Easy Living (Peter and Orso Miyakawa, 2019): Italy

Reviewed by Benjamin Bearman at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival 2020.

This is a story of four individuals who live unordinary lives and end up getting involved in an international affair. The introduction of the film is soothing, lit by a very cool lowkey light as Santo and Johnny’s Sleepwalk plays. The protagonist Don, played by Manoel Hudec, is a U.S. transplant who resides in Italy, teaching middle-aged women tennis and them wooing them into seduction. This plan works well enough until he catches a glimpes of female lead Camilla, played by Camilla Semino Favro, and gets enthralled by her beauty and initial standoffishness.

As Don pursues Camilla, he is introduced to her younger brother Brando, played by James Miyakawa, and finally to complete the quartet Alberto Boubakar Malanchino comes into play, playing Elvis. These four go through many scenarios cooking up a plan on how to reunite emigrant Elvis with his wife and soon to be born child who reside neighboring country France.

The border has few guards yet seems almost impossible to cross while the city needed to reach is in sight but just out of reach. Will the band of misfits make it to France? You will have to watch the film yourself and conclude the answer yourself. The only clue of when you will find out is when Excuses by The Morning Benders plays. So make sure to pay attention.

An interesting display of credits is presented at the films end with all who were involved in the making of Easy Living are incorporated in one screen. The Miyakawa brothers chose this credit arrangement as they believed the creation of the film was a team effort.

Waves crash.

Fine.