Made in Italy

By: Robert Warren

The film Made in Italy is “bellissimo” or beautiful as they say in Italian! It is a story telling the struggle between a father Robert (Liam Neeson,) and son Jack (Micheál Richardson) who try to fix their relationship and restore Robert’s late wife’s home that has fallen in disrepair as Jack wants to sell it to buy an art gallery back from a divorce. When it comes to distinct, Made in Italy separates itself boldly as a breathtakingly empowering story. This film uses art and the object of the house as a way to connect the viewer into the interpersonal relationships in the story. While the house mirrors the happier memories that Robert had with his wife, it also means not as much to Jake who reflects emptiness from not knowing his past with his mother. Made in Italy paints a deep look into a father son relationship that tugs at the heartstrings in this must-see work.

The film starts off in the art gallery in London. Jack is wandering around looking at the incredible pieces that surround him. Unfortunately, things go wrong when his ex-wife approaches and informs him he will be losing the gallery. While he may have put so much effort into working it, he frankly doesn’t have the funds to be keeping it. As Jack knows this is true, he is adamant about keeping it. Jack unveils an idea to try to come up with the needed funds by visiting his father, who he hasn’t seen in years. Jack would like to convince him to sell Robert’s house, which was inherited by his late wife, in an attempt to earn the cash. This is where the movie starts really moving and starts developing into the comedy-drama that it is.

Jack leaves by plane from London and meets Robert in beautiful Tuscany, Italy. They head to the home they are going to work on together to get it appealing to sell. When they get there; however, they realize this DIY project is going to be much more difficult than they realized. That is when they hire a lady named Kate (Lindsay Duncan) to help as she sells villas for a living. Upon exploring the lovely area, Jack meets Natalia (Valeria Bilello) and begins falling for her. She too is divorced, but they intertwine in a relationship which gets complicated as Natalia’s ex-husband makes an appearance. Robert and Jack work on the house and we really get to know the father-son dynamic through all of this.

Liam Neeson has a powerful performance as Robert in this film, especially when it comes to tearjerker moments. One standout scene is when Robert’s wife Raffaella Pazzini (Helena Antonio), passes away and he struggles with the memory of her. This house is his connection to the happy memories they had when she was alive. He remembers how happy they were as a family. Robert looks at a large wall with an abstract mural inside the house that he painted when she passed away. He remembers being so upset. He really grapples with this memory and puts his back to the wall. He sits with his hands on his face and just sizzles in his tears. It’s such a strong moment here. This is how the art really derives emotion with this film. Neeson is powerful, especially in a tearjerker moment like this.

Another really stand out performance is Micheál Richardson as Jack. He plays Jack on a rollercoaster of emotions with a get this home clean and sell it. A scene right off the bat that booms with attention is when Jack confronts Robert at a small party. After too much booze and a “don’t do” it from Natalia, he goes off about why Robert never addresses his mother by her name to other people. Robert is shocked. Natalia helps Jack cool and later father and son start to bond a bit more. We then get a major sense of how much a house can unite people. It shows the challenges some father and sons may have. Very powerful. Richardson does a really good job here.

When it comes to alluring cinematography by Mike Eley the shining moment would be when Robert remembers setting up a tire swing outside for Jack to play on and how much his son loved it. Showing the tire on a rope in a movie shot, Jack goes on to explain his dad used to push him on the swing. At one point during this film Jack takes down the swing, but Robert takes it upon himself to put it back up again because it means something to him. That’s a powerful moment in this film. That swing connects the two in a memory they share together. Additionally, Eley sets the scene beautifully in a bright Tuscany, with water nearby sparkling with the sun. The imagery is breathtaking and plays off the darkness to the characters so well.

Seeing Natalia come up to Jack during that tire swing scene was a great director’s choice by James D’Arcy because we could really see the comfort that it brought. Another good director’s choice was the wall painted by Robert. Using that wall within the house was an incredible means to connect father and son while highlighting their relationship. We could see the strength they share mirrored in the wall Robert painted. In fact, as their renovation led them to need to repaint that mural with just standard paint it showed how much that wall truly meant to Robert.

Made in Italy is a phenomenal film and I would definitely recommend seeing it. It’s got many levels of relationships to connect different audiences like a lost mother, missing wife, a detangled father and son, divorced spouses and more. It uses objects like a house or art to connect people. It really captures emotion in this move. It’s got great cinematography, directing and performances with the actors. I highly recommend you make time for Made in Italy.