Pot roast

An Oscar-winning director, Giuseppe Tornatore, directed this film about his hometown in Sicily: Bagheria (or "Baaria", as said by the locals -- hence the movie title). It's also my dad's hometown before he and his family moved to America in the late 60s. My grandma got a copy of the movie a year ago, and I watched some parts with her. There weren't any English subtitles, so I didn't really understand what was going on. I was still fascinated by the film because my grandma recognized many places in the movie and told me all about her life there ("See that church? I prayed there all the time!" "Your grandpa and I lived down that street. Your dad was born there!" "See that car? My father had one of these!", etc.)

The main character (pictured above) is played by Francesco Scianna. He's my second cousin (we have the same great-grandparents). I'm glad Giuseppe Tornatore chose him because he was born and raised in Bagheria. He did an excellent job portraying a Sicilian man from the 1930s - 1970s. Good job, cousin!

It took a while for the movie to be released in America with English subtitles. I finally got my hands on one, and Jeff and I watched it tonight. The movie was great, but we thought that it focused too much on Sicilian politics (something we know nothing about). However, I still enjoyed watching Jeff's reaction to the crazy Sicilian mannerisms portrayed in the movie. He has to know what he's gotten himself into, with my Sicilian temper and all.