“Under the Amalfi Sun” is a movie that has our opinion of it going in two different directions. On one hand, it’s nothing different. But on the other hand, it is heartfelt enough in its simplicity that it puts a smile on our faces. The world has seen too many rom-coms at this point, so many that if another must be made, it should either have the quirkiest execution ever, or it must have subplots interesting enough to match. That’s the only way to make it somewhat refreshing for the audience. This film takes the second route, and effortlessly combines it with the beauty of Amalfi during summer, with characters that are a treat to watch and a male lead who is attractive without being broody. This is how the story unfolds and hooks us slowly but surely.
Spoilers Ahead
Does Lucio Ask Camilla To Move In With Him? What Happens To Irene And Lucio?
This movie is the sequel to the 2020 film, “Under the Riccione Sun.” While the predecessor focused on people finding love, this movie focuses on the aftermath of their relationships. We will not discuss ‘Riccione Sun’ here and judge ‘Amalfi Sun’ independently. It is always more interesting to see the start of a love story, when it’s all about the characters debating whether they want to take the plunge. Watching actual relationship problems can be a little boring. But “Under the Amalfi Sun” salvages that by introducing Natalie, Hans, and Furio’s storylines while maintaining a quick pace that doesn’t drag. The film starts with Vincenzo planning on asking Camilla to move in with him at Amalfi. Camilla, on the other hand, is debating how to tell him that she wants to take up a position as a teaching assistant in Canada.
While holding these questions in their hearts, Vincenzo receives Camilla at the airport, and they spend a magical few days in Amalfi. Natalie, Camilla’s friend, has come with her, and she is dealing with baggage of her own, with body image issues and a cheating ex in her past. She slowly starts to become friends with Furio, Vincenzo’s friend, who is desperately looking for love. As they all go out, Natalie meets Hans and develops an attraction for him. But Hans is your typical charming but closed-off guy, who has become so after a summer romance gone wrong. And that triggers Natalie’s personal insecurities. Elsewhere, Furio is smitten by Rebecca, and he invites her on one of their treks. But she is a little stand-offish, and that causes Furio to snap as to why he always falls for the wrong girl, causing her to leave in a puff. This was the one sore point in an otherwise alright movie. Rebecca was clearly not interested in Furio from the beginning, and she never implied in any shape or form that she was. Yet, it was Furio’s choice to pursue her. How did that lead him to assume that he was entitled to her interest? Hollywood has yet to wake up to the glorification of the misogynistic “nice guy” on-screen.
With Irene and Lucio, they went to Amalfi instead of Sicily because Irene was anxious about being away from her son, Vincenzo. However, there, Lucio finds that he is unable to be a part of her old life and friends and that he is being excluded from her family with her ex-husband Roberto and her son Vincenzo. This causes him to question their relationship more and more. With Camilla and Vincenzo, the latter tells her that he wants her to move in with him, making the former question their entire relationship. She is not sure if she sees a forever with him, because of the emotional labor and sacrifices that come with caring for a visually challenged person. She tells him as such about her job in Canada, which raises a lot of questions for him.
Vincenzo has a heart-to-heart with Lucio about the crossroads he is at, when the latter reveals to him that he had been planning to propose to Irene, but he doesn’t know anymore. Both of them decide to go scuba diving, an experience that ends up changing Vincenzo’s perspective on many things. He had always been the person who believed in planning ahead, who needed to know what things would be like. And that’s been the root of his current conflict with Camilla. But after the scuba-diving experience, he calls her and tells her that he doesn’t want to hold her back from living life to the fullest. And while the words were not said, it was out in the open that a break-up was on the cards.
‘Under The Amalfi Sun’ Ending Explained: Do Camilla And Vincenzo Break Up?
Camilla is debating about what she truly wants when she comes up with an idea. She asks an electrician to turn off Amalfi’s lights for a few hours and texts Vincenzo to meet her. She tells him that now they have a chance to get even and takes him to the top of a hilltop on a bike, showing him that she trusts him. She tells him that she does want to give their relationship a chance. Elsewhere, Hans and Natalie have reconciled and have embarked on their own little journey. Furio, with some advice from Vincenzo, has found a girl who he likes and who likes him back. It’s a happy time for all the couples, except Irene and Lucio.
Lucio is leaving Amalfi because he feels there is no place for him in Irene’s life. Vincenzo sends his mother a recording where Lucio was confessing that he wanted to propose to her. He adds a note that she should get over her fear of the future and take the plunge with Lucio. While we generally hate over-smart teenagers, their idealistic optimism is sometimes the only thing that can repair everything wrong with this world. Irene rushes to stop Lucio from getting on the ferry and tells him that she wants to marry him too. And for our main couple, Furio has bought tickets to Canada for everyone, with Vincenzo’s being only ‘one-way.’ This means that the pair will continue their relationship, but just not in Amalfi.
Final Thoughts: Does ‘Under The Amalfi Sun’ Work?
To be honest, “Under The Amalfi Sun” is not the most engaging film, but it wouldn’t be fair to call it boring. There are certain parts of it, like Vincenzo’s desire to live a life where he is not always coddled for his blindness, Irene and Camilla’s fear of the future, and just the way Hans goes about finding the love of his life that was truly endearing. Camilla and Vincenzo’s romance was not completely dull, but Irene and Lucio’s story was. There’s no need for angst in every relationship. Some could have just been happy and funny. But it’s OK, we suppose. You will like this more if you haven’t seen ‘Riccione Sun.’ It is just a light-hearted movie to watch at the end of a stressful day, and it is best enjoyed as such.
“Under the Amalfi Sun” is a 2022 Drama Romance film directed by Martina Pastori.
