La doppia ora

Plot synopsis:
Sonia, a beautiful Eastern European chambermaid at an upscale hotel in Turin, Italy, becomes infatuated and then begins to fall in love with an Italian ex-cop, Guido, through a speed-dating service run by wordly Marissa. Unlucky in love, recent widower Guido falls for Sonia declaring that he "was not ready for" her. Soon after their affair turns serious, Guido takes Sonia to the site of his job as a security guard for a billionaire's villa in the Italian country-side. Little did Guido know that this trip, and Guido's turning off the grounds-alarm in a selfless attempt to give Sonia a nostalgic romp in the woods, was all part of - and the very point of - Sonia's master plan to - along with her real, and long time, boyfriend - expertly steal everything of value in Guido's employer's villa.Subsequent to the final crate of valuables being loaded into bogus moving vans, Guido heroically makes a play for the robber's gun - and is shot. The bullet passes through his body and imbeds in Sonia's forehead non-fatally injuring her and causing her to go into a coma during which Sonia experiences surrealistic and cathartic experiences and revelations. Upon awakening, Sonia finds that unlike in her comatose dream, Guido is alive and well. Guido is in a hospital looking after her. Sonia is left with the choice of staying with Guido - who "saved" her - or staying with the master plan.Unlike most American "alls-well-that-ends-well" stories. Sonia stiffs Guido, who by that time has snapped to her deceit with the help of his cop buddy Dante's cynicism and with Marissa's final piece of the puzzle. Guido witnesses the calousness of her crime against the billionaire and her worse crime againts him - in betraying his love. But in true European fatalistic fashion, allows her to eascape.and go to Buenos Aires with her long time lover to live happily - if larcenously - ever after.

Tags: romantic, horror, neo noir

Review:
Fans of Alfred Hitchcock and followers of the more recent "Girl with a Dragon Tattoo" series, would likely be pleased with this nail-biting psychological thriller from Italy, which delivers many unexpected twists during its 96 minutes of running time.If suspense isn't your cup of tea but you enjoy art films with non-linear and unpredictable plots, you'll probably end up drinking the whole pot of this satisfying brainteaser from newcomer director Giuseppe Capotondi."The Double Hour" is actually a love story between a lonely immigrant, Sonia (a chambermaid at a high-end hotel in Turin) and the also lonesome Guido, an ex-cop working as a security guard at an art dealer's estate.
The two meet at a speed-dating event and just as they are beginning to fall in love, a crime happens, and their relationship is cut short.But before that, during their first date, Guido looks at his watch, which marks 23:23, and he tells Sonia that it's a double hour and that she should make a wish.
And it's details such as this one that you need to pay attention to, because every one of them is important to decipher this riveting puzzler that won't let you get too comfortable in your seat.Acted to perfection by Ksenia Rappoport and Filippo Timi "The Double Hour" is making its way quietly now through art-house theaters in the United States.
The Double Hour is a very interesting film.
The film is a lot of things; a twisted thriller, a unique and intense romance and a character study of two different individuals who find exactly what they need in each other.
It works on every level that it attains towards, thanks primarily to a very intelligent script and superb performances from Filippo Timi and especially Kseniya Rappoport.
The film has a lot of twists and a lot of, "what the hell is happening?" scenes, but thanks to the script it never gets too far ahead of the audience.
There's a lot of great aspects that are involved throughout, the film really knows how to give it's two main characters some very emotional and enlightening arcs.
Guido (Filippo Timi) and Sonia (Ksenrya Rappoport) meet at a speed dating event.
That's when all the twists and turns and misdirection begin.Really not possible to talk too much about what happens, other than to say the characters and events aren't always what they seem.
You can't help but want Sonia, a chambermaid whose life exhibits some bad karma, to pick lost-soul Guido out of the crowd at speed dating.
I don't know who their competitors were, but Filippo Timi and Kseniya Rappoport earned their best acting awards at the Venice Film Festival, as did the director Giuseppe Capotondi.
As I sat watching the Italian import, The Double Hour, my thoughts yearned for his deft director's touch on this film's intriguing premise.Directed by newcomer Giuseppe Capotondi, the film stars Kseniya Rappoport as Sonya and Flippo Timi as Guido, two lonely sorts who meet at a speed dating seminar.
She works as a hotel maid and he is an ex-cop turned security guard and both sense a real instant connection there.
That's the beginning of a complex labyrinth that held my complete interest for about three-fourth of the film's length.This off-beat thriller that becomes more ominous and intriguing every second with plot twists and startling reveals in its intricate plotting.
There are twists galore, some minor, some major, and I enjoyed the conceit of the filmmaker in toying with his audience.Now I love a good mystery and this is one, that is, up until the last few minutes when the mystery unravels and so does all reasoning.
Actions are so out of character with Sonya and Guido's arc that the film defies rationality.
Incidents that occur in the beginning of the film become random thoughts and really have no bearing in the maze-like structure of the story.
The final shot made little sense to me when trying to decode the scheme of events prior to that ending, leaving me with a bitter taste of regret.
( Plus, no memorable set piece is on display when one could have been added in the airport scene to full effect.)The movie tagline for The Double Hour reads as follows: A Romance.
But, unfortunately, the film ultimately disappoints in the last half hour of the film when all the logic gives way to a very unsatisfying ending.Sadly, I felt double-crossed and cheated when the end credits rolled.
Yes, Alfred would have ironed out all the plot kinks before filming this exasperating thriller.
Why have your audience invest their time and emotions in all of the film's intricacies when your overly convoluted plot becomes the major obstacle to the mystery itself.
The Double Hour is second rate Hitchcock at best.
Kseniya Rappoport stars in "The Double Hour" (La Doppia Ora), a 2009 film.Very reminiscent of David Lynch, the story concerns ex-cop Guido (Filippo Timi), who seems to be a chronic speed-dater.
On this particular night, he meets someone he feels he can actually date, Sonia (Rappaport), who works as a hotel chambermaid.
However, as we slowly learn more and more about Sonia, she isn't all that she seems.The plot isn't all that it seems, either, and as the film goes on, we see both dream and reality emerge.Like Mulholland Drive, Lost Highway, and Cache, The Double Hour is a fascinating film, where things are not always as they seem, and what goes on underneath is far more interesting.
Directed by Giuseppe Capotondi, if you're a fan of Lynch or Michael Heneke, you will enjoy this film..
Music video director Giuseppe Capatondi' feature film debut which was written by Italian screenwriter Ludovica Rampoldi, Italian screenwriter and actor Stefan Sardo and Italian writer Alessandro Fabbri, premiered In competition at the 66th Venice Film Festival in 2009, was screened at the 34th Toronto International Film Festival in 2009 and is an Italian production.
It tells the story about Sonia, a Slovenian woman who makes a living as a maid in Torino.
Sonia is looking for a male companion, and through a dating bureau she meets security guard Guido and chemistry sparks.
Guido and Sonia has found one another, but as they are getting to know each other their evolving relationship is interrupted.Precisely and subtly directed by Italian Giuseppe Capatondi, this finely paced and somewhat romantic fictional tale is a character-driven and plot-driven drama mostly narrated from the protagonist's point-of-view.
While notable for it's naturalistic milieu depictions and the brilliant production design by production designer Totó Santoro, this invariably intriguing thriller which depicts two merging studies of character is impelled and reinforced by it's cogent narrative structure and the engaging acting performances by Russian actress Kseniya Rappoport and Italian actor and screenwriter Filippo Timi.
A riveting and suspenseful mystery which gained, among other awards, the Volpi Cup Award for Best Actress Kseniya Rappoport at the 66th Venice International Film Festival in 2009..
Yes, the film is suspenseful and competently acted.
But like so many thrillers the plot doesn't stand up to scrutiny.
So the film manages to be both suspenseful and frustrating and the viewer keeps holding on in the desperate hope that it will redeem the investment of enduring being manipulated by it by offering some sort of satisfying resolution (not to be confused with a happy or phony "Hollywood" style ending).
Unfortunately, I haven't seen even a good, let alone great, Italian film since the best days of Roberto Benigni..
After seeing this film, I read the reviews of particular critics and most of them kept the secrets, that is, except for Stephen Holden of the New York Times.
If you read his review before seeing The Double Hour, there would be absolutely no need to sit through it because he gives the entire thing away; the jig is up.Sonia is a hotel chambermaid in Turin, Italy.
Sonia and Guido take baby steps towards the semblance of a relationship until their lives are drastically altered during a robbery.
Revealing too much of a film noir thriller does nothing for the eventual audience except take away their guessing games during the film.The couple's relationship and their back and forth interactions are surprisingly effective.
Both actors playing Sonia and Guido received best acting honors at the Venice Film Festival, but the somewhat non-congruous film and choppy supernatural elements do not match their acting standard.
The director and screenwriters show a lot of future promise, but the Double Hour just misses the mark.
To explain the title, a double hour is particular time of day when the clock matches, such as 12:12.
I am very glad that I went this year, because this was one of the most enjoyable experiences I had at the theatre in some time.The Double Hour was billed as a surreal thriller, so I was expecting something Lynchian.
Any confusing parts come to a satisfying conclusion, and there are plenty of clues along the way that allow you to piece the story together.I also enjoyed how it is two movies in one, in a way.
One is a scary, bewildering psychological thriller, and it is contained within an interconnected arc that is part crime drama and part character exploration, made rich by the well-written and well-acted characters.Standing out, obviously, is the main character, Sonia.
She is a very attractive lead, both physically and as a performer, and carries the movie effectively.The direction of this film is intelligent and fast-paced.
Overall, I would recommend this film for fans of European movies, mysteries, thrillers and psychological dramas.
That shot is also similar to the end of Kubrick's The Shining, but the schizophrenic perspective on reality in The Double Hour is certainly closer to early-Polanski than Kubrick.So this is not a cheap thriller.
The acting is also good, mainly because the characters are believable and fun to watch (for example, there is a Colombo-type cop that I was always happy to see coming back).My only disappointment with The Double Hour is with the very last shot.
The movie was ending in a simple way, a bit like Woody Allen's Match Point, but then the last shot appears and we start doubting over the whole thing (was Rosemary paranoid, or did she really give birth to the devil?) Overall a good movie that I would recommend.
You can't help but get involved with the character of Sonia, a magnetic performance from Kseniya RappoportThen, about an hour in, something happens that killed the film from then on for me.
I see enough of them that it's not worth 10 minutes of my time to comment on OK films.The Double Hour sustained the promise of being great for a long time, and that wasted opportunity possibly unduly affected my overall view of the film.
I suppose it sounds as though I'm saying I'd rather watch a completely average film than one that is two thirds great.
But the plot device and the dull way in which The Double Hour plays out from then on makes it a frustrating experience..
And that's obviously a giant shame, because sometimes there's a foreign flick that stands out and is definitely worth your free time.La doppia ora (The double hour) contains the story of Sonia, a lonely woman looking for love in a devious speeddating bar.
Sonia, a chambermaid working in an upscale Turin hotel, gets the shock of her life as she enters to make the room of a young woman.
It is clear Sonia and Guido like each other, as they decide to go to his place for sex.
We never get to know what his desire was.The attraction between Guido and Sonia is evident.
Deciding to take Sonia to spend some time with him, they are surprised by a group of robbers who have brought a truck to steal the contents of the palace-like place.
"La doppia ora", directed by Giuseppe Capotondi, is not an easy film to sit through because it demands the viewer's full attention.
Much of the confusion a casual viewer will experiment stems from what is in Sonia's mind after she falls into a coma-like state at the hospital.
As she visits Guido's grave, there is a funeral taking place in which a priest looks at the passing Sonia, as though recognizing her and later on, turning up again in her neighborhood and on another occasion.
Clarity was not in the mind of the writers, or in Mr. Capotondi while the film was being shot.
It is a film that relies more on the different styles to create the thriller atmosphere.Ksenia Rappoport, the Russian actress, makes an excellent impression of her Sonia.
She never disappoints as the mystery surrounding her makes her contribution to the film more exciting.
There is good chemistry between the two stars to create the passion and suspense that keeps this film going.
Giuseppe Capotondi's film debut impresses..
if you're just getting into foreign thrillers, this is a good one to check out..
EXTREMELY MILD SPOILERS - I don't give away much of anything, but looking at the fine print of the user-agreement leads me to this.I've often made the argument that a film doesn't have to be "likable" to be good.
even though, let's be honest, nobody stands up well to Bardem."The DOuble Hour" also has as many twists as the top of a coat-hanger, and the audience is likely to guess and likely to be wrong on almost all of them.
In hind-site, the twists actually make decent sense and add a nice depth and intrigue post-viewing.Another impressive quality was in some of the cinematography and sound that really added to the "thrilling" nature of the film.
I don't think it's spoiling much because these are just subtle tricks that some of the film-makers incorporated - so I'll mention a few.There's one moment where a character feels like someone is watching over them, and there's just a sliver of color down the left bottom corner of the screen, and only for a split-second - it's a really well-done shot.Another 'similar' scene is showing the same character in a similar position in bed, suffering the same phobia, picturing/dreaming themselves alone and then with their partner back-and-forth, and one quick shot in the middle of the character being shown alone(in one of the quick flashes), incorporates three hands near her face and it is also an extremely nice touch.
There's little to no problems with plausibility(or the ending) here, but people don't like to be wrong.I'd assume that will be the number one criticism of this film, and I believe it to be unjustified.
This film has quite literally grown on me every hour since viewing it.Recommended.You'll like this if you liked: Headhunters(better), The Hidden Face(not as good), or Point Blank(not as good).Thanks for reading..
It is a requirement of good film noir that no one is perfect.
It's because of the director's sure hand, the writer's clever development of the story, and primarily an amazing set of lead performers that don't mind being led in impossible directions as we unravels the mystery.Two souls find love in the unlikeliest of places.
We take the same twisting turns in the movie we are watching.
We pick a favorite, and we hope she or he is not involved with the masterminds who orchestra the murder of a policeman.It is challenging, frustrating, and a bit long, it keeps us watching, and we haven't seen this kind of pull in a movie for a long time..
Rappaport gives a good performance and she is easy to watch.
She looks like a foreign film star not a chambermaid.The subtitles are a problem.
The robbery was so well planned and choreographed, seems like the clever thieves could have handled one security guard without the convoluted charade that sets up the entire movie.The movie has been around since 2009 so it unlikely it will be in a theater near you soon.
A couple of good twists, but a major cop-out story device makes this unsatisfying..
Very clever plot, plot twists and no preposterous, unguessable ending but a real one, whether you like what happens or not.
There is hardly a wasted moment in this film but what is most remarkable is how believable the characters and circumstances are yet become no less believable when everything is turned on its head.
The hard-boiled investigating cop, though a stereotypical character, plot devise, etc., was very good.
I hope good, tight, intelligent films like this will always be made..
THE DOUBLE HOUR (LA DOPPIA ORA) is a maze of a film, one of those films that seem to have a straightforward storyline until suddenly what has been happening in front of our eyes is not at all the real story.
This is Giuseppe Capotondi's first film as a director and it gives notice of a new talent on the horizon.The setting is Turin.
Sonia (gifted and stunningly beautiful Russian actress Kseniya Rappoport) works as a chambermaid in an elegant hotel and in the opening scene she witnesses the suicide of the woman whose room she is cleaning.
Apparently distraught by the incident she seeks refuge in a speed dating club run by the mysterious Marisa (Lucia Poli) who watches carefully as Sonia encounters the club's most frequent attendee, former cop Guido (Filippo Timi).
Both Sonia and Guido are cautious about involvement but eventually they leave Turin for a country weekend getaway.
To say more would be to deprive the viewer of the very strange twists and turns this story takes until the final few minutes of the film when the audience realizes they have been part of the charade.Kseniya Rappoport won the Best Actress award in the 2009 Venice Film Festival for the complex and multifaceted performance she offers in this film.
Sonia is pretty but we can say is without that warm which is needed for this film.
i think the man is more better actor than the lead character Sonia.
the atmosphere of the film is good but in total it is not a great and adorable movie..
I wouldn't worry about plot spoilers since the movie makes no sense.