Toscana is a Danish film about a chef who travels back to his childhood house to sell it but ends up meeting a local woman, who changes his thoughts on love and life. The film is currently streaming on Netflix.
Story
Theo Dahl (Anders Matthesen) is a very famous chef. He thrives on perfection while cooking and dreams of opening his own fancy restaurant. But there’s a small thing stopping him from completing his dream; lack of monetary funds.
However, things take a turn when he learns that his estranged father has died and left a piece of property in Tuscany under his name. He decides to travel to Tuscany and sell the property and use the funds to build his restaurants.
Things do not go as planned when he meets Sophia (Cristiana Dell’Anna), who has been taking care of the property. She is not happy with Theo’s plan of selling the property, as she considers the place her home.
Sparks start flying when the two spend more time together. Theo later learns that Sophia is getting married, leaving him heartbroken. He still decides to cater for her wedding.
Theo and Sophia get in a fight, and Sophia marries Pino. Theo is not happy with this. Unexpected things occur during Theo’s stay in Tuscany, changing him forever.
Performances
Anders Matthesen, who plays Theo Dahl, does an acceptable job. A lot of times, his acting and dialogue delivery feel very monotonous.
Cristiana Dell’Anna is the perfect fit for the role of Sophia. She perfectly manages to pull off a strong, happy woman with a different outlook on life.
Despite being great actors, one can’t help but feel the lack of chemistry between Matthesen and Dell’Anna. Their love story feels very forced and does not have a real substance.
Andrea Bosca gives a strong performance in his role as Pino. It was a shame that he doesn’t have a significant presence throughout the series. His character had a lot of potential, and it would have been interesting to learn more about him.
Positives
Toscana undeniably has some beautiful shots of food and the scenery. The camera work is simply marvelous and makese the movie more enjoyable.
The locations chosen for shooting are stunning and leave the audience in awe. The color palette is also strikingly beautiful, making the movie visually appealing.
Despite being underutilized, the foundation of the movie is very interesting and catches the viewer’s attention immediately.
Negatives
Toscana has a good start with an interesting theme, but it quickly becomes a predictable mess. Just 20 minutes into the film, one can correctly guess how it’s gonna end.
Theo, the main character of the film, is very hard to like. He has no redemption arc and is never held accountable for his mistakes. He couldn’t gather any sympathy from the audience and had a very antagonistic presence.
Theo has many anger outbursts, evidently hurting people around him. But everyone forgives, without him even apologizing. If there’s a way one way to describe Theo, it will be ‘man child’.
Despite falling in the romance genre, the romantic segments of the film felt very dry and phoney. The apparent lack of continuity made it harder for the audience to ship Theo and Sophia together. In one scene, they didn’t even know each other, and suddenly in the next scene, it is made obvious that Theo has a crush on her.
Many characters play an important role in the progression of the story but have a very background presence. It would have been interesting to learn more about these characters.
Verdict
Despite having an intriguing foundation, Tuscana fails to utilize it. The romance in the film is very dry with unlikeable characters. It is simply a forgettable average film.
One can definitely watch it for its beautiful cinematography; otherwise, this movie is skippable.
Rating: 2/5
Also Read: Toscana summary and ending explained