Italian

The Salt of Life: men will be boys

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The Salt of Life (Gianni e le donne) is a gently funny and insightful comedy about a certain time in a man’s life.  In the lives of men who are not rich, famous or powerful, there comes a time when attractive young women no longer see them as potential lovers.  This is painful for any guy, and our contemporary Roman hero Gianni, with the help of his portly lawyer/wing man, sets out to deny that he has reached this plateau.

In a standard movie fantasy, some adorable young hottie would come to appreciate Gianni’s true appeal and find him irresistible.  But in The Salt of Life, the story is more textured, complex and realistic.

The Salt of Life  stars and is written and directed by Gianni Di Gregorio, just like the very fun Mid-August Lunch.  It is definitively a movie for guys of a certain age and the women who tolerate them, as well as the younger guys who will become them.

Sorry, no subtitles yet on the trailer embedded here.  You can watch the English subtitled trailer on IMDb.

 

Le Quattro Volte: that Italian goatherd movie you’ve been demanding

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In the first 30 minutes of Le Quattro Volte, a septuagenarian goatherd struggles up and down a Calabrian mountain with his goats, hacking away with a worsening old man cough.  Up and down go the goats.  Cough, cough goes the old man.

Then, suddenly (and I mean suddenly), a baby goat is born.  It is licked by its mother.  It hangs out with other young goats.  It walks off with the herd.

Then, a tall tree on the mountain is cut down by the villagers and erected in the village for a festival.  After the festival, it is taken down and cut up.

The logs are added to a woodpile that we see constructed in the traditional way, and charcoal is made.  Then the movie ends.

I understand that Le Quattro Volte is supposed to be a lyrical contemplation on the Circle of Life.  Indeed, I really tried to give myself to this movie, to settle in and absorb its rhythm.  But the stories are not compelling enough.  When I saw the movie at an afternoon show, audience members were falling asleep.  My mind was wandering.

Le Quattro Volte has received very high praise from some of the most respected movie critics, who found it mesmerizing.  It also won the Best European Film award at Cannes, causing another theater patron at my screening to ask “Who voted?”.  It’s an art movie with the art, but no movie.

 

 

Mid-August Lunch

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This is a wry Italian comedy about a contemporary Roman bachelor in his 50s who is saddled with housing his mother AND the mothers of three friends in his ordinary apartment during a getaway weekend. The old gals relish his attention and the freshly caught fish, the baked eggplant and, especially, the macaroni casserole. Here are recipes from the movie.  Starring and written and directed by Gianni Di Gregorio.  Made my list of Food Porn Movies.