New Italian Cinema: Italian film actress Laura Morante’s Directorial Debut “The Cherry on the Cake”

In Laura Morante’s “The Cherry on the Cake,” Morante stars as a woman who may suffer from “androphobia,” an inability to be happy with a boyfriend.

The New Italian Cinema film festival closes Sunday, November 18 with Laura Morante’s directorial debut, the romantic comedy The Cherry on the Cake (La Cerise sur le gâteau), followed by a festive closing night reception at a nearby locale.  The veteran Italian film actress Morante stars as Amanda, a slightly neurotic fifty-something woman in Paris whose current relationship is tanking.  When she meets the cultured Antoine (Pascal Elbé) at a New Year’s party, she’s convinced he’s gay.  As their relationship blossoms, he feels romantic feeling for her, but gets the strange sense that she just wants to be friends. Add Amanda’s meddling sister Florence (Isabelle Carré) and her psychologist husband to the mix, and the recipe for a savory comedy of compounding errors is complete. With rapid-fire dialogue and a speedy pace, The Cherry on the Cake is a piquant portrait of a woman’s search for her perfect match. (Screens Sunday, November 18 9:15 PM)

Details:  New Italian Cinema is November 11-18, 2012 at the Landmark’s Embarcadero Center Cinema.  Tickets are $13.  www.sffs.org

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