An incredible tale of obsession and unhealthy coping when your life is falling apart. Fior Di Latte resonated with me as a fraghead and professional ruminator. Mark uses the fictional fragrance, Fior Di Latte, as a magic charm to take him back to his Italian vacation, when he felt like he had community and no responsibilities. What starts as somewhat innocent reminiscing turns into obsession. Mark can't live his normal life because his life has become dedicated to this memory of Italy and newfound love that doesn't last.
It's relatable to be stuck in a memory and hope it never ends. Work is hard and relationships are work. What if you could just be in life's honeymoon phase forever? What if it was as simple as smelling some perfume? Both scent and memory are ephemeral, however scent can make a memory temporarily come back strong. Even though scent memory is strong as hell, it's not concrete, and this film also tackles that aspect; a scent memory becoming rancid.
Although I am not as intense as Mark, who roped others into immersing himself in his own memories, I found his obsession with Fior Di Latte to be relatable. I'm very sentimental and try to preserve every good, usually short, memory I've ever had, especially using material things. Occasionally I catch myself doing unintentional compulsive witchcraft. Years ago, I remember fetching a glass of water for a man I was seeing and keeping his glass on my bedside table for days, occasionally drinking the old water, but not letting it run out. Looking back, that's disgusting, but how else was I supposed to keep that memory fresh?
Mark starts to get his shit together by the end of the film. He dumps his giant bottle of Fior Di Latte down the drain and begins to work on the play he promised his producer days ago. His freedom from the past and newfound self-awareness are inspiring. If Mark can get out the rut he was in, so can you.
An incredible tale of obsession and unhealthy coping when your life is falling apart. Fior Di Latte resonated with me as a fraghead and professional ruminator. Mark uses the fictional fragrance, Fior Di Latte, as a magic charm to take him back to his Italian vacation, when he felt like he had community and no responsibilities. What starts as somewhat innocent reminiscing turns into obsession. Mark can't live his normal life because his life has become dedicated to this memory of Italy and newfound love that doesn't last.
It's relatable to be stuck in a memory and hope it never ends. Work is hard and relationships are work. What if you could just be in life's honeymoon phase forever? What if it was as simple as smelling some perfume? Both scent and memory are ephemeral, however scent can make a memory temporarily come back strong. Even though scent memory is strong as hell, it's not concrete, and this film also tackles that aspect; a scent memory becoming rancid.
Although I am not as intense as Mark, who roped others into immersing himself in his own memories, I found his obsession with Fior Di Latte to be relatable. I'm very sentimental and try to preserve every good, usually short, memory I've ever had, especially using material things. Occasionally I catch myself doing unintentional compulsive witchcraft. Years ago, I remember fetching a glass of water for a man I was seeing and keeping his glass on my bedside table for days, occasionally drinking the old water, but not letting it run out. Looking back, that's disgusting, but how else was I supposed to keep that memory fresh?
Mark starts to get his shit together by the end of the film. He dumps his giant bottle of Fior Di Latte down the drain and begins to work on the play he promised his producer days ago. His freedom from the past and newfound self-awareness are inspiring. If Mark can get out the rut he was in, so can you.
