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Pasolini

Play trailer 2:12 Poster for Pasolini 2019 1h 25m Biography Drama LGBTQ+ Play Trailer Watchlist
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79% Tomatometer 57 Reviews 33% Popcornmeter 100+ Ratings
A chronicle of the last days of life of Italian film director and writer Pier Paolo Pasolini, whose body was found on the beaches of Ostia on the morning of Nov. 3, 1975.

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Pasolini

Pasolini

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Critics Consensus

Pasolini may frustrate viewers seeking a straightforward biopic, but director Abel Ferrara's unconventional approach is well-matched by Willem Dafoe's performance.

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Critics Reviews

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Marjorie Baumgarten Austin Chronicle 08/08/2019
3/5
Just as he did with 2018's At Eternity's Gate, in which he embodied the artist Vincent van Gogh, [Willem] Dafoe brilliantly captures the essence and a more-than-reasonable resemblance to the real figures. Go to Full Review
Robert Abele Los Angeles Times 05/30/2019
It may be only one man's version of what many have speculated about... but in its clear-eyed grittiness, it's also a tribute from a filmmaker for whom the night's temptations were ripe and its dangers legion. Go to Full Review
Richard Brody The New Yorker 05/13/2019
Ferrara... straining toward the sublime, stumbles into vulgarity. Go to Full Review
Pablo Staricco Cadenazzi Vague Visages 12/14/2023
Pasolini turns out to be a rich yet forgettable chapter in Ferrara’s filmography. Go to Full Review
D.M. Palmer Vague Visages 11/09/2023
Ferrara’s jumbling of languages in Pasolini offered a way forward, reaching towards a medium in which modes of communication become equivalent... Go to Full Review
Michael J. Casey Michael J. Cinema 02/18/2021
2.5/5
A frustrating disappointment ... sluggish and slow, as if Ferrara either dreads having to find his way to Ostia Beach-where Pasolini was murdered-or finds pleasure in the foreplay. Go to Full Review
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Audience Reviews

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DanTheMan 2 May 20 Part hero worship, part true-crime tragedy and completely of a piece with its creator's obsessions over the spiritual and the sordid. An unconventional approach to what should be a straightforward biopic, Pasolini's willingness to get lost within the artist's creative perspective while detailing his life creates a powerful and evocative look into the dark world of one of cinema's most controversial figures. It may be only one man's version of what many have speculated about... but its clear-eyed grittiness is also a tribute from a filmmaker for whom the night's temptations were ripe and its dangers legion. In depicting Pasolini's final hours, director Abel Ferrara emphasises the tranquil, serene environment in which his subject worked, the foundation of domesticity that anchored him, though ultimately could not shield him. Despite Ferrara's attempts to generate scandalous imagery of his own, he winds up with many sequences of touching beauty. The jumbling of languages offers a way forward, reaching towards a medium in which modes of communication become equivalent, offset by the marvellous central performance of one of cinema's greatest actors, Willem Dafoe. The idea of a search is a significant parallel between the two intertwined portions of the film, which seem to work towards opposing ends yet culminate in the conclusion of a common node: the art of Pier Paolo Pasolini is inseparable from his death. See more @ExcessMale 10/07/2021 Dafoe is really engrossing and there are some strong scenes here but this doesn't work as a biopic, unfortunately. See more ari v 07/17/2020 Didn't come together particularly well for me. Not historically nor artistically. See more dave d 02/12/2020 We're chronicling the final days of Pier Paolo Pasolini, the Italian director who is played by an American and who speaks mostly English. Yea you've lost me. This was was on the shelf for quite some time and should have stayed there. We're talking about a fascinating human who was portrayed as someone who wasn't important or interesting. Frustrating and more of an annoyance than anything else. Final Score: 2.1/10 See more 04/05/2018 I find it to be a weak film. It makes an impression that in theory it was a good idea to make a bio about this genius. But in reality it does not do justice to Pasolini's memory. See more 01/21/2018 No Offence, I admire Pasolini and Accatone is definitely a fine film. But for the Pasolini here, I just wish he could be run over sooner as I can't stand Abel Ferrara's stream of consciousness. See more Read all reviews
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Movie Info

Synopsis A chronicle of the last days of life of Italian film director and writer Pier Paolo Pasolini, whose body was found on the beaches of Ostia on the morning of Nov. 3, 1975.
Director
Abel Ferrara
Producer
Thierry Lounas, Fabio Massimo Cacciatori
Screenwriter
Maurizio Braucci
Distributor
Kino Lorber
Production Co
Capricci Films
Genre
Biography, Drama, LGBTQ+
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
May 10, 2019, Limited
Release Date (Streaming)
Aug 13, 2019
Box Office (Gross USA)
$30.1K
Runtime
1h 25m
Sound Mix
Dolby Digital
Aspect Ratio
Flat (1.85:1)
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