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Review

Four strangers on a train find themselves with no one else besides each other after a bomb in their car explodes killing the other passengers. Emily Delahunty (Smith), a romance novelist, invites the other three survivors to her house in the Italian countryside for recuperation. The "General" (Barker), Aimee, the American orphan and Werner, a young German settle into the villa relying on each other for comfort and strike an easy but fragile balance. While it is Aimee who is the most visibly traumatized, Emily too has her own demons to fight. Her active imagination borders on the psychic as she imagines the lives of each of her fellow survivors prior to the explosion. Werner, The General and Emily all focus their attentions on Aimee’s psychological recovery. She is soon seen as the glue that holds them together. As they all begin to come out of their shells, a call from an American Uncle threatens to take away Aimee. When he arrives, it is obvious that he is ill fit to handle such a delicate matter. Emily then makes it her mission to change her perceptions of what is best for the little girl. Genuinely likable characters make My House in Umbria an easy watch. The villa, the people and the conversations have a mesmerizing effect that leaves one with a sense of love that transcends normal conventions and considers a different kind of family. Dame Maggie is perfect in her portrayal of a well traveled and seasoned woman of the world.