Now That's Italian

Umbria in Sugar Land film festival showcases the beauty of Italian filmmaking

Sugar Land might not be the first place one thinks of as the site for an Italian film festival, but thanks to the determined efforts of some local residents, it has become a reality.

The Umbria in Sugar Land film festival kicked off Wednesday night with a screening of the film, My Italy, at the Sugar Land Auditorium, preceded by an "Aperitivo Reception" at nearby Lonnie Green Park, where festival goers sampled Peroni beer, wines, and cheeses from Italy's Umbria region as well as Italian hors d'oeuvres prepared by Casetta Catering.

Six more films will be shown through Sunday at the Sugar Land Auditorium, a historical 1918 building in the heart of the original town, with a free screening of I Have Friends in Heaven (Ho Amici in Paradiso) at the Sugar Land Town Square Plaza on Saturday night (September 30) at 7 pm. All films are in Italian with English subtitles. (Single tickets are $8-$20. For a full schedule, click here.)

"The goal of this festival is to show to people that in Italy we still have good moviemakers," said Donatella Cocchini, founder and president of the Festival del Cinema Città di Spello e dei Borghi Umbri.

The festival landed in Sugar Land after Cocchini spoke with her longtime friend Manuela Tentoni, who works for Consulate General of Italy in Houston, about bringing it to the United States. Tentoni contacted her friend, Sugar Land resident Tiziana Triolo, who pushed to bring it to the Houston suburb.

"It was a passion project," said Lindsay Davis, cultural arts manager for the City of Sugar Land. "The region of Umbria had been looking for a perfect venue like this. And cultural arts is a initiative for the city of Sugar Land. Having a multi-day film festival is something that not only fits the cultural initiatives of the city but also the economic development."

"Being a citizen of Sugar Land, I have a dual goal," Triolo explained. "One is to bring my culture to Sugar Land and share at least a piece of Italy, the region of Umbria. At the same time, my goal is to have this festival grow in the future and have tourism from the nation and from all around Texas here in Sugar Land."

A team of local and national judges under the leadership of Max Leonida selected Like Crazy (La Pazza Gioia) as Best Picture and Best Screenplay (it shows at 3 pm Saturday), Greenery Will Bloom Again (Torneranno i prati) in the category of Best Director (Friday at 7 pm), and Italian Race (Veloce come il vento) as Best Photography (it will close the festival Sunday at 2 pm).

Leonida, an Italian director who lives in Los Angeles, told the opening night crowd that after Hurricane Harvey devastated the Houston area, he thought the festival might be canceled. "Then you came to me saying, 'the show must go on.' What a fantastic lesson. I am truly flattered to be here today for the festival. I know you Texans are proud and tough, with a heart as big as your state," he said.

In addition to the screenings, filmmaking seminars will take place on Saturday (September 30), from 9:30 a.m. until noon. Topics include "The Art of Sound Effects" with Italian sound designer Matteo Bendinelli, a screening of Beyond plus a talkback with Sugar Land resident Adrian Pacini, and a filmmaking session with director Sergio Carvajal-Leoni.

The festival is a partnership with the City of Sugar Land, the Fort Bend Chamber of Commerce, the International Film Festival of Spello (IFFS) and the Region of Umbria. For more information, visit the Umbria in Sugar Land website.

And check out this video from our news partners at ABC13.

A scene from Like Crazy (La pazza gioia).

Like Crazy (La pazza gioia) at Umbria in Sugar Land Film Festival

Courtesy photo

A scene from Like Crazy (La pazza gioia).

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Movie Review

Over-the-top thriller The Housemaid revels in camp, chaos, and excess

Photo courtesy of Lionsgate

Amanda Seyfried and Sydney Sweeney in The Housemaid.

Both Amanda Seyfried (the upcoming The Testament of Ann Lee) and Sydney Sweeney (Christy) are starring in movies with Oscar ambitions this year. By sheer coincidence, the two actors are also co-starring in The Housemaid, a thriller coming out within weeks of their more ambitious works, one that is likely to be seen by many more people than those prestige plays.

Sweeney is given top billing as Millie, a down-on-her-luck ex-convict looking to land any type of job so as not to break her parole. She finds a too-good-to-be-true lifeboat with Nina (Seyfried), who hires her to be a housemaid for her large house on Long Island, where she lives with her husband, Andrew (Brandon Sklenar), and daughter, Cecilia (Indiana Elle).

After a warm interview, Nina almost immediately becomes highly erratic, whipping back-and-forth between happy-go-lucky and rageful. It seems clear that Nina is suffering from mental health issues, as she’ll often accuse Millie of misplacing or stealing items that she didn’t take. Andrew, apparently used to Nina’s tirades, tries to protect Millie from the worst, something that grows increasingly difficult as Nina ups the ante.

Directed by Paul Feig (A Simple Favor) and adapted by Rebecca Sonnenshine from the bestselling book by Freida McFadden, the film is likely the trashiest mainstream movie to come out in 2025. The first half of the movie relies not on story but on moments as Nina embodies the word “hysterical” to an unbelievable extent. The resigned acceptance of the abuse by Millie, as well as the saintly patience of Andrew, make almost every scene laughable, as nobody seems to be acting anywhere close to how a person would normally react to such extreme situations.

The scenes and the performance of Seyfried are so over-the-top, in fact, that it’s clear that the filmmakers are in on the joke. It’s next to impossible not to have a little bit of fun while watching the actors react to outrageous incidents as if nothing is out of the ordinary. The worse Nina acts, the more Millie and Andrew retreat into their chosen roles, and the funnier the film becomes.

Fans of the book will know that the story changes course, eventually turning into a more stereotypical thriller that also has some relatively gnarly visuals to offer. But the trashiness continues, with Sweeney’s, um, assets repeatedly on display in both clothed and unclothed ways. The sex appeal of the R-rated movie makes it an outlier, as recent studio films have shied away from asking their big stars to disrobe completely.

Both Seyfried and Sweeney are far from their Oscar hopeful roles here. Seyfried is given free rein to act as brazenly as she pleases, and she takes full advantage of that ability. Sweeney seems to have been told to be much more reserved, and unfortunately that results in too many wooden line readings. Sklenar continues his breakout streak (It Ends with Us, Drop) with a role that allows him to show more range than either Seyfried or Sweeney.

The Housemaid is an unusual type of movie to be released at a time of year when most films are either those aiming for awards or more family-friendly fare. Despite its many flaws, it’s still an enjoyable watch that features a variety of crazy scenarios not typically seen in movies nowadays.

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The Housemaid is now playing in theaters.

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