FEAST OF THE SEVEN FISHES: A Warm & Welcoming Exploration Of Italian Christmas Tradition

Robert Tinnell’s Feast of the Seven Fishes is a comedy-drama film exploring Italian Christmas traditions. It is based on Robert Tinnell‘s graphic novel of the same name. Feast of the Seven Fishes centers around Tony (Skyler Gisondo) and his budding relationship with Beth (Madison Iseman). The film examines the differences between their Christmas traditions and the importance of the season. Beth is introduced to Tony and his family through her friend Sarah (Jessica Darrow). The film also features Addison Timlin, Josh Helman, Paul Ben-Victor, Joe Pantoliano, Andrew Schulz, Lynn Cohen, and many more.

Establishing the Season and Time Period

Feast of the Seven Fishes works especially well in its moments which showcase the importance of family traditions and the Christmas season. While watching this film, I felt pulled into the comfort and warmth of this Italian family and their connections to each other.

While I loved the atmosphere and moments of joy peppered throughout this film, I felt the plot was underwhelming. When we first meet Tony, he has received a letter showing his acceptance to art school, but this seems to be forgotten for most of the length of the film, until it is revisited too late. Part of me enjoyed how much this film focused on showcasing traditions, but when an interesting plot point is explored so early, I expected to see repercussions of this news throughout the film.

Something that really stood out to me in Feast of the Seven Fishes is its locations and clothing choices, which perfectly emulate the 1980s period of the film. I never felt removed from this time period in any scene. Beth and Sarah’s scene in a small hot dog restaurant stands out. It is short, sweet, and firmly grounds the film in the 1980s, in both the atmosphere of the restaurant and the costuming of their characters.

Another aspect which works well in establishing the importance of family and the time period of the film is its use of footage made to resemble home videos. I felt nostalgic for my own boxes of yellowed photographs and old tapes of my family Christmases when these moments came across the screen.

During a montage sequence, the feast of the seven fishes is explained and short details of recipes are described as we see food being prepared. This adds a wonderful element of discovery for viewers who may not know much about the tradition, while providing moments of nostalgia for families who have prepared similar dishes for decades.

A Memorable Balance of Characters

Even though the film falls flat in this main plot, it succeeds in making me feel for its characters, even ones who in other films, might have been pushed into stereotypical models of exes. Every character in this film felt unique and with their own individual problems.

Tony’s ex, Katie (Addison Timlin), especially stood out to me as a character who really captivated me, and could so easily have been written as just another ex-girlfriend pushing the man into a new relationship. Seeing Katie explore her own issues, and come to her own conclusion, made Feast of the Seven Fishes more realistic and captivating.

Her budding relationship with Juke (Josh Helman) works so well, and made me look forward to their scenes. Skyler Gisondo and Madison Iseman give wonderful performances in the central romance of the film. The differences between their characters and their respective families helps build a compelling narrative, even if the film feels underdeveloped in other aspects of its plot.

Some of the most memorable scenes of the film involve Tony’s family, all crowded together celebrating their Christmas. These moments felt realistic in the dialogue, which managed to capture the perfect mixture of heartfelt and accusatory that always comes out from family conversations. Everyone felt like they both loved and couldn’t stand each other in every scene they spent together. There’s a moment in the film where I recognized a Christmas decoration similar to one my own family has and I felt nostalgia for the traditions in our family.

Feast of the Seven Fishes: Conclusion

Feast of the Seven Fishes is a heartwarming display of what Christmas means to Italian families, what Christmas and family means for people who come from different backgrounds. Moments of heartfelt family traditions come first, while the established plot comes second, but the film is an enjoyable experience with memorable moments and strong performances.

Are you interested in a film which explores Christmas from the point-of-view of a very specific community? If you are Italian, are you interested in seeing this tradition expressed and shown in detail in a Christmas film? 

Feast of the Seven Fishes releases in theaters in the US on November 15, 2019. For all international release dates, see here.

Watch Feast of the Seven Fishes