Movie review: 'The Double Hour' (3 stars)

The Double Hour
3 stars
Directed by Giuseppe Capotondi
Starring Ksenia Rappaport, Filippo Timi

In the Italian thriller “The Double Hour,” a quiet hotel maid, Sonia (Ksenia Rappaport), finds herself at the center of one nightmare after another — she’s witness to a random suicide, she’s held at gunpoint during a robbery, she has visions of a man who she thought was dead.

One pleasant thing does come her way: She meets Guido (Filippo Timi), a gentle, mysterious ex-cop, at a speed-dating event. Guido, who bears a passing resemblance to Javier Bardem, only gaunter and more hirsute, begins a tender, albeit ginger, relationship with her … which all comes to a halt when her cursed life strikes again.

It’s hard to discuss “The Double Hour” without giving too much away, but suffice it to say there’s more than meets the eye in this paranoid thriller. The mystery unfolds in several key stages, and though the biggest reveal is a smidge disappointing, the emotional impact makes up for most shortfalls in the plot department. Rappaport and Timi have mesmerizing chemistry, thanks in large part to their beautifully expressive faces. Half their communication is exchanged through words, the other half through gazes and glances.

Who’s good? Who’s bad? Who’s trustworthy? “The Double Hour” will keep you guessing. Or even if it doesn’t, at least the actors will keep you riveted.

Playing at Lincoln Plaza Cinema and The Sunshine Cinema