Directed by Nancy Savoca • 1993 • United States
Starring Tracey Ullman, Vincent D’Onofrio, Lili Taylor
Based on the novel by Francine Prose, Nancy Savoca’s wonderfully warm chronicle of a spirited Italian American New York family gracefully balances humor, tragedy, and pathos. Vincent D’Onofrio’s Joseph Santangelo is a butcher with a wicked sense of humor who “wins” his wife Catherine (Tracey Ullman) in a pinochle game. Over the protests of his mother (Judith Malina) who talks to ghosts and makes deals with saints, Joseph marries Catherine. When the old lady dies, her spirit is channeled into her granddaughter Teresa, who overtakes the film with her yearning to serve God. A luminous Lili Taylor imbues Teresa with a mix of idiosyncratic charm and touching innocence.
Up Next in Directed by Nancy Savoca
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Renata
Directed by Nancy Savoca • 1982 • United States
Starring Marianne Leone Cooper, Jo Deodato Clark, Carla WynnWith her very first short film, made while she was a student at NYU, director Nancy Savoca explores what would become a hallmark of her work—the push-pull between generations—through an a...
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Bad Timing
Directed by Nancy Savoca • 1982 • United States
In her second student film, director Nancy Savoca captures the often disillusioning experience of first love through the story of a young girl and boy who run away from New York City together with dreams of making it big in Hollywood—but it only ta...
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The Many Miracles of Household Saints
Directed by Martina Savoca-Guay • 2024 • United States
In keeping with the intergenerational magic of her mother Nancy Savoca’s HOUSEHOLD SAINTS, director Martina Savoca-Guay reveals the improbable story behind the making of the film. Combining behind-the-scenes footage from the set with intervi...
