This is a powerful show. It combines the 2 passions of my life, Love and Food. I tried to hold on but the water works flowed… well well. One of the best series out on Netflix… if you love Love, keep reading!
Based on the bestselling book “From Scratch: A Memoir of Love, Sicily and Finding Home, by Tembi Locke. A beautiful story is told here. Our queen of the sci-fi Zoe Saldana is the star here and she just goes off to show her range and erase any doubts about her. She can do more than rule the galaxies in an alien costume. The angelic beaut can play a character aged anywhere between 18 to 40 and do it well and gracefully. It’s a love story about an art enthusiast and an upcoming chef who meet through fate and fall in love. The chef played by Eugenio Mastrandrea is of Italian decent and Zoe is a black woman so their journey covers the struggles and obstacles of an interracial relationship. We get an insight of the culmination of the 2 cultures coming together and the resilience required to withstand such battles. They go through the works from marriage to children to death. Over the course of 8 episodes it’s a hell of a journey.
From episode 1 your emotional strings are tugged on. You’re tested, you’re poked at and if you’re not careful the tears will flow from there. The acting chops on display here are through the roof. The show is prominent with segments where you 2 have to characters engaging in tense conversations that either leave you emotional or motionless. Some standout scenes are with Zoe and Danielle Deadwyler who plays her sister, there’s a powerful story plot at which Lino has been disowned by his family and the journey to the eventual rekindle is littered with powerful scenes between he and his father, it really carries the show heavily. Keith David the godfather of voice acting is no less powerful on screen. He plays Zoe’s father and you feel his power with his over protective and proud father stance. Judith Scott and Kellita Smith also have the screen time success. Everyone’s performance was a highlight. I can’t pick out any weak links.
The locations play a huge part of pulling this lovely story altogether. We switch between Los Angeles, Florence and Sicily. All settings contributing the story and showing us the viewer the different lifestyles they produce. It’s 2 people from different worlds but living similar lives. Lino has left his home against his fathers wishes to pursue his dreams of being a Michelin chef, Amy a law student has gone on a trip to Italy, again, against her fathers wishes to pursue her passion for art… through both the rebel status they find each other and in essence rebel together. This is where you see the full swing of the culture clashes.
Being so different but yet connected is the fun of this series.
Lino expresses himself through his cooking, Amy does so through her art. Linos family are cultural and prefer to keep their relations within their town-folk so you can imagine the drama that kicks off when he brings home a woman of colour. Amy’s family also want black grand kids (a theme used as plot humour through the whole series). Then you have the sub plots of each character going through their woes. The pacing is on point and everyone gets to express their story.
The strength of the this show is in its culture display. There’s a focus on the cuisines which connect to the story which makes for a nice delightful feel. The Italian pride and culture is in full force here. The narrative seamlessly switches between English and Italian and I mean this in the sense where the Italian is not captured within the subtitles so if you don’t understand the language then you will be lost. However due to the talent on screen, the emotional portrayal and passion, you can fully feel the tale’s message. It’s a major selling point of this show. It’s amazing. With all the love on display there are some grief spots in the show and it’s all done very well. From the cancer plot point to the adoption expedition, heart strings been dragged by this point.
It’s an epic show which I recommend to all but I can’t emphasise how well it’s put together. Doesn’t matter how gangster you are, you gone get got!! Get the tissues ready!!
What episode got you emotional? Who was your favourite character? Straight up, did you cry, yes or no? React and comment your emotions below…
Oh I cried and I cried and I cried! Such a beautiful and sad series
This is the first time that a show has made me feel every emotion under the sun. My heart glowed, laughed and broke, over and over again.
Without a shadow of a doubt, this is some of Zoe Saldana’s best work!
Great movie, you go through all the emotions and it gave a reality about life on different perspectives.
Be ready to cry ???? it’s the most beautiful, painful thing you will experience. I had to watch the last 2 episodes in bits. Couldn’t do it in one go!
Tears tears tears. Fantastic acting across the cast, but zoe….this was zoe’s finest moment on screen.
Zoe Saldana and Eugenio Mastrandrea are masterful as the main couple…from falling in love, to the wedding, through life, success, childbirth and death, they make you care about them, their lives and their families. An incredible story of love, finding your way, and how friends and family mean everything in life. Every character was written abd acted to make you care about them deeply. You suffer along with them thru every trial and tribulation, leaving your heartstrings pulled, wrung out and lying limp from emotional upheaval every episode. This is the best series I’ve watched in a long time, and as I write this, my cheeks are still damp with tears, my emotions raw, but my heart is renewed. Incredible!!
Suffer along with them is so trueeeeeee!! May your stay renewed with joy! Great breakdown by you!