| From the Vine | |
| Director: | Sean Cisterna |
| Producer: | Kyle Bornais Paula Brancati Sean Cisterna Francesco Papa |
| Starring: | Joe Pantoliano Wendy Crewson Paula Brancati |
| Cinematography: | Scott McClellan |
| Editing: | Andrew Wall |
| Studio: | Farpoint Films Mythic Productions |
| Distributor: | Indiecan Entertainment |
| Runtime: | 97 minutes |
| Country: | Canada |
| Language: | English Italian |
From the Vine is a 2019 Canadian drama film, directed by Sean Cisterna.[1] Based on the novel Finding Marco by Kenneth Canio Cancellara, the film stars Joe Pantoliano as Marco Gentile, a burned-out business executive from Toronto who gives up on the corporate rat race, and moves his family to Italy to revive his grandfather's vineyard in Acerenza.[2] The film also stars Wendy Crewson as Marco's wife Marina and Paula Brancati as their daughter Laura, as well as Marco Leonardi, Tony Nardi, Tony Nappo, Kevin Hanchard and Frank Moore in supporting roles.
A downtrodden man experiences an ethical crisis and travels back to his hometown in rural Italy to recalibrate his moral compass.
The film premiered in June 2019 at the Italian Contemporary Film Festival in Toronto, and subsequently received other film festival screenings through the summer, although its October screening at Devour! The Food Film Fest was billed as its official North American premiere.[3] The film was originally scheduled to enter commercial release on May 1, 2020, although this was cancelled due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic in Canada.[4] It was instead released on digital platforms in July 2020.
From the Vine was generally received positively by critics. On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 75% of 24 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 6.0/10. The website's consensus reads: "A too-rare opportunity for Joe Pantoliano to shine in a leading role, From the Vine transcends its formulaic story with infectious warmth."[5] David Stratton, in The Australian, wrote that "Sean Cistera's film is, in its modest way, attractive enough. It doesn't aim very high, but its celebration of old traditions in a world where environmental concerns are being set aside in the name of progress is certainly welcome."[6] Conversely, Cath Clarke of The Guardian gave the film a negative review, describing it as "Eat Pray Love for wealthy male boomers: embarrassingly sincere and iffily patronising to its Italian characters."[7]