Part Everyman, part Puck, part quintessential Italian son, Pinuccio Lovero is a simple, enigmatically charming man who takes to the camera as if it were an old friend. Against the scenic backdrop of Southern Italy, we learn from many obliging Bitonto villagers that this forty-year-old bachelor’s lifelong dream is to be a cemetery attendant. After years spent carving headstones, serenading brides, and composing funeral marches, Pinuccio’s dream is finally realized. He is hired at the cemetery in neighboring Mariotto. Alas, his arrival coincides with an outbreak of good health. In this quietly humorous, deceptively simple, and visually rich depiction of one scorching hot summer in the life of a would-be cemetery attendant, director Pippo Mezzapesa uses Pinuccio’s natural affinity with the camera to good effect, skillfully juxtaposing luscious dreamlike sequences against quirky jump cuts and a conspiratorial wink or two at his Italian filmmaker forefathers.  WFM