MATERNAL NOSTALGIA

Netflix's latest Nonnas will tug on your heartstrings and have you craving pasta

- STORY: TATAT BUNNAG

With the recent success of the acclaimed comedy-drama series The Four Seasons and Tom Hardy’s blood-soaked thriller Havoc, it seems Netflix is finding its rhythm again when it comes to delivering compelling, emotionally resonant content.

The latest entry, the heartwarming food and family drama Nonnas, takes audience to comfort-viewing territory — stories that are less concerned with spectacle and more focused on the relationships that shape us.

Nonnas, directed by Stephen Chbosky (The Perks Of Being A Wallflower, Wonder), is a charming, sentimental film that seems tailor-made for a cosy family binge-watch. The story is inspired by the real-life tale of Joe Scaravella, the founder of Staten Island’s beloved restaurant Enoteca Maria, which opened in 2007 with a unique premise: a rotating cast of grandmothers (nonnas) from around the world — most notably from Italy — take turns as the chefs, preparing traditional home-cooked meals based on their own family recipes. It’s a concept that celebrates food, heritage and intergenerational love, and the film adaptation delivers that message with generous doses of warmth and sincerity.

Nonnas follows Joe, played by Vince Vaughn, a blue-collar New Yorker who was raised in a loving Italian-American household. His early life is shaped by the nurturing presence of his mother and grandmother, both of whom poured love into every dish they made. After spending years as a caregiver for his ailing mother, Joe is left emotionally adrift following her passing. Grief-stricken and struggling to find meaning in his life, Joe decides to honour her memory in the most heartfelt way he knows — through food. He risks his savings, reputation and stability by opening an Italian restaurant on Staten Island, hoping to recreate the comfort and authenticity of the meals his mother once made.