Dear friends,
One of my all-time favorite directors is Matteo Garrone, the talented mind behind Dogman and Gomorrah. He produced today’s pick, directed by actor and first-time director Gianni Di Gregorio.
The result is a breathtaking movie that has the small-scale social/political angle that Garrone is famous for, together with a great emphasis on acting. The performances, mostly improvised, are perfect.
Mid-August Lunch
Now on Amazon Prime U.S.
Director Gianni Di Gregorio’s gorgeous debut is an understated masterpiece about a man in his 50s who is his mother’s caregiver. The movie takes place almost entirely in Di Gregorio’s family home in central Rome, a beautiful, big, and well-furnished apartment that his character can’t afford any longer.
To catch a break from rent, he agrees to host the landlord’s mother while the landlord goes on holiday. The same for his and his mother’s medical bills, and the doctor shows up with his own mother.
Di Gregorio finds himself running an impromptu elderly home, with conflicts rising about who gets to watch TV and whose dietary restrictions should be respected. But his calm demeanor, love for cooking, and a lot of Chablis wine make him the perfect man for the job.
Alternatives you might like
Happy as Lazzaro on Netflix is another good Italian comedy-drama. It’s set 1970’s Italian countryside village, where a long history of debt to a marquise finally ends.
Not from Italy but set there, The Two Popes released late last year on Netflix is a great examination of the differences between the current and the previous popes. With Anthony Hopkins.
I hope Mid-August Lunch or one of the alternatives is for you.
With all my best,
Bilal