Lavazza Italian Film Festival 2019 presents to the screen If Life Gives You Lemons, which is a cleverly titled Drama film with a bittersweet aftertaste. Directed by Ciro D’Emilio and starring Giampiero De Concilio and Anna Foglietta, If Life Gives You Lemons portrays the hardship of a 17 year old named Antonio doing the best he can to look after his ill Mother Miriam.
The audience sees the efforts and lengths Antonio goes to for his Mother, and the effect it has on him when he comes home to see Miriam in a quite often distressed state. Antonio finds that on each occasion returning home, he will be presented with a new scenario. For instance on one occasion Antonio finds that Miriam is wanting to pay drug money or another, that she is wanting see Antonio’s estranged Father.
Whilst the familial connections in Antonio’s life are complicated, more so is Miriam’s dependency on her son. Antonio works at the gas station, and plays football. Antonio is a diligent young man that works hard and does what needs to be done, whether it be the laundry or cook dinner for Miriam. As a young man in the household, he glues together what family he has left in his life and is the caretaker of Miriam and her mental health, even organising her tablets for the week in a plastic box.
Miriam and Antonio look after their garden with lemons, and this is a place where the Mother and Son bond together. Miriam passes Antonio a joint and starts grooving to music, where Antonio remains more focused on the task at hand. The two are opposites, one is reckless and the other is cautious but their love for each other is clear. The only problem is that Miriam is a harm to herself and others around her, she is dangerous in the sense that she is highly unpredictable and often running back to Antonio’s Father’s area to seek attention.
The toxic elements are evident in this co-dependent relationship. The harmful words said from Miriam towards the end of the film summarise how she views Antonio and Antonio himself never really sees how hurtful her statement is, still deciding that he should have protected her better. It’s interesting how the relationship between the two plays out, but more so is when the viewer gets glimpses of Antonio’s independence with his football, experiencing a girlfriend and finding his own happiness.
It goes to show that you can take a lemon and make lemonade but it really is what you choose to do with it. If Life Gives You Lemons shows the hardship of a young boy trying to find his way through life. Showing us who he is as a person, and the heart of him - we see he has a vulnerability in caring for his Mother with unconditional love. Everyone should get a chance to see this film because it shows the fractured relationship between a Mother and Son trying to find their way.
Everyone handles life differently, and not all of us enjoy the bitter taste of lemon juice but it’s what you make of what you have that gets you there in the end. See this film at the Lavazza Italian Film Festival 2019, showing in Palace Cinemas (Barracks and James St). See the session times below for further information.
PALACE JAMES ST
PALACE BARRACKS
Joanna Letic