Mascarpone: The Rainbow Cake (Maschile Plural) is the sequel to 2021’s award-winning debut Mascarpone. (see our review HERE) In the first film, handsome thirty-year old Italian, Antonio (Giancarlo Commare), splits up with his husband and moves in with a sex worker, Denis. Denis fixes him up with a job as an apprentice baker with Luca (Gianmarco Saurino), whom he also starts dating, including having threesomes with Denis.
Fast-forward three years to the sequel and we meet Antonio again, still very handsome and still played by Commare. He’s now a successful celebrity pastry chef/food influencer with a hundred thousand followers on Instagram. Denis has since died. Antonio hasn’t seen Luca in the three years since they split up. His dating record since then has been patchy as all his energy has gone into developing his career. One day, Luca comes into his café and the two men reconnect. Luca has had a tough time in the past three years and lost his bakery business. He is now, however, a successful youth worker working in a LGBTQ homeless refuge, and is engaged to his boyfriend Tancredi (Andrea Fuorto). Antonio realises that he still has romantic feelings for Luca, and sets out to destroy Luca’s relationship with Tancredi and win his heart for himself. To help make this happen, Antonio offers to go into a business partnership with Luca to reopen the bakery he lost. Things don’t exactly go to plan though.
Italian director Alessandro Guida has created a rarely successful sequel with Mascarpone: The Rainbow Cake. You don’t need to have seen the first film to enjoy the second. Quintessential Italian style, emotions, colour and humour combine with a handsome cast, beautiful lighting, a multi-layered plot and a gentle soundtrack to give a very entertaining feature on the quest for love. Strong casting includes the return of comedian Michela Giraud who plays Antonio’s feisty, pragmatic accountant and Francesco Gheghi who plays Ricky, a troubled youth from the refuge who comes to work with Antonio and Luca. An interesting, entertaining study in following our hearts through the fog of nostalgia. Where does the past belong?
Mascarpone The Rainbow Cake is the Closing Night Film ot Miami ‘s Outshine Film Fest
Queerguru’s Contributing Editor Ris Fatah is a successful fashion/luxury business consultant (when he can be bothered) who divides and wastes his time between London and Ibiza. He is a lover of all things queer, feminist, and human rights in general. @ris.fatah
