For Roseanna

Plot Summary

A man trying to honor the last wish of his beloved wife has to keep an entire city alive in this bittersweet romantic comedy. Marcello (Jean Reno "The Professional," "The Da Vinci Code") is the owner of a restaurant in a small village in Italy. His wife Roseanna (Academy Award and Golden Globe-winner Mercedes Ruehl "The Fisher King," "Big") has received some awful news: she has learned that her weak heart has gotten worse, and she has only a few weeks to live. Roseanna has given Marcello a final request: she wants to be buried next to her daughter, who died some years before. Marcello wants nothing more than to comply with her wishes, but theres a problem; the towns cemetery is quite small, and right now funeral plots are on a first-come, first-served basis. The spot next to Roseanna's daughter does happen to be open, but she'll only get it if no one else dies first. So Marcello suddenly becomes the villages watchdog of health and safety, trying to make sure no one needlessly dies, and even shuffles around a few bodies of people who do happen to pass on. Meanwhile, Rosanna is worried about both Marcello and her sister Cecilia (Golden Globe-nominee Polly Walker TV's "Rome," "Patriot Games") and would like them to marry after her death so they wont have to be alone. However, Marcello and Cecilia don't always get along very well, and besides, Cecilia is in love with Antonio (Mark Frankel "Leon the Pig Farmer"), whose father has prevented the towns cemetery from expanding.