Three Brothers (1981 film)

Three Brothers
Three Brothers
	Film poster
Directed by	Francesco Rosi
Written by	Tonino Guerra; Francesco Rosi
Produced by	Giorgio Nocella; Antonio Macrì
Starring	Philippe Noiret; Michele Placido
Cinematography	Pasqualino De Santis
Edited by	Ruggero Mastroianni
Music by	Pino Daniele; Piero Piccioni
Release date	15 May 1981 (France);
Running time	113 minutes
Countries	Italy; France
Language	Italian

Three Brothers (Italian: Tre fratelli) is a 1981 Italian film based on a work by Russian author Andrei Platonov. It was directed by Francesco Rosi and stars Philippe Noiret, Vittorio Mezzogiorno, Michele Placido and Charles Vanel.

The film won the Boston Society of Film Critics award for Best Foreign Film, and the Nastro d'Argento for Best Director and Actor. It received a nomination for an Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film.^[1] It was screened out of competition at the 1981 Cannes Film Festival.^[2]

Plot

An elderly woman, the matriarch of an Italian family, dies on a farm in Southern Italy. Her husband, Donato, summons their three adult children from the cities where they now reside, bringing them back to the farm where each grapples with challenging personal dilemmas. Raffaele, one of the sons and a judge in Rome, contemplates presiding over a terrorism trial, exposing himself to the danger of an attack. Another son, Rocco, resides in Naples, devout and working as an educator in a youth detention center, driven by his desire to assist troubled youth. Nicola, the third son, lives in Turin and works as a militant factory worker embroiled in a labor dispute while navigating a troubled marriage.

Each man copes with his grief in his unique manner while simultaneously confronting other emotional hurdles. The sons reflect on the past and envision the future; Raffaele grapples with visions of his downfall, Rocco dreams of rescuing Naples' youth from crime, drugs, and corruption, and Nicola seeks solace in the embrace of his estranged wife. As they collectively mourn, Donato and his young granddaughter, Nicola's child, delve into the rhythms of farm life.

Cast

Philippe Noiret - Raffaele Giuranna
Michele Placido - Nicola Giuranna
Vittorio Mezzogiorno - Rocco Giuranna and young Donato
Andréa Ferréol - Raffaele's wife
Maddalena Crippa - Giovanna
Rosaria Tafuri - Rosaria
Marta Zoffoli [it] - Marta
Tino Schirinzi - Raffaele's friend
Simonetta Stefanelli - young Donato's wife
Pietro Biondi - first judge
Charles Vanel - Donato Giuranna
Accursio Di Leo [it] - first friend at bar
Luigi Infantino - second friend at bar
Girolamo Marzano - Nicola's friend
Gina Pontrelli - the brothers' mother

Reception

Three Brothers has an approval rating of 100% on review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, based on 5 reviews, and an average rating of 7.5/10.^[3]