgio Colangeli. It will be released in the U.S. on April 29th, 2016. For international release dates, click here.
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