Fioretta (film)

Fioretta is a 2023 documentary film directed by Matthew Mishory. It tells the story of American lawyer and genealogist E. Randol Schoenberg, who brings his reluctant teenage son Joey along for the journey of a lifetime to reclaim 500 years of their family story.[1]

Story

The film begins in Malibu, California, where Schoenberg and his son live, and navigates through Austria, Italy and the Czech Republic to track down their ancestors. Along the way they meet a motley cast of characters who guide them towards their ultimate goal of finding Fioretta, the family’s matriarch, buried five centuries ago in a Venice Jewish cemetery.[2][3]

Reception

Shula Kopf of The Jerusalem Post called Fioretta a "beautifully crafted, visually elegant documentary through five centuries of Jewish history".[2]

Robert Abele of the Los Angeles Times said "A well-meaning but slapdash travelogue, Fioretta does find gratifying closure in the company that the Schoenbergs find: curators of a collective memory that won’t fade on their watch."[3]

Samantha Bergeson of IndieWire said "Genealogist Randy Schoenberg, the grandson of composer Jewish-Austrian Arnold Schoenberg, sets out to reclaim his Viennese family legacy, but gets bogged down by intricate details."[4]

References

  1. ^ "Fioretta". Rubber Ring Films. Archived from the original on August 31, 2024. Retrieved August 27, 2023.
  2. ^ a b Shula Kopf. "Fioretta: A Cinematic Journey Through Five Centuries of Jewish History". The Jerusalem Post. Archived from the original on August 31, 2024. Retrieved December 23, 2023.
  3. ^ a b Robert Abele (December 2023). "Review: A journey into a distant past brings an extended family closer in documentary Fioretta". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on August 31, 2024. Retrieved December 1, 2023.
  4. ^ Samantha Bergeson (November 30, 2023). "Fioretta Review: The True Story Behind 'Woman in Gold' Gets an Intimate if Frustrating Doc". Indiewire. Archived from the original on August 31, 2024. Retrieved December 23, 2023.