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Twice Born

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For the Soviet film, see Twice Born (1983 film). For the Indian concept, see Dvija.
Twice Born
ItalianVenuto al mondo
Directed bySergio Castellitto
Screenplay by
Story byMargaret Mazzantini
Produced by
  • Sergio Castellitto
  • Roberto Sessa
Starring
Distributed byEntertainment One
Release dates
  • 13 September 2012 (2012-09-13) (Toronto)
  • 8 November 2012 (2012-11-08) (Italy)
  • 11 January 2013 (2013-01-11) (Spain)
Running time
127 minutes
Countries
  • Italy
  • Spain
Languages
  • English
  • Italian
  • Bosnian
Budget€13,000,000

Twice Born (Italian: Venuto al mondo) is a 2012 drama film directed by Sergio Castellitto, which stars Penélope Cruz and Emile Hirsch. It is based on the novel Venuto al mondo by Margaret Mazzantini which won the Premio Campiello literary prize in 2009. Castellitto also co-wrote the screenplay.[1][2][3]

Plot

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Oft-married Gemma visits Sarajevo with her only child, Pietro. The two of them had escaped the city sixteen years ago, just days after his birth during the Bosnian War. Diego, her second husband and Pietro's father, remained behind and later died. As they travel with her wartime friend Gojko, she tries to repair her relationship with Pietro, asking her third husband (by phone) if she should tell Pietro that she did not give birth to him. Gemma is later stunned by the revelation that Pietro's real mother, Aska, is still alive and married to Gojko. Aska reveals that, contrary to Gemma's long held belief, Diego was not Pietro's father, as she had been a sex slave to a garrison of the Serb Volunteer Guard. Gemma must face loss, the cost of war and the redemptive power of love.

Cast

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Production

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The film was shot over 15 weeks in digital using the Arri Alexa system.[4]

Release

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The film had its world premiere at the 2012 Toronto International Film Festival.[5] It was theatrically released in Spain on 11 January 2013.[6]

Reception

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The film received negative critic reviews. It holds a 17% rating on Rotten Tomatoes based on 23 reviews.[7]

About the film, The Hollywood Reporter wrote, "Dripping with floridly phony dialogue that no actor should be forced to speak, this paternity mystery uses the Bosnian conflict as the manipulative backdrop to a preposterously overwrought and overlong melodrama."[8] Variety added that the film had "little to offer beyond some pitiful twists."[9] Screen International went on to write, "director Sergio Castellitto’s adaptation of Margaret Mazzantini’s novel leaves no cliché unturned, yearning for big emotions that are consistently flattened by the lumbering storytelling."[10]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Mazzantini, Margaret. (2011). Twice born. Oxford [UK]: Oneworld. ISBN 978-1-85168-844-9. OCLC 721931949.
  2. ^ "Biografia". Margaret Mazzantini (in Italian). Retrieved 2020-07-26.
  3. ^ Lussier, Germain (5 September 2012). "'Twice Born' Trailer: Penelope Cruz and Emile Hirsch Star In A Tale Of Motherhood And War". slashfilm.com. Retrieved 17 September 2012.
  4. ^ Weintraub, Steve (17 September 2012). "Sergio Castellitto TWICE BORN Interview". collider.com. Retrieved 17 September 2012.
  5. ^ Knegt, Peter (5 September 2012). "TIFF List 2012: A Complete List of All Films at the Toronto International Film Festival". indiewire.com. Retrieved 17 September 2012.
  6. ^ Marañón, Carlos (11 January 2013). "Volver a nacer". Cinemanía – via 20minutos.es.
  7. ^ "Twice Born". Rotten Tomatoes.
  8. ^ Rooney, David (18 September 2012). "Twice Born: Review". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 23 September 2012.
  9. ^ van Hoeij, Boyd (23 September 2012). "Review: 'Twice Born'". Variety. Retrieved 23 September 2012.
  10. ^ Grierson, Tim (9 September 2012). "Twice Born". Screen International. Retrieved 23 September 2012.
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