Written and directed by Michela Scolari, ‘Sicilian Holiday’ is a 2024 Italian romance drama that stars Lilly Englert as Mia, Francesco Leone as Nino and Ivo Romagnoli as Phil. The film finds an actress rediscovering love as she embarks on an adventure to Italy.
Lilly Englert plays Mia, a New York based actress whose life has been a tad bit unfulfilling lately. A rare job offer sees Mia fly off to Italy where a chance encounter with a local sculptor gives her what she has been seeking all along, a passionate romance. However, as fate would have it, Mia’s brother Phil also enters her life, complicating her idyllic romance significantly. As Mia once again finds herself at a crossroads, how will she proceed with the most important decision of her life?
As far as old school romance dramas go, Sicilian Holiday is a home run. The film has it all; an unfulfilled protagonist, a chance encounter and an adventure of a lifetime in a country far away. Romance films usually follow a pre-established cookie cutter pattern but Michela Scolari manages to shake this up with some bold creative choices that ultimately make the film better. There is a sort of earnestness in Scolari’s direction as she weaves together a story that has these fascinating characters and arcs. While the film does end in a way that we all expect it to, the journey that the characters take to get there is fascinating in and off itself.
The acting by the cast, particularly Lilly Englert as Mia and Francesco Leone as Nino, is superb. Englert dives into the role of her life with ease and manages to steal the spotlight away from everyone else. She is broken, hopeless, passionate and fiery all rolled into and she will stop at nothing to get what she desires. Going toe to toe with her is onscreen beau Francesco Leone as Nino and together, the two elevate the film in ways that are unexpected. The rest of the cast manage to deliver their very best as well, helping to elevate the writing through their nuanced performances. Ivo Romagnoli as Phil, in particular, is a revelation and his constant run-ins with the love birds are a sight to behold.
In the visual department, Italy is captured in all of its wonderful beauty and Mia looks fantastic in the unfiltered Italian sun. Scolari does well to capture the nuances of the plot in a manner that fits the narrative. The colour palette used is fantastic and everything looks polished and glorious. Visually, the film looks as good as any high budget Hollywood romance and the same can be said about all other aspects of the production quality. The sound mixing is excellent as well and the on-location shoot only makes the story that much more lovely.
Equally impressive is the editing that keeps things moving along at a brisk pace. There is no dull moment to be found and what Scolari manages to do is to keep the narrative on track without fail. This keeps the story interesting and the audience does not find itself distracted with useless side plots that don’t go anywhere. The brisk editing also ensures that everything comes along nicely at the end as all our characters get the endings they deserve. Thus, Sicilian Holiday is a potent romance film that does a lot of things right. The cast is fantastic, the story quite moving and the visuals perfect. The film will tug at your heartstrings and you just might fall in love with Mia yourself.
It is rare to see a romance drama nowadays that tries to do something original whilst making you fall in love itself. Michela Scolari has thus made a film that soars beyond genre conventions into uncharted territory, taking you along for an adventure of a lifetime.
