Film Review: Mascarpone

                                        Carlo Calderone and Giancarlo Commare

Mascarpone is that rich, white cheese made of heavy cream, treated with acid and run through cheesecloth to remove excess liquid. It’s used in the famous Italian dessert tiramisú.

Now “Mascarpone” is the title of an Italian gay romcom by Directors Alessandro Guida and Matteo Pilati, originally titled “Maschile Singolare.”

Here’s the setup: Two guys named Antonio (Giancarlo Commare) and Lorenzo (Carlo Calderone) met and fell in love at the gym and married some 12 years ago. But now they are about to split because Lorenzo has fallen for somebody else.

Antonio, a a sensitive soul of 30, is crushed. Worse, he’s in need of a place to live and a job that will support him. Antonio moves in with a free-spirited, confident blond named Denis (Eduardo Valdarnini), who is very willing to rent his spare room for 200 euros a month.

When Denis finds out Antonio likes to bake, he introduces him to a friend named Luca (Gianmarco Saurino ), who runs a bakery. Then Antonio signs up for a baking class to learn how to make things like (you guessed it) tiramisú.

But this isn’t really about food or cooking or even the gay lifestyle (though you’ll see plenty of hot guys and nudity). What it does extremely well is illustrate how Antonio handles the pursuit of something he never expected to need: independence.

Denis, who seems at times to be money-grubbing, soon sees that Antonio needs some help in this department, and he’s there to give it. He also 

counsels that self-love is the basis of all love. But first Antonio needs to grow up and set some goals. 

The acting here is excellent. Commare’s Antonio is sweet soul and, like all the characters, relatable and appealing. I could quibble about why Antonio flits so quickly and willingly from one meaningless conquest to another if he’s in search of himself, but he’s at least interesting to watch.

Valdarnini’s Denis is a gem, great with the quips but always there when Antonio needs help.

The film is full of great-looking Italian guys and occasional food porn. If you’re in the market for an engaging gay romcom, you could do a lot worse than “Mascarpone.”