The Great Beauty and 3 Other Movies About Italy for Those Who Wanted to Visit This Country
These movies are sure to warm your heart.
When pappardelle, risotto, and gelato not only fill the stomach, but also the heart, these movies are a great complement to the meal.
The scorching sun, narrow streets, sparkling rivers and canals – our list includes films in which Italy is not just the setting, but the main character.
1. The Great Beauty, 2013
In the eyes of the Italian artistic elite, Jep Gambardella is a great and recognized writer. But his most important novel has long since disappeared from the shelves. Having been the king of parties in his youth, Gambardella falls into depression on the eve of his 65th birthday.
He wanders the streets of Rome at night, pining for his youth in Naples and desperately searching for the joys of life. Everything changes when Jep learns of the death of his longtime lover, who has been trying to make peace with him for almost half a century.
Paolo Sorrentino is best known for the series The Young Pope, but it was The Great Beauty that made him a cult figure. At the time, the film won an Oscar, a Golden Globe and a BAFTA.
2. Dogman, 2018
Marcello runs an unusual salon where he professionally grooms dogs of all breeds and sizes. A humble man with a kind heart, Marcello carefully hides his dark side from people.
Everything changes when the main character's friend, former boxer Simone, sets him up to avoid punishment. The Italian groomer faces a difficult choice: go with the flow or continue the chain of bloody crimes.
Although not popular with the public, Dogman received good reviews from critics and even won the award for The Best Actor in Cannes.
3. When in Rome, 2010
Beth, a skeptic by nature, decides to throw a few coins into the Roman Fountain of Love. Back in New York, Beth meets a group of Italians who are madly in love with her.
It turns out that their coins were at the bottom of that very fountain, waiting for a future lover, whose place Beth accidentally took. Journalist Nick, who also has feelings for her, comes to the woman's aid.
The characters are so dynamic and awkward in their pursuit of the woman's attention that one wonders whether this is a melodrama or a comedy.
4. Made in Italy, 2020
After the death of his wife, famous artist Robert bequeathed a small, dilapidated house in Tuscany. His son Jack suggests that they go to Italy and renovate the house in order to sell it.
Trying to forget past feuds, the men unite for a common goal. But the longer they are in Tuscany, the more they learn about the Italian family's past, which turns out to be not as dark as it seemed before.
If you think Liam Neeson only stars in action movies, Made in Italy is a great opportunity to dispel that stereotype. This time Neeson's screen partner is his own son. Adding to the drama is the fact that Liam and Micheal, like the characters of the movie, once lost a loved one – their wife and mother, Natasha Richardson.