There are a few things that ‘Love & Gelato’ does slightly differently than its peers. However, these twists are not “twists” in the cinematic context but deviations that are refreshing. Lina’s journey of self-discovery was more of an innate adventure, rather than a strict extrinsic feeling. Her mother wanted to go to Rome and meet Howard and understand that even if you meet the right person at the wrong time, it will not end well. So Robin (from “HIMYM”) was right: timing’s a b***h. Well, here is an explainer of all the confusing plot points and the rather ambiguous ending.
What happened between Ale and Lorenzo? Did Ale cheat on Lina?
To answer the second question first, no. Ale didn’t cheat on Lina. As he explained to her when she came back from lunch at Lorenzo’s, the girl we saw with him was an old friend. She had already made plans and Ale was too soft to cancel on her. For us to speculate beyond that would be disastrous because the film actually does not portray Ale in a bad light. In fact, it confirms that his feelings were probably genuine for Lina. Incorrect timing, though, defies cosmic meetings and in the end, it wasn’t to be. When Lorenzo first dropped off Lina on his “death bike” from La Nuvola, we sensed an animosity between him and Ale. It is only in Florence when Lorenzo goes for his baking competition that we learn the truth, In middle school, the two were great friends. At the time, Lorenzo’s mother was working in the school cafeteria. One of Ale’s friends called Lorenzo’s mother an offensive and insulting word that starts with a ‘d’ and is slang for gay women. Despite standing right next to him, Ale did nothing. He blankly stared at Lorenzo and this outraged him. Ale did not value his friendship with Lorenzo and instead chose not to outrage his “chic” friends group by standing up for Lorenzo’s mother.
Who is Lina’s biological father? Why did Lorenzo travel to Florence?
Howard reveals that Lina’s biological father is actually Matteo Rossi, a former faculty of photography at their university. As she explained in the book, the encounter happened at the wrong time for her. Rossi too left the city and her alone to navigate the situation. Rossi is the “X” from the diaries that Lina’s mother was so fascinated about. It did seem as if Howard was the biological father but the clarification at the lunch scene. As far as the second question is concerned, Lorenzo went to Florence to participate in a cooking competition that was like an Italian Masterchef. He always wanted to be a chef and hence we saw him work parties and his home kitchen to hone his skills. Unfortunately, he does not succeed but gets a valuable lesson to be more expressive.
Why did Lina’s mother want Lina to call Howard her “father”?
Sweet, kind, caring, and intelligent – that is how Lina’s mother describes Howard in her book. Although she did not have physical relations with him, she only realized later that she made a mistake with Rossi. Howie was deeply in love with Lina’s mother but she did not reciprocate it and neither did he reveal it to her. And her assessment of the two men was right. When Lina showed courage to go to Florence and see her biological father, Rossi made an excuse and avoided her. Lina stormed into his office to look him in the eye and walk away. Howard, on the other hand, was around Lina all the time. He helped her to settle in, talked to her, calmed her down when she lost hope, and fulfilled his responsibilities like a true father. This is the reason why Lina’s mother wanted Lina to call Howard her father.
‘Love & Gelato Ending: Who does Lina end up? What is the secret ingredient of Nonna’s gelato?
The answer to the first question is vaguely linked to the second. So Lina ended up with no one. Boom. She chose herself. This is what her mother tried to indicate to her in the diary. She did not send Lina to Italy to find a boyfriend or a nice husband to settle down with. Instead, she wanted Lina to make her own path in life and not be afraid to make bold choices. Lina was actually not retracing her mother’s steps; she was making new ones – her own. Lina chose neither Ale nor Lorenzo, although she did maintain her loving friendship with the latter because he stuck around, just like Howard did. Ale was too into himself to care, like Rossi, and lost touch with Lina, despite being in the same town. Nonna’s gelato became a special motif in the film. What made it so good? What is the fifth ingredient that we do not know in the end? It is you, the maker of the gelato that makes it special. If you put in enough love to satisfy yourself, the dish can never come out wrong. Make whatever of it as you please! Read More: Love & Gelato Movie Review
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