From Scratch - La forza di un amore

This is a difficult review. Love Italy, know Florence and Sicily, as well as the US, love family dramas, good food and art and thought this would easily be a 10/10 for me. Yet I had to force myself through e1-4 (mid e4 got better) because it felt unreal, I couldn't connect with any character and I was bored to death. The only reason I didn't give up is because in THEORY, I should have loved it. Well, during Episodes 4/5-8 it all came together for me. Finally it seemed real, it made me smile, laugh, cry. Not going to spoil it, just saying that what happened was portrayed realistically and in the end love, in its many forms, is all that matters. I will watch this again and see how I feel about e1-4.

I didn't have high expectations when I started watching this series, I was prepared to watch something light and carefree when the second episode hit me right in the heart. I completely fell in love with the characters, the story, the scenery, with everything. I found myself in tears while I don't ever cry at cinema or series anymore. The characters are very realistic and concerning the family relationships it's hard for someone not to find similarities with his own family. I haven't felt deeply moved by a story for a long long time and I am thankful of discovering this little precious diamond. Maybe Netflix has a lot more to give eventually.

Heart wrenching. Not what I expected. I absolutely loved it. The acting and the style was maybe lacking a bit in the first episodes, but oh my God. OMG. It became more and more real life with each episode. It kinda eased its way from cheesy love story to real life and real problems.

I loved all the Italian that was spoken. And the complex family dynamics.

Honestly I watched it in one sitting. All eight episodes until 5 in the morning. I couldn't stop.

I have no personal history with the specific themes displayed but it managed to open me up to some deep layers of sorrow stored deep down. It was almost cathartic for me to watch. I cried my eyes out. Both personal tears and tears for the story. For me it had the right mix of sweet love and real life.

Only complaint is how dark the story actually was. My positive and romantic heart hoped for a more Disney-like ending.

My first compliment is for the actors! Finally, a show that uses authentic foreign characters playing the foreign parts...perfect example are the couple that play Lino's parents. True Italians speaking southern Italian along with the with the mannerisms and sayings true to the region.... Having Italian parents myself, this so refreshing to see and hear this, so much better than using actors speaking with an exaggerated corny accent. On to the series itself, what a roller coaster of themes and emotions: laughs, tears, family and marriage drama, forgiveness, loss, reconnection, acceptance, romance, inter-racial relationships, heart break and devastation. It is a series I will recommend to others and think about for a long time to come.

This movie, series, almost perfect! It had a beginning, a middle and an end. It actually makes you believe in true love. I loved Lino and Amy's "story". I love how their commitment and love for one another was able to solidify their families. I loved how they never wavered no matter what was thrown at them. Even when you were sitting up there watching, and maybe about to cry or crying or just feeling so devastated for the characters, because this movie made you feel everything, they found a way to lighten it up so you could breathe just a little. So you could smile and suck up some of those tears for just a little bit. Had the movie remembered all the pictures she took, and had some kind of homage to their story at the end, it would have been perfect. Nevertheless, a lovely story.