The Salt of Life

What an interesting movie to see! The Salt of Life is based in present day Rome, Italy in Italian with English subtitles. The story follows Gianni, based on the alter ego of writer, actor and director, Gianni Di Gregorio.

As a retired, aging man, Gianni is put to work by the women in his life. His wife assigns him a list of chores to do, his daughter tells him all her boyfriend troubles and his mother is overdramatic, demanding and irresponsible with her money. While he patiently deals with these women, he can't help but fantasize about younger women. His friend Alfonso tries his best to get Gianni out to meet and seduce these beautiful women. They try, but luck never comes their way.

Throughout the movie, Gianni runs into old girlfriends, a daughter of his mother's friend, the nurse caring for his mother, a neighbor whose dog he always walks (pictured), and beautiful women on the street. He is a gentleman to each of them but they never end up working out.

I won't ruin the ending for you (although it wasn't even relevant and left me with many questions), but I will say that this movie did expand my understanding of the Italian culture. People are much more affectionate toward others with a greeting of kisses on both cheeks. I also have to mention that the location was beautiful and I did like the cinematography in this movie.

However, I thought this movie was really scattered and the plot was not very clear. I found myself becoming really sleepy while watching the everyday routine of an old man checking out younger women for 90 minutes. I didn't really see the point of having so many characters throughout the movie when they were only in it for a scene or two. It was an interesting movie, but I wouldn't see it again. Sorry, EuroCinema Hawaii, I hope your other films were better than this one.

Ciao!