Mascarpone

At the age of 30, budding architect Antonio is actually in the middle of his life. Then, out of the blue, his long-standing marriage breaks up. Antonio, who has centered his life around his husband, is suddenly left with nothing: no apartment, no job, and without the love of his life, he has lost all prospects for the future. Out of necessity, Antonio gets a room with the hedonistic Denis - and gets his life back on track. Thanks to the help of his landlord, he gets a job in the bakery of the handsome Luca and soon decides to train as a pastry chef. Remembering his painful experiences, Antonio resolves to no longer be so dependent on a relationship. Self-discovery in single life is the new credo. What makes it difficult to focus on himself, however, is the charming Milanese Thomas who appears in Antonio's life. Interestingly, Luca and Denis also have their eye on their cute young pastry chef. In the midst of breathtakingly beautiful, cosmopolitan Rome, its chic modern apartments and attractive people, "Maschile singulare" ("Male Singular", the original Italian title) turns out to be a tender plea for more emotional and financial independence. "We accompany Antonio on a number of dates, which sometimes consist of quick sex and sometimes reveal the potential for more. And we enter romantic realms with Antonio and Thomas. The whole thing is wonderfully polyamorous. Mascarpone is not necessarily about the one true, great love, but about the many ways to love. In its depiction of moderately narcissistic young people, the film is reminiscent of some of the works of French-Canadian Xavier Dolan (particularly Herzensbrecher and Matthias & Maxime), although its overall tone is less melancholy. [...] It is an underestimated art to make good-humored cinema without appearing superficial and trivial. However, Mascarpone succeeds in doing just that for long stretches: the film takes an endearingly amorous look at people who love each other - in all the facets that love has to offer." (Andreas Köhnemann, on: kino-zeit.de) "It happens that niche films become small cult films thanks to word of mouth, true pearls that shine brightly, and "Mascarpone" is one of them." (vanityfair.it)