Pasta, Positano and long summer nights without the long-haul flight.
So, you’re not in Europe. You’d like to be, half your Insta feed seems to be, but it’s Aussie winter for you. To give you a sliver of sunshine, a moment of Med, a couple of hours to bask in the beautiful sites of the world’s oldest cities and holiday towns, we’re prescribing five movies with salty, sexy plots that could only take place in the long days and longer nights of a European summer.
To make it a true sensory experience (when in Rome, right?) we’re advising the perfect accompanying drink to cheers as the protagonists are romanced by their surroundings, swept up in the foreign, lost only to be found. Whether it’s an elaborate game of Cluedo, polyamory, or a row boat oar that hits a little too hard, life in the sun makes for seriously fun viewing. Saluti!
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‘The Talented Mr Ripley’ and a blood-red aperitif
Jude Law, Gwyneth Paltrow and Matt Damon star as hot young things whiling away the summer months in Italy in this 1999 psychological thriller. Other than some opening scenes set in New York, the entire film was shot on location, and the depictions of Positano with Dickie (Jude Law) laying bronzed and beautiful on the beach have inspired more people to visit Europe than the Pope. What a beautiful man. Early in the film, when everything is going well (before that boat scene), Dickie takes Tom (Matt Damon) to a jazz bar where, sax in hand, pork pie hat on head, he joins the band to perform Tu vuò fà l’Americano, eventually pulling Tom on stage and further into his infatuation. In honour of this joyful moment, and the fact that Freddie Miles (played by Phillip Seymour Hoffman) has one in the cup holder of his Alfa Romeo when he pulls up, the Americano is the only suitable cocktail to enjoy while you watch these magnetic friendships unravel. A tall cocktail, an Americano is like a Negroni Spritz: the bitterness of Campari, sweetness of vermouth and refreshing length of soda water. Very easy. Very summer. If you’re not a vermouth aficionado, you’re probably just grabbing the usual, but levelling up this one ingredient will have a significant impact on the tastiness of your drink. Ambrosia Castello Del Poggio Ambrosia Vermouth Rosso Di Torino is the vermouth to do just that. It’s fresh, herbaceous and flavourful, so if you run out of Campari, pour it on the rocks, add a twist of orange peel, and you’ll be just fine.
Watch it on: Stan
‘Call Me By My Name’ and a fruit-forward Italian white
A film you want to just fall into, it embodies what it is to be young, in love and really, really passionate about fruit. Set in 1983, in Northern Italy’s Lombardy, American archaeology student Oliver arrives to assist a professor for the summer, staying with his family, including the professor’s teenage son, Elio (Timothée Chalamet). There are flirtatious glances, long vibrating pauses, beautiful shots of the family villa and surrounding towns, and a stirring Sufjan Stevens soundtrack. There’s also a lot of fruit symbolism, and a particular scene that will change how you think about a peach. For this reason, we’re recommending a fruit-forward Italian white, Bolla Retro Soave Classico DOC. Made in the Veneto region (right next to Lombardy), this classic style is made from the grapes of heirloom vines with hard skin and a rich aroma. Candied plum is balanced with balsamic flavours, and the delicate floral aroma levelled in a rich texture. As you sink your eyes into scenes that hum with tension, your tastebuds will be equally satisfied.
Watch it on: Stan
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‘Vicky Cristina Barcelona’ and a romantic spirit
Vicky and Cristina are two American students on a Spanish summer sabbatical when they are approached by Juan Antonio (Javier Bardem), a much gossiped about local artist. He tells them he’d like to take them to Oviedo, and because Cristina (Scarlett Johansson) wants to and Vicky (Rebecca Hall) feels a sense of responsibility to her friend, they do. In a plot twist involving too much wine and Cristina’s stomach ulcer (she should have gone for the zero%), Vicky is thrown together with Juan Antonio and slowly, reluctantly is won over by his charm. How could she not? He takes her to visit his father, a bleeding-heart poet who refuses to publish his work because “he hates the world… after thousands of years of civilisation they still haven't learned to love.” Swoon. The father’s “casa” is also enchanting, and here they drink Cognac, so you should too. De Luze VS Cognac would for sure float Juan Antonio’s boat. It’s velvety (like Javier’s voice), floral and zesty with a hint of oak. A great sipping spirit, drink it neat or on the rocks as you watch Vicky and Cristina test how “European” they really want to be, and watch Penelope Cruz steal the show. Fun fact, she and Bardem married two years after this film was released.
Watch it on: Fetch
‘Glass Onion’ and a “disruptor” of a drop
If Daniel Craig’s deep southern accent doesn’t give it away, this film, verging on the ridiculous, is nothing if not a good time. Craig is, of course, reprising his role as the legendary detective Benoit Blanc to solve another whodunnit with even more twists and turns than its predecessor, Knives Out. In a post-COVID world, a multi-trillionaire tech bro takes his OG friends, all successful “disruptors” in their own right, to his private island in Greece (which houses a giant domed building called the Glass Onion) for a murder-mystery themed weekend. He also invites Benoit, for effect. The insufferable group, played by a star-studded cast, all deliver cringey and hilarious quips and backstories as the drama at hand unfurls. It’s a raucous ride, made better with an Island-time drop like Gaia Monograph Assyrtiko. Youthful and refreshing, this white wine is pleasantly sharp and lighter than a classic assyrtiko, which you’ll find on wine lists all over the Greek Islands.
Watch it on: Netflix
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‘The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent’ and the Med’s favourite beer
Nick Cage is in on the joke, and that is how this film, in which he plays himself, came to be made. Lore around the prolific, long-time A-Lister – his intense work-ethic, many relationships and self identity – is extensive, but if you can’t laugh at yourself… In the style of Pineapple Express, the movie starts as one thing and ends up as something very different, but it’s all very entertaining. Internet Daddy Pedro Pascal stars as a very rich and earnest Nick Cage superfan and is truly magic to watch, while Nick might make you squirm, but that’s the point. It’s set against a spectacular property on the Croatian cliffs where Nick and Javi (Pedro Pascal) bond in the pool over life, films (mostly Nick’s) and beers. There’s no better beer to join them in toasting than the lager of the Med, Estrella Damm. If this is not your usual summer sip, it’s about to be. Meticulously brewed, it’s a creamier and frothy style of lager. It’s a bit more performative when poured with the white froth cloud erupting in the glass. A bit of a showboat. Just like Nick Cage.
Watch it on: Binge
