What We're Watching: Jan

Mid-August Lunch (Pranzo di Ferragosto). Directed by Gianni Di Gregorio. Starring Gianni Di Gregorio and Valeria De Franciscis.

This film is an Italian “slice of life” story that is humorous, charming, and uplifting. The main character is Gianni, a middle-aged man who lives with and takes care of his elderly, demanding mother in Rome. Gianni expects to stay home during the mid-August holiday, Pranzo di Ferragosto, when most Italians leave the city to avoid the heat. He is low on money and behind on his rent. The condo-manager Alfonso makes a deal with Gianni – he can write-off Gianni’s debt if Gianni will take care of Alfonso’s mother during the holiday. After agreeing to the plan, Alfonso arrives with his mother and an aunt, and the town doctor then presses Gianni to look after his mother too. The premise sounds at the least to be a crowded condo. However, it is more than that. It is a mixture of personalities, experiences, and pasta techniques among the feisty ladies. Gianni has his hands full but creates an atmosphere of caring and a memorable lunch that delights his mother and guests. The ladies are having fun as in their youth and are feeling alive again. The backdrop includes real Italian neighborhoods and Gianni as a man with flaws but a good heart too, who tries to not just accommodate his housemates but comfort them as well. In Italian with English subtitles.