A man knows he is going to be killed, but doesn’t react. Moving backwards through his life, we find out why, who he is, why he took the identity of his victim, what he wanted to do before he died.
An atmospheric movie in which images play a major role, because its characters -especially the protagonist- are laconic, solitary, disillusioned. Also an action movie, with an engaging narrative development.
The story takes place in a Sicilian town, not far from tourism or commerce, nestled with organized crime and gossip; the crime scene, however, is viewed as unobtrusive by the locals, while the gossip is more important than the solidarity of the local community.
Lucia, a 35/40-year-old woman, seems to be the infatuation of our protagonist. She is the local gossip but she doesn’t revoke the life she chose. She is so lonely that she lives with mannequins, which she dresses and beautifies, and she talks to them more than she talks to her occasional customers, who help her survive. She sees Beretta as her only escape route from a world she is forced into, yet doesn’t abandon because of laziness or fear. Like Beretta, who chooses to rent a tom-like room, she hardly ever leaves the room she lives in. He is the reason why she goes outside, but she doesn’t understand the importance of this exit: she waits for him to take her away for good, but alone she is not able to risk and abandon her place and her life. They are both lonely and used to struggling, but he finds in his own remorse the strength to redeem himself, while she waits.
The Wait refers to our protagonist waiting for death, as well as the wait all the others around him experience, not realizing that time passes, inexorably.
The film thrives on the contrast between the attitude of the protagonist, “waiting” for death, and the quick progression of events experienced by the secondary characters who either try to kill him or find the precious bounty. Going back and forth in time highlights this contrast, and connects past causes to present effects. The colors of the day, the brightness of Sicily, its local gossip, tradition, superstitions, and the small tricks which characterize the vitality of outdoor life, all contrast with melancholy, laziness, and ‘the wait’ of the protagonist’s room and sense of time, described through long shadows and almost expressionist images.
The music by Angelo Badalamenti (“Twin Peaks”, “Blue Velvet”, “Mulholland Drive”, “A True Story” by David Lynch and “Holy Smoke” by Jane Campion) serve to excellently define this atmosphere.
Director: Tiziana Bosco
Writers: Tiziana Bosco, Rosario Lizzio (story)
Stars: Luca Lionello, Gianmarco Tognazzi, Lucia Sardo
