adoring. He's seeing another woman. He wants a divorce. He wants the nice house too, and he gets it. Frances' life begins spiralling downward, until her lesbian friend Pati (Sandra Oh) gives her an all expense paid tour of Italy. It's a gay and lesbian tour. Lucky Frances. She goes anyway, just to get away from her depressing apartment. While there, she sees an aged villa, soaking in the Tuscan sun, with FOR SALE sign out front. Something about the villa strikes her. Maybe it's the way the sunlight seems so golden there. Maybe it's the olive trees. Who knows? Anyway, she orders the bus to stop, gets off, and buys the villa. Thus begins her new life in Italy. She starts renovating the crumbling villa with the aid of a local builder, Nino (Massimo Sarchielli), and three Polish immigrants: Zbignew (Sasa Vulicevic), Jersey (Valentine Pelka), and Pawel (Pawel Szajda). While the construction progresses, Frances searches for love. First she explores the notion with her realtor, Martini (Vincente Riotta), but he's in love with his wife. Then she has a wild fling with Marcello (Raoul Bova), something of a playboy and a ladies man. That doesn't work out too well 
either. While this is going on, Pati shows up on her doorstep eight months pregnant and deserted by her partner. Frances also plays matchmaker for the young Pawel and Nino's daughter, Chiara (Giulia Steigerwalt). All along she gets advice on loving and living from Katherine (Lindsey Duncan), a former actress and protegee of Fellini. Eventually, the house is finished, Pati's baby is born, Pawel and Chiara get married, and Frances has become a part of the village, deeply involved with the lives of the people she's come to call her friends. In the end, she too will find love, but only when she stops looking for it. When she waits for it to find her. It always does, doesn't it?
Audrey Wells' Under the Tuscan Sun, is a gorgeous, romantic movie that's just plain fun to watch. The scenery is breathtaking and the cinematography takes full advantage of it. Each and every scene is played out against the stunning backdrop of the Tuscan countryside and the coast of Amalfi. Watching this movie will make you dream of Italy, the hot sun beating down on the
golden hills, the dark cypresses standing like sentinels over the villas and villages, the ancient churches, the collision of old world and post modern. It's all here as a cyclorama to the touching story of one lonely woman searching for meaning in her life. And then there's the food. Under the Tuscan Sun loves Italian cuisine the way that Chocolat loved, well, chocolate. And the acting is superb. The film is filled with wonderful characters, from the jittery Jersy to the kind-hearted Martini to the vivacious Katherine, with her joie de vie and her stream of lovers. Oh! But this is a delicious film, and one that slipped by most viewers at multiplexes. Under the Tuscan Sun is a quiet movie about slowing down and engaging with the people and the world around you. You cannot help but be happy as you watch life and love unfold before your eyes under the Tuscan sun. I'm betting you'll wanna be there too.
Under the Tuscan Sun is rated PG-13 and is filmed in glorious color to bring to life the Italian countryside.
No comments:
Post a Comment