Giulia Doesn't Date at Night

This movie, made by Giuseppe Piccioni, an affable guy (he made some remarks before and after the film as part of the film festival perks), had many elements that were almost superb--depiction of awkward early teen love, spoof of what it takes to become a famous writer (the protagonist is a fiction writer whose books are constantly praised yet no one seems to be able to finish one), characters from the writer's stories that vie for primacy by entering "reality," gorgeous underwater shots of swimmers in a swimming pool, multiple direct and indirect references to some of my favorite films and filmmakers--Umbrellas of Cherbourg, A Special Day, Bunuel, and a significant nod to Mimmo Calopresti's excellent film The Second Time. Though it was easy to watch, and I appreciated all these details, the film, alas, did not add up to very much. Characters were never truly developed and too many themes and plot lines were left dangling without it feeling intentional. And about half way into the film, what promised to be a quirky (hate that word but it's apt) story with a honed European film sensibility, became a predictable melodrama.