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In troubling times, solace is often found in strange places. Enter Quiet Chaos. This serene, simple film from Italy made waves at this year's Berlin Film Festival, and for good reason. Rare is the movie that receives both critical and commercial success, and rarer still for a foreign film with a fully Italian dialogue. Helmed by weathered director Antonio Grimaldi, Quiet Chaos is not without its flaws, but it does possess a certain, well, quiet charm.

The story follows Pietro Paladini, a successful business executive struggling to connect with Claudia, his 10 year old daughter, after the unexpected death of his wife. Unable to lock-step with his own life, Pietro takes Claudia to school, deciding to wait in a nearby park all day for her to return. Finding a sort of peace there, he returns everyday thereafter in a comforting routine of people watching, games with children and glimpses of Claudia. His friends, family and business partners all visit him to offer condolences and support, but find him in a state of incomprehensible calm. Eventually each visitor submits to Pietro's unflappable composure, unloading their own woes and worries on him.

Unfortunately, those woes and worries don't always tie in well with the larger narrative. The story gets a bit muddled with business mergers, a pregnant sister-in-law, designer jeans, a romantic entanglement and a sexually charged interplay with a woman Pietro saves from drowning early in the film. As an effort to tell a cohesive story, these side plots are a distraction. As an effort to drive home a theme, the relational disconnect of modern life, it works well.

And this is perhaps the film's greatest strength. It captures what post-modern life feels like. Pietro's inability to grieve, his detachment from those around him and the swirling turmoil of the everyday creates the storm of life, with Pietro firmly in its eye. Subtle, lucid photography add to this surrealism, which Pietro tries to make sense of by creating internal lists; airlines he has flown, places he will never return, things he knows about his wife. It's a well-used device that translates suitably from the novel, offering the audience a way to relate to an outwardly temperate man. Mix in a stellar soundtrack featuring well known American and English groups like Radiohead and Rufus Wainwright, and Quiet Chaos delivers one very emotionally satisfying experience.

The performances across the board are superb, from leading man Nanni Moretti (an accomplished filmmaker in his own right) to a supporting cast of believable, well-rounded characters. Little Blu Di Martino who plays Claudia delivers a solid performance, plucking at the right heartstrings. It's a difficult role for Moretti and Martino, demanding significant restraint yet desiring abject sorrow. They play extremely well off each other, creating a touching and believable father-daughter relationship.

There is little grandeur to Quiet Chaos, but that only adds to its appeal. Lacking the spice of a Little Miss Sunshine or the snark of a Juno, it's a smooth, simple and deeply human story that sits warmly in the belly.

Treat yourself.

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