The Etruscan Smile is originally a 1985 novel by a Spanish author, Jose Luis Sampedro. Originally in Spanish, La Sonrisa Etrusca, is a story about a unique relationship between a grandparent and his grandson, inspired by the birth of the author's own grandson. I read this book in Hebrew, and fell in love with it.
So, as usual, going to the cinematic version of the book was a bit of a challenge, as my expectations were high.
While the original story is about an Italian farmer from Southern Italy, who was a partisan during WWII, and his Italian son and grandson - the movie, for obvious reasons, is about an older Scottish farmer, who's son immigrated to the US, and lives with his young grandson in San Francisco.
This American, 2017 drama, was directed by Oded Binnun and Michal Brezis, stars Brian Cox, Thora Birch, J.J. Feild and Rosanna Arquette.
Like the book, the plot is quite simple: Rory, the grandfather, a rugged old Scotsman, who lives alone in a remote small island, has to travel to his Son in San Francisco to seek medical treatment. Meeting his son after many years of disconnect, receives a twist when Rory learns that he is going to die from cancer - and at the same time, gets to know his small grandchild.
This unique meeting of this old man - rooted in old traditions and cultures - with the modern & technological lifestyle of his son, transforms his relationships with his grandson into something very meaningful.
This is not a sophisticated movie and it is not an outstanding one. However, it simply makes you feel good watching it and it does not disappoint those who have read the book. The performance of the British actor Brian Cox is superb, and I also enjoyed the role played by Rosanna Arquette.
From a gerontological perspective, the movie raises some very interesting inter-generational relationships issues, and more specifically, the role and place of grandparents and the meaning of grand parenthood in the context of cultural gaps between generations.
So, if you're looking for a simple and heart warming movie - go see it.
USA
2017
Directors: Oded Binnun & Michal Brezis
Official trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lWX-gS5fhuI
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