Under the Stars, directed by Michelle Danner, enters the field of sweet romance films with a clear premise: escape can clear space for real direction. Ian (Alex Pettyfer), a British writer facing artistic insecurity, lives with the weight of a strained relationship with a self-centered girlfriend (Jessica Serfaty). On the advice of his Aunt Audrey (Toni Collette), he seeks new surroundings to finish his novel.
The film moves to Puglia, Italy, and treats the relocation as the organizing event for everything that follows. Ian settles into a masseria managed by Arianna (Eva De Dominici) and owned by her father, Giacomo (Andy Garcia). The story centers on the pull of place and the pull of connection, mixing travelogue images with a gentle search for purpose and romance.
Performance and the Slow Burn of Connection
The story’s engine is Ian’s growth. Pettyfer plays the familiar artist’s self-doubt with steady restraint, and the script links his creative block to his personal life without overstatement. The break from his former relationship marks a clean pivot. Arianna meets him with skepticism and, at times, irritation. That frisson sets an early tempo that favors small shifts rather than flashy turns.
Eva De Dominici maps Arianna’s interior life with precision, letting guardedness soften into curiosity, then into care. The result is a rhythm that mirrors gradual self-understanding. The film chooses a measured pace for their bond, and that choice gives the romance a structure that feels earned. Attraction sits on the surface from the start, while the chemistry builds through repeated beats: brief conversations, shared tasks, and pauses that let each character think before acting.
Their connection becomes a hinge for Ian’s creative renewal, and the movie keeps that hinge visible. New pages arrive as trust arrives. The performance choices keep that emotional cause-and-effect legible, so the progression of scenes reads like chapters in a draft that begins to cohere once the author stops dodging the truth.
The Power of the Counterpoint: Veteran Magic
Aunt Audrey and Giacomo create a second line that plays against the first. Their scenes land with ease and add warmth without pulling focus from Ian and Arianna. Toni Collette gives Audrey a brisk, clear-eyed presence that steadies Ian while keeping her own desires intact. Andy Garcia supplies inviting charm and a relaxed authority to Giacomo.
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Together they play with timing, offering looks and lightly flirtatious exchanges that feel playful and assured. This pairing argues for possibility at any stage of life, and it does so through behavior rather than speeches. The parallel romance extends the film’s theme of renewal and gives the younger couple a living model of commitment that still breathes.
Appearances by Rob Estes and other familiar faces round out the ensemble and support the sense of a living community around the masseria. The counterpoint works like a secondary quest that complements the main path, shaping the tone and giving the film a steady pulse.
Cinematic Technique and Emotional Resonance
Michelle Danner and cinematographer Pierluigi Gigi Malavasi frame Puglia as an active participant. Light, stone, and sea define the mood of each scene and guide the characters toward change. The camera often lets space do the heavy lifting, so setting marks emotional turns as clearly as dialogue. The direction favors recognizable behavior and keeps the performances grounded, which makes the story easy to track and easy to feel. A touch of whimsy enters at intervals. That choice leans into sincerity and lifts the romantic stakes without sacrificing clarity.
The film nods to prior stories about risk, love, and the power of a new environment by holding to a simple structure that emphasizes human contact over plot mechanics. The approach recalls cherished indie romances that trust quiet details and incremental shifts.
The piece speaks directly to viewers who prize characters learning to look honestly at themselves, and it ties that learning to the texture of daily life: shared meals, walks across sunlit courtyards, and the work of writing. By treating design and storytelling as one system, the film builds memory around feeling and place. New beginnings arrive through small choices that accumulate, and the craft keeps those choices visible.
Under the Stars is a romantic comedy film that premiered digitally in the US on November 11, 2025, with a UK digital release following on November 17, 2025. It follows a struggling romance novelist who travels to Puglia, Italy, seeking inspiration after a breakup, only to find an unexpected new love. The film has a running time of 99 minutes and has been rated PG.
Credits
Title: Under the Stars
Distributor: Signature Entertainment (for UK digital release)
Release date: November 11, 2025 (US Digital), November 17, 2025 (UK Digital)
Rating: PG
Running time: 99 minutes
Director: Michelle Danner
Writers: Victoria Vinuesa
Producers and Executive Producers: Pia Patatian, Producers: Michelle Danner, Robert Feldmaier, Kevin H. Jenkins, Michael C. King, Victoria Vinuesa, Executive Producers: Jordan Danner, Kirk D’Amico
Cast: Alex Pettyfer, Eva De Dominici, Toni Collette, Andy Garcia, Rob Estes, Jessica Michel Serfaty, Vincent Riotta, Chiara Iezzi, Tim Fellingham, Marco Marzocca, Robert Feldmaier, Michelle Danner, Erica Papasergi, Edward Wray, Alessandra Rosa
Director of Photography (Cinematographer): Pierluigi Gigi Malavasi
The Review
Under the Stars
Under the Stars provides a charming, visually warm experience that makes effective use of its stunning Italian location. While the central romance builds slowly, the film's precision in character writing, especially supported by the enjoyable secondary pairing of Garcia and Collette, makes it a worthwhile watch for those seeking a sincere story about personal reinvention. It is a heartfelt homage to romantic dramas focused on new beginnings.
PROS
- Toni Collette and Andy Garcia deliver great chemistry and sophisticated performances.
- Puglia, Italy, is beautifully captured and acts as a strong thematic element.
- Effectively explores the ideas of artistic insecurity, self-discovery, and finding love at any age.
CONS
- The central romance can feel slow to ignite, requiring patience from the viewer.
- The film embraces a level of whimsy that occasionally feels excessive or potentially manipulative.
- The core premise follows a structure often seen in "escape to find yourself" romantic dramas.
