by Nigel Hicks
Worth: $13.50
FilmInk rates movies out of $20 — the score indicates the amount we believe a ticket to the movie to be worth
Cast:
Aurora Quattrocchi, Marco Fiore, Martina Ziami, Camille Dugay
Intro:
... a movie which transcends generations and cultures.
Young Nico (Marco Fiore) is a typical kid – he likes his phone, speaks his mind, and has boundless energy. But when he is forced into staying with an elderly aunt Gela (Aurora Quattrocchi) in Sicily over the summer holidays, he gets a rude culture shock. There is no wi-fi. Food consists of eggplant. Entertainment revolves around card games. His phone gets constantly confiscated. His aunt and her friends talk about spirits in the house. And moreover, he misses his babysitter, a young woman he undoubtedly has a huge crush on.
Nico is trapped. Faced with seemingly unending boredom, Nico struggles with Gela’s slow pace and traditional values. Her stern ways seem incompatible with Nico’s cheeky personality. She is a world away from what Nico understands. Even the house, and the dog, seem to be unwelcoming to him.
But slowly, Nico becomes more patient. He starts to learn Gela’s cooking fundamentals, her ironing style, her card games. He even starts to befriend the other kids in the neighbourhood. He starts to slow down and become more present.
The story deepens when Gela reveals a truth about herself that she hadn’t shared with anyone before. Nico takes it onboard in a very mature way – Fiore is a terrific young actor – and they start to bond over loss, love, and life itself.
Nico also connects more and more with one of the kids, Rosa (Martina Ziami) and they develop a predictable pre-teenage romance, although it is sweet.
Written and directed by Margherita Spampinato, Sweetheart is a movie which transcends generations and cultures. It shows in a wonderful way that the heart is not about age or personality; that even a young boy can understand what love and loss are.
Margherita Spampinato’s feature debut is modestly budgeted, but you don’t notice that because it is about character and growth. It can be slow-moving at times, particularly the first half, but overall is a satisfying film.
