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Nick Riddle enjoys this warm-hearted film in which a middle-aged bachelor finds himself looking after a group of ill-matched elderly ladies in his tiny flat one August holiday.

This understated film by Di Gregorio, co-writer of 2008’s Gomorrah, makes for a striking contrast with that gritty underworld exposé.

Gianni cares for his stately ninety-something mother in their cramped Roman apartment and is bribed into hosting three more elderly widows over the Italian religious holiday of Ferragosto. As he listens patiently to the complex details of their dietary restrictions and medicine doses, one might be forgiven for expecting some sort of senior-citizen creche comedy, but Di Gregorio has something more interesting in mind.

Tensions build in the summer heat: one of the women locks herself away, the TV becomes a bone of contention, and personality clashes loom, but the long-suffering Gianni handles everything like a seasoned diplomat, and the women begin to bond. The film’s mostly non-professional cast display a beautiful, slightly bewildered grace, in a story that gives us a view of old age filled with joy, dignity and acceptance.

 

Nick Riddle on 20th October 2009
View all 41 of Nick Riddle's reviews

A wonderful, gentle film which, although not an out and out comedy, nonetheless had me in stitches. If your spirits need a lift then this is money well spent! more >

A wonderful, gentle film which, although not an out and out comedy, nonetheless had me in stitches. If your spirits need a lift then this is money well spent! < less