Middle-aged Giovanni is down on his luck. He lives in a poor part of Rome with his demanding mother and seeks comfort in increasingly regular drinks on credit at the local bar. As the annual holiday of August 15 (ferragosta) approaches, Giovanni has no plans to leave the sweltering city to escape to the countryside and beaches like most Romans. His apartment block administrator is one of those hoping to get away – he offers Giovanni a deal to look after his mother over the holiday period for money. Reluctantly Giovanni agrees and a door to financial opportunity opens.
Mid-August Lunch is the directorial debut of a 58 year old he gives himself the starring role with only one previous screen appearance. As director and co-writer he chooses to use four octogenarian women who have never acted before (one is his aunt, another a friend and the two others were scouted from care homes). He writes a screenplay that has the simplest plot and demands the cast to act in the most natural way the story has minimal action, the closest to disaster the film gets is the unexpected closure of the fish shop.
How brave producer Matteo Garonne was to give the film the go ahead. It might have helped that he and Di Gregorio had worked together as director and screen writer on the hugely successful Gomorrah. And what a radical departure from that violent film to this, the gentlest of comedies bordering on farce. The film is an observational piece, where food and drink play roles almost as important as the cast. It gives a wry look at the Italian way of life where family relationships and conversation are central and where a deal can always be done. A charming, languorous film that treats ageing with warmth and dignity, about as far away from Hollywood cinema as its possible to get.
Mid-August Lunch is affectionate without any maudlin touches, delightfully acted by the cast, and directed with an unobtrusive hand. Brian Orndorf, efilmcritic.com
There’s a lot going on in this little gem, all of it filtered through a warm, humane consciousness. Di Gregorio may be a late bloomer, but he’s found his calling. Mike La Salle, San Francisco Chronicle.
For a country such as today’s Italy, dominated by the politics of wealth and appearance embodied by Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, a film such as this is almost revolutionary. It is an ode to the mundane a convincing feat of minimalist cinema. Guido Bonsaver, Sight and Sound.
