DVD: Mid-August Lunch

Criminally overlooked on its theatrical release, Mid-August Lunch makes for wryly observed humour at home.

The film from Gianni Di Gregorio goes a long way in illuminating what real family life is like for many Italians and is all the more refreshing because of this.

It’s a simple story of one weekend in the life of a man called Gianni (played by Di Gregorio himself), who lives in Rome with his widowed mother (Valeria De Franciscis). His home life is not great as his mother is not only domineering but an impoverished aristocrat who orders him around like a servant. Then one day before the August bank holiday the building’s manager asks him to look after his mother for the weekend in exchange for knocking off debts that have been racking up over the years. Gianni is forced to accept but the manager pulls a fast one and turns up the next day with not only his mother but his aunt as well. Things spiral out of control when Gianni has a panic attack and goes to see his doctor for help. But his doctor has other ideas and dumps his own mum on Gianni, who is then faced with 24 hours of septuagenarian hell.

This is not only a great observation of a man’s trapped position in life but also a smart look at how OAPs are treated in Italy and maybe all over the world. Di Gregorio made this partly as a tribute to his lost mother and her friends as he had to look after his own mother in the last 10 years of her life and thought that her story and the plight of the elderly was ripe for storytelling. Choosing to use non-professional actresses for all the women’s roles leads not only to improvised dialogue but moments of great comedy and sublime pleasure. Di Gregorio believed that this would create greater realism on screen and make a better film overall.

De Franciscis is stunning as his crazy mum and the other three women’s personalities really shine through. The dialogue sparkles between them all, especially when Gianni and his shortcomings are the target, and makes the tale all the more enjoyable and believable. Bellissimo!

DVD Extras: Interview with the director and a trailer

Mid-August Lunch is available to buy now.

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