Pane e Tulipani (Bread and Tulips)

Italian cinema can often times be misunderstood by American viewers, but for anyone who has ever felt trapped in life, this motion picture is quite relatable. Rosalba (Licia Maglietta) is a housewife on an Italian tour with her family members. After an obvious display of disrespect from her arrogant husband (Antonio Catania) and ungrateful sons, she is left behind at a rest area as the bus leaves without her. Rather than attempt to deal with the situation, Rosalba takes her own vacation in Venice.

Once in Venice, Rosalba realizes there are no places to stay for the season, so a kind waiter (Bruno Ganz) at a local restaurant lets her stay at his apartment. She quickly gains the confidence she needs to succeed in the world outside of her family life, and gets a job at a floral shop. Her husband is at home with his mistress, and is angry at his wife for walking out on his family. Rather than find her himself, he hires an inexperienced detective to locate his wife and bring her home.

What the husband fails to realize is that his wife has made a life for herself in her new town. Rosalba has found new friends, a place for which she actually enjoys working and has started to have feelings for her roommate. She could not go on much longer after being found by the detective hired by her husband, so she returns home to see her children. The ending of the movie is a pleasant surprise, and Rosalba continues to keep her new found confidence and more accomplished lifestyle.

The beginning of the movie is a bit slow, but Italian films tend to take the time to introduce the audience to the main characters. Viewers may begin to feel sorry for Rosalba's character, but this helps them to fall in love with her throughout the film. At no point would viewers enjoy the husband, so the film did a great job creating a pathetic villain. Watching Rosalba's love for herself is enjoyable, but watching her learn to truly love someone else is much more interesting.

Bread and Tulips is a wonderful foreign film experience for those looking for something a bit different in a romantic comedy. At times, it almost feels like a depressing comedy, but it leaves the viewer feeling good about the main character's decisions. American viewers will be able to relate to Rosalba, and learn a bit about Italian culture while doing so. Just make sure to put on the English subtitles unless you are fluent in Italian.