Roseanna's Grave review

Why you can trust 12DOVE Our experts review games, movies and tech over countless hours, so you can choose the best for you. Find out more about our reviews policy.

Roseanna's Grave is such a quietly unassuming film it probably doesn't know how extraordinary it is - - an accessible, quirky comedy that has all the vision and off-beat imagination of a foreign language arthouse film. But without the subtitles, or the polo-necked pretentiousness.

In many respects, the film is inspired by 1996's Oscar-nominated Il Postino. Which is to say it has a British director, it explores the themes of love, friendship and death and it's full to its Chianti-glass brim with sun-drenched, olive-oil-soaked charm - thanks to the guiding hand of director Paul Weiland and the skill of his talented cast.

Incredibly, Roseanna is only Weiland's second feature outing. Having cut his canines on TV commercials, and with only a modest credit on City Slickers 2 to his name, he directs the steadily paced action magnificently, and his dream-like visions of the Italian village of Travento are so full of rich texture and sumptuous, picturesque images they could have been lifted straight from a Ragu advert.

In his first English-language comedy, cinema hard man Jean Reno (Mission Impossible, Leon) is an absolute joy. His gifts were never in doubt, but in Roseanna he slaps a whole new layer on the acting lasagne, delivering a performance that's charming, sad and very funny: Marcello frantically tries to keep the townsfolk alive, preventing suicides, running errands, snatching ciggies from people's mouths, even hiding a roadkill victim so that the last cemetery plot won't be filled.

The rest of the cast, working from Turteltaub's able script, are just as good: Mercedes Ruehl's Roseanna is the perfect complement to Reno's God-playing Marcello, and Polly Walker is radiant as the dying woman's sultry sister Cecilia. The other (distinctly oddball) citizenry are played by Italian actors, all of whom speak the Queen's English beautifully.

While Roseanna's Grave is, at times, a curious blend of comedy, romance and drama, its arrival halfway through 1997's disappointing blockbuster season is to be heartily welcomed: it'll provide film-goers with some much-needed relief from mangy bats, limping cruise liners and toothless dinosaurs.

Roseanna's Grave: a "timeless tale" of "love and life". Don't let the packaging put you off, though - - this is a fine film. Low-sugar emotion mixes with raucous comedy to create one of the most pleasant surprises of the cinematic year.

The Total Film team are made up of the finest minds in all of film journalism. They are: Editor Jane Crowther, Deputy Editor Matt Maytum, Reviews Ed Matthew Leyland, News Editor Jordan Farley, and Online Editor Emily Murray. Expect exclusive news, reviews, features, and more from the team behind the smarter movie magazine. 

Latest in Romance Movies
Claire Danes as Juliet and Miriam Margolyes as Nurse in the movie Romeo + Juliet.
The 33 greatest movies based on Shakespeare
The Bridges of Madison County
The 32 most heartbreaking movie moments
Ryan Gosling in Crazy, Stupid, Love
The 32 greatest Ryan Gosling movie moments
Addicted to Love
The 33 greatest '90s rom-coms
The Wolf of Wall Street
The 32 greatest Leonardo DiCaprio movies
Sophie Thatcher and Jack Quaid in 'Companion'
Director of new twisty romance horror Companion explains why it wouldn't have worked without The Boys and Yellowjackets stars: "I can't imagine anyone else"
Latest in Reviews
Lenovo Legion Go S with FlyKnight gameplay on screen featuring player character holding bow and arrow with enemy ant in backdrop.
Lenovo Legion Go S Windows 11 review: “my heart aches for this mixed up handheld”
Talisman 5th Edition game components
Talisman 5th Edition review: "The characterful imperfections of the original game remain clear to see "
WWE 2K25
WWE 2K25 review: "A colossal package even if you never go anywhere near Virtual Currency"
Altered: Trial by Frost booster box and packs on a playmat
Altered: Trial by Frost review - "Satisfying enough to offer highly varied gameplay"
Three SteelSeries QcK Performance mouse pads on a wooden desk
I didn't expect to prefer a coarser mouse pad, but SteelSeries' new QcK Performance range has changed my mind
Boro and Alta sit on a bench together in Wanderstop
Wanderstop review: "Exalting the transformative power of tea"