With director Soldini already being acclaimed as the first Italian filmmaker to gain widespread popular appeal after the emergence of Roberto Begnini, Bread and Tulips is one of the most anticipated films at this year's festival. Following an Italian housewife's impulsive affair that she had in Venice, Bread and Tulips, on first glances, seems to echo the themes of Shirley Valentine. Yet unlike its British predecessor, Soldini directs a moving picture about choices that never forsakes characterisation for simple laughs.
