MID-AUGUST LUNCH aka PRANZO DI FERRAGOSTO aka THE FERRAGOSTO DINNER

Year: 2008
UK: Artificial Eye
Cast: Valeria De Franciscis, Marina Cacciotti, Maria Calì, Grazia Cesarini Sforza, Alfonso Santagata, Luigi Marchetti, Marcello Ottolenghi, Petre Rosu, Gianni Di Gregorio
Director: Gianni Di Gregorio
Country: Italy
Language: Italian (English subtitles)
UK: 75 mins
UK Certificate: U contains mild innuendo and cigarette smoking
UK Release Date: 14 August 2009 (Limited Release)
UK Distributor

Synopsis

Gianni is a middle-aged man, the only son of his widowed mother, with whom he lives in an old house in central Rome. Living under the tyranny of this impoverished aristocrat, his life drags on between housework and going to the bar. The day before the August bank holiday the condominium manager asks him to take his mother into his home for the two days of the bank holiday. In exchange, he will knock some money off the condominium debts Gianni has run up over the years. Gianni is forced to accept.

The manager treacherously turns up with two women, since he doesn't know where to take his aunt, he brings her along too. Gianni is overwhelmed and crushed by the clash between these three dominant characters, but heroically does his best to make them happy. At a certain point he feels faint and calls a friend of his who is a doctor. The doctor not only reassures Gianni, but foists his own elderly mother on him, since he is on shift at the hospital. Gianni goes through 24 hours of hell. But when at last it's time to say goodbye, the women have other ideas...