The Tiger and the Snow

Attilio de Giovanni is an Italian poetry professor and published poet with a romantic streak, admired by women but fixated on one in particular: Vittoria, who does not return his feelings. She travels to Iraq with Fuad, an Iraqi poet whose biography she is writing, just as the 2003 war begins. When Vittoria is hurt and stranded in the middle of the conflict, Attilio sets off to reach her, armed with little more than his verse and no Arabic, and sets about finding her the care she needs as the fighting closes in.

Roberto Benigni directs and stars, with a screenplay he wrote with Vincenzo Cerami. The two had collaborated on several of his earlier films, including Life Is Beautiful, and this 2005 release followed Pinocchio in his filmography. Nicoletta Braschi, a regular presence in his work, plays Vittoria, while Jean Reno appears as Fuad, Emilia Fox and Giuseppe Battiston round out the cast, and Tom Waits cameos as himself. Shot in Italy, it was produced by Melampo Cinematografica with a budget of roughly 35 million US dollars and returned about 24 million worldwide.

The film divides audiences and critics sharply: on TMDB it holds a 6.7 average from just over five hundred votes, while its critics' rating stands at 4 out of 10 across twenty-five reviews. The gap suggests a warmer reception among general viewers than among professional reviewers, who were largely unconvinced.