The Four Times (Le Quattro Volte) (2011)
85%RT Audience Score: 75%
Awards & Nominations: 14 wins & 14 nominations
Le Quattro Volte is a film that requires patience and an appreciation for the subtle beauty of everyday life. The director’s focus on the small details and the interconnectedness of all things is both mesmerizing and thought-provoking. It’s a film that invites the viewer to slow down and contemplate the mysteries of existence, while also finding humor in the unexpected moments of life. This cinematic poem is a testament to the power of quiet contemplation and the magic of the mundane. It’s a feast for the senses and the soul, and a reminder that sometimes the most profound experiences can be found in the simplest of things.
Le Quattro Volte is a movie that’s like a slow-cooked meal – it takes its time to simmer and develop, but the end result is a satisfying and nourishing experience. The film’s focus on the small and fragile elements of life may seem tedious to some, but for those who give it the patience it deserves, it’s a beautiful and moving journey. Plus, who doesn’t love a little unexpected magic and humor in their routine? It’s like finding a surprise ingredient in your favorite dish.
Production Company(ies)
Fine Line Features, Capitol Films, Channel Four Films,
Distributor
NA
Release Type
Filming Location(s)
Caulonia, Reggio Calabria, Calabria, Italy
MPAA / Certificate
Not Rated
Year of Release
2010
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Color:Color
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Sound mix:Dolby Digital
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Aspect ratio:1.85 : 1
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Runtime:NA
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Language(s):None
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Country of origin:United States
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Release date:Release Date (Streaming): Sep 13, 2011
Genre(s)
Drama
Keyword(s)
starring Giuseppe Fuda, Bruno Timpano, Nazareno Timpano, Artemio Vellone, directed by Michelangelo Frammartino, written by Michelangelo Frammartino, drama, box office performance, budget, reviewed by Nicole Armour, Marjorie Baumgarten, Joe Williams, Roger Ebert, Walter V Addiego, Rick Groen, Mattie Lucas, Sean Axmaker, Dennis Schwartz, Michael Nordine, Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat, Beth Accomando, producer Philippe Bober, Elda Guidinetti, Marta Donzelli, Gabriella Manfré, MPAA rating, birth, death, transformation, cycles of life, Italian, church dust, shepherd, carbonai, Serra San Bruno, directorial debut, profound, funny, meditation, human soul, transmigration, ritual, magic, unexpected, accidental, change, routine
Worldwide gross: $701,334
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): $953,384
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 2,608
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): 103,968
US/Canada gross: $152,530
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): $207,347
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 2,540
US/Canada opening weekend: $16,192
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): $22,011
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): 2,479
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): NA
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): NA
Production budget ranking: NA
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): NA
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): NA
ROI to date (est.): NA
ROI ranking: NA
Bruno Timpano – I carbonai di Serra San Bruno
Nazareno Timpano – I carbonai di Serra San Bruno
Artemio Vellone – Carbonaio
Michelangelo Frammartino – Director, Writer
Director(s)
Michelangelo Frammartino
Writer(s)
Michelangelo Frammartino
Producer(s)
Philippe Bober, Elda Guidinetti, Marta Donzelli, Gabriella Manfré
Film Festivals
Awards & Nominations
14 wins & 14 nominations
Academy Awards
All Critics (54) | Top Critics (27) | Fresh (50) | Rotten (4)
The director emphasizes the fragile and invisible, the small specks of matter that make up the whole.
November 7, 2013
Nicole Armour
Film Comment Magazine
TOP CRITIC
The film’s apparent simplicity is, in large measure, its charm and its universal appeal.
July 22, 2011 | Rating: 3.5/5
Marjorie Baumgarten
Austin Chronicle
TOP CRITIC
The God’s-eye view becomes mesmerizing when we stop insisting that the film flatter us and just enjoy a quiet ride on the cycle.
July 15, 2011 | Rating: 3/4
Joe Williams
St. Louis Post-Dispatch
TOP CRITIC
I drifted pleasantly in its depths.
June 16, 2011 | Rating: 3.5/4
Roger Ebert
Chicago Sun-Times
TOP CRITIC
Le Quattro Volte may sound like art-house tedium, but in fact it’s a movie of grave beauty, serene pace and surprising humor.
June 9, 2011 | Rating: 3/4
Walter V. Addiego
San Francisco Chronicle
TOP CRITIC
Give Le Quattro Volte the patience it deserves, and you will be captivated by its stately rhythms, transfixed by its strange imagery, and moved by its sudden dramas. Don’t, and you’ll be bored to tears.
June 3, 2011 | Rating: 3/4
Rick Groen
Globe and Mail
TOP CRITIC
This is powerful and confident filmmaking, a kind of cinematic poem that stares deep into the human soul and emerges with a quietly moving and deeply meaningful experience.
August 5, 2019 | Rating: 4/4
Mattie Lucas
From the Front Row
It’s both an embrace of the comfort of ritual and certainly and acknowledgement of the magic of the unexpected and the accidental bringing change to routine.
December 17, 2011
Sean Axmaker
Turner Classic Movies Online
Whose images of everyday life in the sticks makes for hypnotic viewing.
November 7, 2011 | Rating: A-
Dennis Schwartz
Dennis Schwartz Movie Reviews
Such descriptors as contemplative, deliberate, and meditative fall short of the mark in conveying exactly what’s at work here.
October 25, 2011
Michael Nordine
Not Coming to a Theater Near You
A quiet, meditative, and spiritual Italian film about the transmigration of the soul.
September 14, 2011 | Rating: 5/5
Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat
Spirituality & Practice
Le Quattro Volte is cinematic slow food. It takes its time, is meticulous in its presentation, carefully considers the experience it provides, and then serves up a satisfying and nourishing feast.
July 2, 2011
Beth Accomando
KPBS.org…
Plot
In “The Four Times,” birth, death, and transformation are explored through the story of an old shepherd who drinks church dust to stave off death.
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
Fresh Kernels doesn’t provide any goofy or funny comments about the film, but it does describe it as a “profound and often funny mediation on the cycles of life on earth.”
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