Pranzo di ferragosto – Mid-August Lunch (2008)

Directed by: Gianni Di Gregorio | 75 minutes | drama | Actors: Gianni Di Gregorio, Valeria De Franciscis, Marina Cacciotti, Maria Calì, Grazia Cesarini Sforza, Alfonso Santagata, Luigi Marchetti, Marcello Ottolenghi, Petre Rosu, Biagio Ursitti

Ferragosto is a religious festival that has been celebrated in Italy since time immemorial. For the main character Gianni in the comedy ‘Pranzo di ferragosto’ it is less festive. Precisely during this summer free weekend, he is stuck with a quartet of very elderly ladies. As different as those ladies are, they have two things in common: a difficult character and a will of reinforced concrete.

It makes for a comedy that is much more subtle than you might expect. There is no Italian cursing or shouting, but silent coalitions are forged and psychological battles are fought. The funny thing is in the lifelike dialogues and the lifelike acting of the amateur actresses, who you would like to adopt and paste behind the wallpaper in one and the same scene. The youngest does not want to follow her diet, the oldest wants the television only for himself, the middle one wants to go out in the evening. Since the ladies reason with a logic all of their own, poor Gianni soon gives up and lets it all get to him.

Because ‘Pranzo di ferragosto’ wants to be a feel-good movie above all else, the choices sometimes come at the expense of credibility. In the world of this comedy, Rome is a city where you can get river fish from local fishermen and where poor people can still buy on the cheap. The television is another nice old-fashioned thing with an antenna. Distressing situations are avoided in this film. The ladies are all four troublemakers, but they are not in need of help. Gianni doesn’t have to change diapers or empty stitches, so aside from rising blood pressure and increasing alcohol cravings, his suffering is limited.

The choice to keep the film light is not at the expense of the quality and it does not become old-fashioned, but it does give ‘Pranzo di Ferragosto’ something non-committal. Fortunately, that’s the only downside. The debut of screenwriter, director and protagonist Gianni di Gregorio, is above all a sweet little film that entertains and moves. In the end, you are guaranteed to become attached to those unstoppable berries and their patient keeper. Quite an achievement for a 75 minute film.