Multi-award-winning Italo-Turkish director Ferzan Ozpetek, (FACING WINDOWS, IGNORANT FAIRIES) explores the relationships between a group of friends in this moving ensemble piece.
The hosts of their regular gatherings over dinner are the dynamic Lorenzo and his partner, the successful writer Davide. They happily spend their time with a circle of intimates: Antonio and Angelica, a married couple with kids; sunny cokehead Roberta; Davide’s acerbic ex Sergio and equally biting friend Neval and her policeman husband; and newcomer Paolo.
Ozpetek, always the brilliant group portrait artist, brings his characters masterfully towards a critical moment when they’re forced to cast off their stiffened masks and to return to the very essence of the friendship that unites them.
The director shows a confident, light touch in directing the large cast, so neatly balanced that no one really stands out. The soundtrack by Giovanni Pellini (also known as Neffa) gives heavy emphasis to lively Spanish and French-sounding tunes.