Four Last Songs

Director: Francesca Joseph

Filmed entirely on the Spanish Mallorca Balearic Island and co-produced by the BBC, this Midsummer’s Night’s Dream tinged tale stars Stanely Tucci as a lackluster piano bar performer who dreams of staging a grand celebratory concert to honor the world-famous deceased composer who had made the same island his home. At the start of the film, as he tries to put his plans in motion, he realizes that he must gain the trust and commitment of both the composer’s widow Veronica (Marisa Paredes) as well as the man’s muse and mistress, Helena who claims she has never-before-heard sheet music that she’s willing to let Larry use for its world debut. Feeling neglected and jealous, Larry’s singer girlfriend Miranda (Jessica Stevenson) is even more threatened by Larry’s busy schedule with the unexpected arrival of Frankie (Jenna Malone), a young woman claiming to be the man’s daughter and the result of one single weekend fling in America nearly twenty years earlier. In addition to the ladies, he finds a rival in Sebastian (Hugh Bonneville), an ambitious entrepreneur aching to take over the event when his free-spirited brother Dickie (Notting Hill's scene stealing Rhys Ifans) arrives under the guise of repairing a family heirloom clock but with other news that will shake the residents. While the overpopulated story does make the film a bit uneven at times, it’s a charming film that always feels a bit like a fairy tale and should remind viewers of Lasse Hallstrom’s Chocolat in its inviting spirit, warmth of the community and gorgeous locale.