Review by Michele E. Hawkins
Close to his wedding to the woman of his dreams, Giulio (Giampaolo Morelli), an economics journalist, has his life upended. It seems that his fiancé, Giorgia (Diana Del Bufalo), is not the woman he thought she was, and this revelation profoundly changes everything.
Urged on by his friend, Ernesto (Fabio Balsamo), Giulio eventually ventures into the world to try to meet someone new. The recipient of his first hapless attempt is Valeria (Serena Rossi), who, it turns out, runs classes to help the helpless find women. Reluctantly at first, Giulio, a one-woman-for-life kind of man, ends up enlisting Valeria’s help to try to win back his ex-fiancé. But when did the path of love ever run smooth?
Beautifully portrayed by both Morelli and Rossi, Giulio’s and Valeria’s layers of personal complexity borne of past hurts and disappointments are delicately revealed. These revelations don’t serve to diminish the achievements and vitality of the characters, but rather to strengthen them, and remind us that life has a habit of throwing twists and turns at us along the way.
Although the final outcome of the story may be predictable, the journey there is enormously entertaining and fun. Morelli and Del Bufalo are fantastic together, as they were in Love and Bullets, and we can’t help but cheer them on and hope they both find what they deserve.
7 Hours to Win Your Heart is a film for everyone, but perhaps especially for those who know the rough road love sometimes takes us down, and who have discovered that better things can lie ahead.
Walk into the cinema expecting a good time, because you’re sure to have one.
Screening at Palace cinemas.