''Without Blood'' is a 2024

war War is an armed conflict between the armed forces of states, or between governmental forces and armed groups that are organized under a certain command structure and have the capacity to sustain military operations, or between such organi ...

drama film In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. The drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular ...

written, coproduced, and directed by

Angelina Jolie Angelina Jolie ( ; born Angelina Jolie Voight, , June 4, 1975) is an American actress, filmmaker, and humanitarian. The recipient of List of awards and nominations received by Angelina Jolie, numerous accolades, including two Academy Awards ...

and based on

Alessandro Baricco Alessandro Baricco (; born 25 January 1958) is an Italian writer, director and performer. His novels have been translated into a number of languages. Early life, family and education Baricco was born in Turin, Italy. He has earned degrees in ...

's book of the same name. It stars

Salma Hayek Salma Valgarma Hayek Pinault ( , ; ; born September 2, 1966) is a Mexican and American actress and film producer. She began her career in Mexico with starring roles in the telenovela ''Teresa (1989 TV series), Teresa'' (1989–1991) as well a ...

Demián Bichir Demián Bichir Nájera (; born 1 August 1963) is a Mexican actor. After starring in telenovelas, he began to appear in Hollywood films. He was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actor for his role in '' A Better Life''. Early life Bichir ...

, and

Juan Minujín Juan Gervasio Minujín (born May 20, 1975) is an Argentina, Argentine actor and film director. He is the nephew of plastic artist Marta Minujín. Career Juan Minujín began his training as an actor with Cristina Banegas, Alberto Ure, Pompeyo A ...

. The film premiered in the Special Presentations section at the

2024 Toronto International Film Festival The 49th annual Toronto International Film Festival was held from September 5–15, 2024. The festival opened with David Gordon Green's film ''Nutcrackers (film), Nutcrackers'', and closed with Rebel Wilson's directorial debut film ''The Deb (fil ...

on September 8, 2024, and was released in Italy on April 10, 2025.

Cast

as Nina *

as Tito ** Ariel Perez Lima as young Tito ** Patricio Jose as Tito 30s *

as Salinas * Angelica Pisilli as Nina 30 *Karolay Fernandez as Nina 14 * Maddox Chivan Jolie-Pitt * Pax Thien Jolie-Pitt

Production

In June 2022, it was revealed that

would direct and write an adaptation based on the book titled ''Without Blood'' by

, and

were cast in the lead roles as Nina, Tito, and Salinas. Jolie's elder sons Maddox and Pax also joined the cast.

Principal photography Principal photography is the phase of producing a film or television show in which the bulk of shooting takes place, as distinct from the phases of pre-production and post-production. Personnel Besides the main film personnel, such as the ...

began around June in

Apulia Apulia ( ), also known by its Italian language, Italian name Puglia (), is a Regions of Italy, region of Italy, located in the Southern Italy, southern peninsular section of the country, bordering the Adriatic Sea to the east, the Strait of Ot ...

and

Basilicata Basilicata (, ; ), also known by its ancient name Lucania (, , ), is an administrative region in Southern Italy, bordering on Campania to the west, Apulia to the north and east, and Calabria to the south. It has two coastlines: a 30-kilometr ...

Release

The film premiered at the

. The film was released in Italy on April 10, 2025.

Critical reception

'' IndieWire'' found the film mediocre, suffering from a "lack of dramatic shape" but with "good intentions", giving it a "C" grade. ''

The Wrap ''TheWrap'' is an American online news organization that covers the business of entertainment and media. It was founded by journalist Sharon Waxman in 2009 and is based in Los Angeles. The site features original reporting, analysis, and editor ...

'' called it "a film with its heart in the right place yet only a faint pulse", writing "Not only does the film's conclusion then feel quite rushed, it's hard to say that everything that preceded it was patient enough either. The story Jolie is seeking to tell in ''Without Blood'' is certainly one worth telling, it's just a shame this isn’t the film to do it successfully." Similarly, ''

The Hollywood Reporter ''The Hollywood Reporter'' (''THR'') is an American digital and print magazine which focuses on the Cinema of the United States, Hollywood film industry, film, television, and entertainment industries. It was founded in 1930 as a daily trade pap ...

'' stated that the film "plays it safe" and "the story ultimately seems too thin to bear the weight of its themes." Baricco praised the film, saying that he saw "the characters I had imagined come to life. It was amazing. Meeting Angelina, her talent, her courage, and her gentle strength, has been a privilege for me. The beauty of the film preserves much of what is so special about her."

References

External links

* {{Angelina Jolie 2020s war drama films American war drama films Italian war drama films Films directed by Angelina Jolie Films shot in Italy 2020s American films 2020s Italian films Films with screenplays by Angelina Jolie Films based on Italian novels Films based on works by Alessandro Baricco The Apartment films