There Is No Place Like Home

An large Italian family are stranded on a small island following bad weather. Intricate webs of secret crushes, entanglements, and judgements are soon brought to light, in this sharp yet heart-warming dramedy about the Italian family celebration that doesn’t go quite according to plan.

The classically Italian and breathtakingly beautiful surroundings work as a glaring contrast to the increasingly ugly chamber play that takes place on the island. The magnificent, but out of tune piano in the lounge works as an elegant metaphor for the rotten core of this extended family’s relationships.

Director Gabriele Muccino captures the tension that arises when everyone in a family carries around dark secrets and suppressed aggression – and the tragicomical consequences when they lose control. This is conducted with great wit and pointed characterisations. With an obvious love for each of his characters, he paints them as genuine, fallible human beings that you can’t help but care about – just like with real family.