Hayfever

There's a westerly breeze blowing through the picturesque streets of Rome. Legend has it that this “ponentino” gives courage to timid lovers. Matteo, a handsome young man with vivid blue eyes, works in a vintage shop. Sporting charmingly retro t-shirts, he rummages through people's estate sales for the bric-a-brac of bygone lives. Matteo has a hard time letting go of the past, including his feelings for his old flame Giovanna. Meanwhile, skater girl Franki (short for Francesca), Matteo's co-worker, writes improbably passionate love letters to Jude Law. Matteo and Franki are employed by Stefano, a family man who loves his shop but has no head for business. Tinkerers and dreamers, they're unable to organize their store, or their lives, to make them more productive. One day a young woman named Camilla, with a smile that lights up her whole face, arrives and starts arranging things. She falls hard for Matteo, who can't stop thinking about Giovanna. Everyone in this little shop of dreams harbors passions that are close by, yet seemingly out of reach. HAYFEVER soars with a fittingly indie soundtrack featuring music by Laura Marling, Devendra Banhart, and Imelda May. (In Italian with subtitles) –B.B.