The Perfect Dinner | Dir: Davide Minnella |★ ★ ★ ★
Carmine (Salvatore Esposito) has the favour of the Neapolitan mafia boss Don Pasquale (Gianfranco Gallo) as his father had once saved Don Pasquale’s life and died in the process when Carmine was just a boy. Unfortunately, Carmine doesn’t match up to the rest of the people in Pasquale’s employ as he is incapable of the violence expected.
Actually, Carmine is a bit of a liability, so to get him out of the way, he is sent north to Rome to run a money laundering business that is disguised as a restaurant. The kitchen has been gutted and now contains a huge freezer and a bank of microwaves. All he has to do is heat up the meals, issue receipts and bank huge amounts of money.
Everything changes when he meets Consuelo (Greta Scarano) who had tried to run the restaurant in its previous incarnation (with stoves) and had failed. Consuelo, who is of Argentine origin, is an absolute whirlwind, a great chef and madly seeking a Michelin Star. Unfortunately, despite the high-end quality of the dishes she produces, there is something missing.
As Carmine indulges Consuelo’s every whim to give her the restaurant she desires, he finds himself having to answer difficult questions about all the money he has ‘borrowed’ from the big boss. When the cooking world meets the crime world, there has to be more than a pinch of something special for the crime world not to be the victor.
Generous helpings of love are spread throughout the comedic narrative. Primarily, there is the potent love of the cuisine, from the high-end creations to the memories of the simple foods from childhood. Then there is a sparkle of romance between the two main characters that are determined to make their venture a success and lastly, the role that self-love plays in allowing people to truly blossom.
The Perfect Dinner can be seen at The Italian Film Festival which will screen at Palace Raine Square, Luna Leederville, Luna on SX and Windsor Cinema from Thursday 22 September until Sunday 16 October. The opening night has already sold out but see ItalianFilmFestival.com.au or individual cinemas for film details and screening times.
Lezly Herbert
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