SBIFF Day 7 | Of Truffles and Producers
The Role of the Producer is to Make It Happen, and Indeed They Did
(L-R) Nicole Sperling, Alex Coco, Alex Heineman, Brian Young, Coralie Fargeat, and Cale Boyter attend the producers panel at the 40th Santa Barbara International Film Festival on February 10, 2025 | Photo: Tibrina Hobson, Getty Images for SBIFF
Truffle Trouble in Paradise
Trifole qualifies as one of the feel-good (or mostly good) taste treats of this year’s festival roster, a deeply satisfying and yet also surprising adventure in cinematic storytelling. In director and co-writer Gabriele Fabbro’s glowing ode to nature, myth and truffle folklore, we’re initially seduced by the splendor and lucid light of the rural Italian landscape. Three principal characters on the screen — the elderly truffle hunter Igor (Umberto Orsini) who is losing his memory and mental grip, his granddaughter Dalia (Ydalie Turk) in the process of “figuring it out” in life, and the faithful pooch Birba, the most centered of the three characters.
In what seems like a patient and luminous slice-of-life study takes a left turn in the wilderness during Dalia’s trek to find a magical truffle. Fairytale-like qualities segue into a chaotic and circus-y Fellini-esque passage in the big city of Alba, but with a humble resolution in store. All in all, Trifole strikes a tone, or suite of tones, perfectly complimented by the classic theme from Borodin’s opera Prince Igor (later used in Kismet). Awe of nature and the stuff of myth win out here.
