You know that grief affects everyone differently, but most of the time in cinema you only see the more explosive, emotional side of dealing with death. It’s a touchy subject, and there never seems to be the shade of grey that should truthfully sit in between. Caos Calmo (Quiet Chaos) fills that hole as you discover that silence does sometimes speak so much louder than words.

There’s always something to say about life when it takes a wrong turn, or as Quiet Chaos does, a bittersweet one. The story of Pietro (Italy’s wonder-man Nanni Moretti) falls into the latter category, saving a drowning woman and then arriving back at his holiday house to find his wife dead. It’s one life for another as they say, and his grief turns to the quiet chaos of the title as he finds solace in spending his days waiting for his daughter to get out of school. His anguish finds a peace as his life falls around him, with people old and new drifting through – and as we do, they learn that Pietro’s form of grief is comprehensive and beautiful.

Watching Quiet Chaos brings a strong sense of fascination as Pietro acts as a magnet, drawing everyone to him and in turn being drawn to others. Initially, it’s the school environment; seeing the joy of parents picking up their young children, Pietro follows, relishing the new experience. Regulars that walk through the park everyday seem to bring him a sense of security, but the stories of these people are relatively unknown to him – or us. Part of his chaos is this false idea of security as nothing is given away. Past and present relationships come into play, while merger plans at work present multiple obstacles. All the parts of Pietro’s life are balanced within a small space, and you learn to feel comfortable with him in this environment; in turn, you are the one drawn into a false sense of safety. The emergence of boss Steiner (Roman Polanski in a surprise appearance) sparks fear within the environment from everyone but Pietro – the ‘quiet chaos’ is rarely shown as he uses the environment as an escape from his grief.

Not all is well and good as it appears; Pietro creates lists in his mind as he drifts from the real world into his own, random facts eventually becoming more in tune with his grief. For him, they are a refreshing antidote to the monotony of a regular day and help him process what he doesn’t want to face. So too does his encounter with Eleonora (Isabella Ferrari), a confronting indication of his need to be taken care of. Moretti is superb as Pietro, his gruff charm sparking sympathy after we really get to understand the character and his unique grieving process. Quiet Chaos almost serves as Moretti’s one-man show, but he’s supported by a solid cast – including young Blu Yoshimi as Pietro’s daughter Claudia and Valeria Golino as sister-in-law Marta. Alessandro Gassman is the most amusing as Pietro’s brother Carlo in his David di Donatello-winning performance; cheeky but good-hearted in taking care of his family.

The screenplay, co-written by Moretti from Sandro Veronesi’s critically acclaimed eponymous novel, is an indication of a worthy adaptation. Scoring a phenomenal 18 out of a possible 18 di Donatello nominations (and winning three gongs), Quiet Chaos could be forgiven for under-whelming because of expectation. What director Antonello Grimaldi has actually provided is a rich tale of contemplation. It’s confronting in an unexpected way, and is stirring as Pietro’s world slowly morphs from an escape to acceptance. The end is inevitable – while not detailing, the build-up slightly drops as time has passed and events culminate. Great use of music (including Rufus Wainwright and Radiohead) help the redemption.

Verdict:

Quiet Chaos can be likened to a flower, slowly developing until reaching full bloom. It is confronting in parts, but that’s overtaken by the reward of such an understanding of Pietro and his suppressed emotional journey.

[Rating: 4/5]

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