MID-AUGUST LUNCH UK DVD Review
With a remarkably hang-dog expression, middle-aged Gianni (played by the director) goes about household chores for his elderly but decadent mother in the apartment they share in Rome. Hard up and with rising bills to pay, Gianni agrees to look after his condominium manager's mother for a day or two over the August holiday in exchange for clearing some of his debts. When the day comes however, he finds himself lumbered with not only the manager's mother but his aunt too. Whilst striving to keep the bickering trio happy, Gianni feels faint and calls on his doctor, only to find himself a favour up and with yet another elderly lady to contend with. And really, that's it. A simple but immaculately crafted story sees a couple of peripheral characters appear throughout as Gianni visits his local bar for respite and goes in search of fish for the titular lunch. These brief excursions from the apartment show an alluring but unsentimental vision of Rome, mid-holiday and free from the usual crowds that fill its narrow streets. The focus though is on the interaction between these elderly ladies and Gianni's reactions to them. Wine glass in hand, he experiences moments of frustration, stress and absurd laughter as the ladies transpire to be devious, endearing, mischievous and, at times, melancholy. The adage that in old age we revert back to childhood ways, needing ever more supervision, is borne out over the warm August days in a beautifully realized snapshot of twilight years.
A triumph of subtle characterization it's refreshing to see pensioners portrayed as something other than just crazy or cantankerous (which is not to say these aren't valid too) and there's a challenge here, intentional or not, to how we perceive the aged. Yes, there's comic mileage over strict regimes and quirky ways, but there's also some wonderfully developed personalities that defy you to ever see the ladies as simply 'old people'.
Based largely on personal experience, Di Gregorio shot Mid-August Lunch in the very apartment he lived in with his own mother for years, using non-actors for all but the condominium manager role. What transpired for budgetary reasons has actually paid off with superb performances and an almost fly-on-the-wall sense of realism, with the affectations of professional actors blissfully absent. Produced by Matteo Garrone, of Gomorra fame (Di Gregorio wrote the screenplay), it's slight but hugely endearing and a model of understated film craftsmanship.
Special features are limited to a couple of brief but enlightening interviews with the director and the theatrical trailer.
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