Puccini for Beginners (2006) was written and directed by Maria Maggenti.
It stars Elizabeth Reaser as Allegra, a young lesbian woman and Gretchen Mol as Grace, a young straight woman. Justin Kirk portrays Phillip, who knows them both.
This is a very New York City movie. Allegra is surrounded by beautiful friends and beautiful acquaintances. (Think Sex and the City.) New York City is clean, beautiful, and friendly. (Think Woody Allen.) That NYC centric view is obvious in every frame. I think it's great. I can live without the real New York City for an hour and a half.
The movie is sort of a romantic quadrangle, although that's not exactly right. It's more like a romantic pinwheel, with Reaser in the center, and the other characters rotating around her. I find Reaser to be a fascinating actor. In fact, I bought this DVD because of her superb work in "Sweet Land." The script calls for her to be a fascinating actor. It worked for me.
Apparently, I'm in a real minority in my enjoyment of this movie. It has an IMDb rating of 6.0, which is terrible. I'm not sure why it's rated so low. My suggestion--watch it and judge for yourself.
