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Padre Pio (film)

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Wikipedia article




'Padre Pio' is an ItalianGerman biographical drama film directed by Abel Ferrara and starring Shia LaBeouf as Padre Pio.

Cast



*Shia LaBeouf as Padre Pio

*Marco Leonardi as Gerardo

*Salvatore Ruocco as Vincenzo

*Luca Lionello as Silvestro

The film also features an appearance from Asia Argento, who portrays Tall Man.

Production



According to Abel Ferrara, actor Willem Dafoe had suggested to the director that Shia LaBeouf be cast for the film's lead role. After Ferrara held several Zoom calls with LaBeouf, the latter agreed to join the film.

Filming occurred in Puglia, Italy, in January 2022. To prepare for his role, LaBeouf lived in a monastery with Franciscan Capuchin friars, where the film was also shot, and slept in a bed that Padre Pio had also used. During the film's production, as a result of his spiritual experiences, LaBeouf converted to Catholicism. For the film, LaBeouf also refused to use an Italian accent to portray Pio, despite Ferrara's request that he do so, as the project had become too personal and important to wear a "mask".

Release



The film premiered on 2 September 2022 in competition in the Giornate Degli Autori section of the 2022 Venice International Film Festival. It received a four-minute ovation, mostly seated, at the premiere.

Reception



On review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film has a 44% approval rating based on 9 reviews, with an average rating of 4.4/10.

Jordan Mintzer of 'The Hollywood Reporter' gave the film a negative review, describing it as "clunky" and criticizing its political themes for possessing "the subtlety of a cartoon for preschoolers".

Peter Bradshaw of 'The Guardian' gave the film a positive review, with a 3/5 rating, writing that it is "a weird film...with an undeveloped, improvised feel, like a fragment or shard of something else. Yet there is a background hum there...an awareness of something dark and malign. It is a minor film, but interesting."

References




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