A Casa Mia

This is quite a touching short feature with strong performances from both Giusi Merli and Giulio Pau. She is "Lucia", always dressed in black, and he "Peppino" and they are the last residents of a small fishing village on Sardinia that has seen better days. She frequently tends the grave of her late husband and then usually meets him on her walk home when he gives her a lift. They are companions in their windswept town and thrive on a mix of mutual respect and the odd bit of humour. There isn't a great deal of dialogue between them; they are well past the stage where idle chit chat is required and as time passes it becomes clear that neither are looking for change. Unfortunately, thanks to some financial issues, change is going to come at the end of this winter and even though she loves seeing her daughter and her grandson, she has no desire to move from the home she has had for many years. There's quite a comforting synergy here between the graceful decline of these two people, of their way of life and of a whale that has been washed up onto the beach - and with their expressive faces they convey gentle senses of both self-awareness and self-satisfaction with their lives by the sea and exude a certain warmth - even as the for sale sign goes up. The photography mixes well the local scenery and the intimacy of their characterisations and this is well worth a look.