7 Giorni (2016)

Directed by: Rolando Colla | 96 minutes | drama | Actors: Bruno Todeschini, Alessia Barela, Marc Barbé, Linda Olsansky, Gianfelice Imparato, Aurora Quattrocchi, Fabrizio Pizzuto, Gianluca Spaziani, Fiorella Campanella, Benedetto Raneli, Carmela Conti, Catriona Guggenbühl, Armen Godel, Laurence Montandon

Levanzo is a tiny island off the west coast of Sicily. On this barely inhabited island, Frenchman Richard wants to marry his Italian bride Francesca. To prepare for the wedding, Richard sends his brother Ivan to the island, Francesca sends her best friend Chiara. The two have seven days to organize everything: music, location, food and more. Fortunately, there is still plenty of time left to fall for each other. Heavy to fall.

If this sounds like a nice looking away island romance, then you’re all wrong. Ivan and Chiara both carry a considerable history with them and their current lives are not really suitable for a fresh start. So the two decide to hold out until the first wedding guests arrive. But how do you stop love when it comes in all its glory?

The modest ‘7 Giorni’ looks at romantic love through adult glasses. The decor and story are romantic, but rather of the dilapidated kind. The island has only one hotel, an abandoned and somewhat flawed case that has seen better days. The lighthouse, which has to be prepared for the wedding night, is already completely in ruins. The wedding guests are mostly ex-addicts, including the groom himself, and the leader of the folkloric singing group seems to want to make a financial profit from the wedding.

For those who are sensitive to non-false romance, this is a wonderful film. The drama is not in over-dramatic scenes, but rather in the illusionless existence of the two lovers. To appreciate such romance – not just the story but also the abandoned hotel and the anything but picturesque islanders – probably takes some life experience. For young people, ‘7 Giorni’ is undoubtedly a frightening vision of the future.

With beautiful music, beautiful underwater images, meaningful encounters, high-spirited sex and a single trip to the nearby island of Favignana, ‘7 Giorni’ offers more than enough for an hour and a half of viewing pleasure. The ending will not appeal to everyone, but it is nevertheless a fitting conclusion to a story about the love of two bruised souls. The best love there is.