Austin Gay and Lesbian International Film Festival 2009

Maria Maggenti, director of the beloved UNBELIEVABLY TRUE ADVENTURES OF TWO GIRLS IN LOVE, hits another high note with PUCCINI FOR BEGINNERS, a charming New York story centered on a bisexual love triangle. Humming with delectable wit and wry humor, this sophisticated screwball comedy twists and turns with all of the drama of classic Puccini. Allegra (Elizabeth Reaser, THE FAMILY STONE), a writer and opera aficionada, loves her girlfriend Samantha (Julianne Nicholson, KINSEY) but can’t commit. Samantha leaves her, bouncing back to her ex-boyfriend/soon-to-be fiancé. Allegra has a rebound of her own - a drunken flirtation with handsome philosophy professor Phillip (Justin Kirk, ANGELS IN AMERICA) that turns into a full-fledged affair. Allegra is struggling with the idea of dating a man when she meets Grace (Gretchen Mol, THE NOTORIOUS BETTIE PAGE), an irresistibly beautiful, recently single and recently straight woman. Equally enchanted by Phillip and Grace, Allegra juggles secret relationships with both of them - but little does she know that Phillip and Grace have a connection of their own! As tensions rise, so does the rapier-sharp dialogue. With a healthy dose of humor and just the right amount of irony, PUCCINI FOR BEGINNERS tackles such themes as chance encounters, commitment-phobia, sexual identity and gender politics. We believe you’ll find this thoroughly enjoyable, impossibly clever film a perfect beginning to our 19th annual film festival.