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The film opens with Gianni trying to salvage what is left of his inheritance from his extravagant spending mother, Madame Valeria, by having himself appointed her power of attorney. Her vitality and sharpness, however, lean in her favor and Gianni must sit back as her love for designer clothes and fine wines puts them both in the poorhouse. Returning Madame Valeria back to her home, Gianni tries to regroup with his lawyer and friend, Alfonso; but all Alfonso concerns himself with is the beauty of Madame Valeria’s nurse, Christina, and why Gianni has yet to seduce her, asking him “Don’t you like women anymore?” |
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“Gianni’s sexual angst brought on by Alfonso, who appears set on the notion that every older man should have a mistress and imposes this view on Gianni.”
Michelangelo Ciminale (left) and Gianni Di Gregorio in The Salt of Life, a film by Gianni Di Gregorio.
A Zeitgeist Films release. Photo Credit: Antonio Carloni
Salt in the Wound
In his second directorial release, Gianni Di Gregorio presents Salt of Life. Mirrored after his debut film Mid-August Lunch, Salt of Life follows Brandori detto Gianni (played by Gianni Di Gregorio) as he cares for his nonagenarian mother (played by Valeria De Franciscis) while she sinks them deeper into debt.
Set in Trastevere, the rione XIII of Rome, Salt of Life walks through the life of Gianni, a middle-aged retiree who lives at the beck-and-call of the women in his life. Besides acting as his mother’s nurse, a bank to his wife, and a dog walker to his neighbor—Gianni is largely unnoticed by the female sex.
The film opens with Gianni trying to salvage what is left of his inheritance from his extravagant spending mother, Madame Valeria, by having himself appointed her power of attorney. Her vitality and sharpness, however, lean in her favor and Gianni must sit back as her love for designer clothes and fine wines puts them both in the poorhouse. Returning Madame Valeria back to her home, Gianni tries to regroup with his lawyer and friend, Alfonso; but all Alfonso concerns himself with is the beauty of Madame Valeria’s nurse, Christina, and why Gianni has yet to seduce her, asking him “Don’t you like women anymore?”
We meet Gianni the following morning, waking up at 6AM for a solitary cigarette before becoming transparent to all around him: his daughter consumes the breakfast that Gianni prepared for himself; his wife dictates a list of errands for him to run; and the daughter’s unemployed boyfriend moseys about the house in his boxers.
The central plot revolves around Gianni’s sexual angst brought on by Alfonso, who appears set on the notion that every older man should have a mistress and imposes this view on Gianni. It soon becomes clear that Gianni is a total duffer about relationships as he pursues his mother’s nurse, a divorcee, and an old flame. Falling flat, Alfonso comes to the rescue: a brothels’ business card, , and good old-fashioned tough love.
What makes this film substantial is the manner in which the humor is delivered. Gregorio use of subtle facial gestures and behavioral responses make for sharp laughter that almost seems inappropriate and accidental. It would be a stretch to say we are cheering for Gianni during these extramarital quests, but we certainly we can’t laugh when he fails. Instead we watch a tragic-comedy of another old man who sits outside watching beautiful women walk by.
