Auckland - 31 May
Wellington - 6 June
Christchurch - 10 June
R13 - (contains offensive language and sexual themes)
Puccini For Beginners
Dir: Maria Maggenti, USA, 2005, 35mm,
90 mins
Maria Maggenti, director of the beloved
Unbelievably True Adventures of Two Girls in Love, hits another
high note with Puccini For Beginners, a charming New
York story centered on a bisexual love triangle. Humming with delectable
wit and wry humour, this sophisticated screwball comedy twists and turns
with all of the drama of classic Puccini.
Allegra, a writer and opera aficionada, loves her girlfriend Samantha
but can’t commit. Samantha leaves her, bouncing back to her ex-boyfriend/soon-to-be
fiancé. Allegra has a rebound of her own – a drunken flirtation
with handsome philosophy professor Phillip that turns into a full-fledged
affair.
Allegra is struggling with the idea of dating a man when she meets Grace,
an irresistibly beautiful, recently single and recently straight woman.
Equally enchanted by Phillip and Grace, Allegra juggles secret relationships
with both of them – but little does she know that Phillip and Grace
have a connection of their own!
As tensions rise, so does the rapier-sharp dialogue. With a healthy dose
of humor and just the right amount of irony, Puccini For Beginners
tackles such themes as chance encounters, commitment-phobia, sexual identity
and gender politics. — Outfest 2006, Los Angeles
Preceded by
Cosa Bella
Dir: Fiona Mackenzie, USA, 2005, video, 16 mins
A young married woman’s life takes a radical turn when, what she
thinks is a passing sexual encounter with her beautiful college roommate,
turns into a life altering love… — Melbourne Queer Film Festival
2007
