The limited series From Scratch starring Zoe Saldana, Eugenio Mastrandrea, Keith David, Danielle Deadwyler and more released on October 21, 2022, on Netflix. Having 8 episodes, each with a runtime ranging from 49 – 58 minutes, the series follows the cross-cultural romance and lives of protagonists Amy (Saldana) and Lino (Mastrandrea), taking Tembi Locke’s memoir of the same name (authored with help from sister Attica Locke; both were also involved in the show’s creation) as its inspirational source material.
Beginning a love at first sight arc between the two, the show transports us to the streets of Italy’s Florence where the two lead lives of their own design and choice, presenting their artistic expressions through their respective mediums. While Amy is an art student, learning to make a living out of her dreams after having left the legal stream of her father’s affirmation behind, Lino delves into his own creative endeavors by working as a chef, having stepped away from the customary conventions of his Sicilian homeland.
Netflix’s synopsis of the series reads:
An artist finds romance with a chef in Italy and embarks on a life-changing journey of love, loss, resilience and hope across cultures and continents.
-From Scratch Review Contains Mild Spoilers-
If you’ve watched the trailer of the series beforehand, you already know that a predictable and formulaic story unfolds itself over the episodes. However, what it doesn’t prepare you for is the expanding emotional gravitas that is especially conveyed via the last few episodes.
The acting throughout the portrayal is authentic, simple and palpable with a grand focus of family much like what the Locke sisters had envisioned through their work. Pulling us away from the 21st century’s confined rigmarole that has us all trapped amidst screens and machines, this outing takes us back to the roots of an organic storyline centered among people and their sentiments.
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With a gradual pacing of the plot that seems fitting for the subject matter, there are some moments therein when the show speaks up about the constricting claustrophobia of a place that “has no center”, highlighting the importance of having a sense of community and belongingness for anyone to flourish in a new environment, or even generally.
Viewers who are accustomed to fast track and dramatically gripping arcs may need to take a break instead of consuming the entire series in a single breath. Nevertheless, the timing of this release is as perfect as it could be since it’s one of those stories that you can follow along during the course of the holiday season. It makes you believe in miracles and second chances and feel one’s family’s love despite the prevailing dysfunctionality of differeing views under one roof, owing to its gravity being held in a true story of sorts.
From Scratch: Final Thoughts
Even though the story leads with its image of romance, it’s also about the lifelong prevalence of grief and loss that accompanies our existences. When things get hard, having a support system of one’s family and friends in check is the one cushion that helps soften the blow even though loneliness can be too overwheleming sometimes, regardless of whether you’re standing in a room full of people or not.
Grief is all-consuming and From Scratch captures its painful actuality without minimising it. The last two episodes of the series pack in some powerful performances, especially from Saldana’s Amy. Watching the connection and bond with her family grow over the timeline is a delightful treat. It is indeed a heartfelt memoir that comes to life, spilling all the truths about how not only food brings people together but also that family building has to do a lot more with our choices than fate. With the finale coming a full circle, the story is guaranteed to bring a smile on the faces of those who especially love to unpack and dig into family dramas.
All 8 episodes of From Scratch are streaming now on Netflix.
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