Tulipani: Liefde, eer en een fiets

To tell a tall tale, the Italians speak loudly, with much exaggeration, and accompany themselves eagerly with fast moving hands. Subtlety is not on the menu.

A rather wild and wooly story, "Tulipani" is told from several points in time, which proves a tad confusing at first, but soon enough, once the audience is priorly strapped in, congeals into a starchy, pasta water whole. We start in Canada, travel back to Holland, but everything really happens in a small Italian town. Locales and languages shift on a slippery dime, which adds to the fun craziness of this engrossing fairy tale of true romance.

Gauke, a stoic, heroic Dutch man's man winds up bringing much more than just tulips to a folksy village in desperate need of saving. The loopy plot unfolds from the very colourful memory of the local tavern owner, which takes it into a foggy, grey area. Who knows how things actually went down, but it sure is fun when guided by an old fashioned, wide-eyed story teller.

Over the top? Entertaining? Whimsical? Cliched? Silly? Big-hearted? Unbelievable? You betcha.

Gauke, a farmer from Holland, dreams of a better life. Following a timewarped bike ride across Europe, he literally lands in a tiny village that has the one trait he desires - no chance of flooding. A series of triumphs and tragedies follow in the most beautiful of settings and ultimately we discover that life is what we make it - raw, real, romantic and not always how we planned.

I am a little bit in love with this film, it is all the things I look for in a movie. An intriguing story, interestingly told. Gorgeous settings shown in their natural state. Characters that are just odd enough to inhabit your own memories of friends and relatives past, but fleshed-out enough to be believable. A lovely score, authentic costumes and splashes of colour. A wonderful, down-to-earth sense of humour that is sublime without being ridiculous and just a touch of whimsy and fantasy.

I am not a seeker of subtitled films, but I don't shy away from them either. The multiple perspectives serve to explain the story well, and the subtitles never become confusing or repetitive. This would be a great film to rid yourself of a fear of subtitles. Reminds me a lot of the 1991 film Mediterraneo.

A burnt booty and pending murder charges do not deter Anna from smiling as she tells the story of the circumstances that led to her curious predicament. Following the dying wish of her mother, Anna carries her ashes to a tiny Italian town. Once in town Anna is shocked to discover people who not only recognize her, but who reveal intricate and surprising details about her life and family that she was never told. She learns about how her mother and father met, that her father came to Italy on a bicycle from Holland and astonishing secrets of her past involving tulips, mobsters, settling old scores and romance. In the process a town discovers the value of immigrants and immigrants discover the value of a new town. However, the murder charges are still pending.

This charming and enthralling film reveals the importance of stories, love, immigrants, travel and confronting evil. There are unexpected twists and turns, frequent flashbacks, colorful scenes, exquisite performances and intriguing shifts in perspective. The film encourages people to believe in love at first sight and help those in need. It provides lessons in the power of love and what it can accomplish for good or ill. Settings include Montreal, Holland and Italy. There are some fantastic and emotional scenes. While some of the scenes and actors are a little rough around the edges, there are no major faults to find. Seen at the Toronto International Film Festival.

Tulipani (Tulips) is the type of fun movie that has everything in it: comedy, love, action, and death. And the way it unfolds will also make you excited and feel good that you chose to watch it, starting with the aftermath of a flood and war in Holland as the story moves to Italy as one man decides to build a home and a farm before he can invite his lover to stay with him. The comedy drama gives you a lot of hope if you are in a state of despair while watching it, thanks to the exotic and lively locales of Puglia in Italy. The opera music just complements the show and is bound to bring a smile to your face even as the third act turns a bit sorrowful. It is the type of film that makes you want to buy a bouquet of tulips, give it to your loved one, and tell them that you love them the moment you get out of the hall. TN.

(Watched and reviewed at the 24th European Union Film Festival (EUFF India) in Mumbai.)

It's 1980 Montreal. Anna (Ksenia Solo) visits her dying mother in the hospital. She has to fulfil her dying wish to bring her ashes back to Italy. She also tells her to show off her butt and that's exactly what happens. In Puglia, Italy, her butt is hanging out as she's taken to the hospital. Police inspector Catarella (Giancarlo Giannini) arrests her for murder. The group recounts her story to show her innocence. Her father was Dutch farmer Gauke (Gijs Naber) who arrived riding a bicycle after losing his farm in the 1953 flood. He bought a local farm and planted tulips.

The butt thing is funny. That's a good start. This is bright, light, heartwarming, and has Italy. It's not the highest of drama. It has some fun elements of story telling but it could have done more. This movie needs something more. It needs higher tension, more danger, and more magic. I like the tall tales. Maybe the movie could have done more with that idea. It is a nice Italian vacation but I had bigger expectations for the story. In a way, the story is like Catarella. At first, he promises a surprising murder mystery. By the end, it's just listening to a nice story.