‘Gioia Mia’ or ‘Sweetheart’ is a gentle, coming of age film with a wonderful cast. It is a moving and thoughtful journey addressing abandonment and the young and old who have loved and lost, with secrets that still hurt. Written and directed by Margherita Spampinato in her feature film debut, we are enveloped in a young boy’s life where his only communication is with his phone.
Sent off to live with an old aunt who is full of regrets and frustration, the two clash as age, technology and a different way of life collide. Nico is played by Marco Fiore and his face flashes with obstinate retorts, trembles with hurt and sadness and finally beams with joy. Every event and conversation sweeps across his face. His aunt, Gela, played by Aurora Quattrocchi, is the classic, traditional religious aunt who has shut herself and her heart away. Her life is acted out quietly with restraint but with a fullness of emotion as she and Nico spark against each other as both are at different ends of a lifecycle. They learn how to bond and there are sweet moments as Nico moves from technology to tradition and Gela accepts him into her heart.
Without giving away the gentle plot, there is a tribe of grandmas hilariously offering advice when none is requested. They bake sugar cookies as that is their answer to grief, shouting orders from balconies in the traditional way whilst others use technology. It is a fading world in a beautiful fading town. The women have gone through life together and forgiven what could be as they observe their grandchildren play and grow.
A group of children is feisty with the leader, Rosa, a growing young girl played by Martina Miami, resenting an outsider. Martina is a foil to Nico as they clash and reject each other. They finally recognise they are both abandoned children with similar feelings, they bond together and there is a lovely sense that all will be right in the end.
With shades of ‘Cinema Paradiso’, the glorious Italian light is a backdrop adding to a sense of the summer heat and oppressiveness of life and emotions. With an emphasis on close up cinematography all of the acting is in the faces and is played without over-dramatising for effect. That being said, it is Marco Fiore and Aurora Quattrocchi who hold our attention and draw us in.
To book tickets to Italian Film Festival – Sweetheart (Gioia Mia), please visit https://italianfilmfestival.com.au/films/iff26-sweetheart.
