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Oscar winner Mira Sorvino (
Mighty Aphrodite,
Romy and Michele's High School Reunion) stars in
Tarantella as Diana, a photographer who's forced to grapple with her family heritage when her mother unexpectedly dies. Diana goes back to her childhood neighborhood in Brooklyn, where she's confronted with her mother's house, full of old records, clothes, recipes, and unexpected bits of money stashed away for emergencies. When Pina (Rose Gregorio), an old friend of her mother's, brings back her mother's "housebook"--a collection of old letters, photographs, and stories--the two women begin a rocky relationship that grows surprisingly fulfilling for both of them. While this may seem like a generic theme,
Tarantella is grounded in specific and resonant images and objects. The director has a fine eye for the emotional nuances of relationships, not only Diana's and Pina's, but also romantic and commercial ones. Diana's boyfriend, Matt (played by Matthew Lillard from
Scream and
SLC Punk), comes to help but keeps stepping on her toes (emotionally speaking). And her real estate agent, who sees the house as a mere commodity, doesn't fully consider Diana's personal attachments. Most effective are the intermittent flashbacks or daydreams, shot in a beautiful theatrical style, in which Diana remembers her childhood, imagines herself in her mother's place, and envisions a story her mother wrote in the housebook as a gorgeous puppet play.
Tarantella is a little stiff at first, but it grows compelling because it is rooted in deep, genuine feeling.
--Bret Fetzer
