THE LUNCH: A LETTER TO AMERICA

World Premiere | November 11 at 20:30

Apollo Kino Plaza | Tallinn

Doc@PÖFF International Competition

A rare cinematic achievement: solitude, politics, and humanity in Trump’s divided America.

Eduardo, a Mexican cook in a Coney Island diner who crossed the desert two decades ago, becomes the unsuspecting centre of a story unfolding during the last week of the U.S. presidential campaign. Around him swirl fleeting encounters, patriotic hymns, prayers, accidental violence, tenderness, and landscapes of desperate beauty – an America at once raw and poetic.

The film avoids conventional narrative, weaving fragments of daily life into an unconventional and striking portrait of a nation divided yet profoundly human. As history closes in, Eduardo’s quiet presence collides with Robert, a steadfast Trump supporter, over something as simple as a hamburger. Told with what the filmmaker Gianluca Vassallo calls “punk clarity” and “riot delicacy,” this film stands out as a rare cinematic achievement – one seldom seen in films that attempt to capture America.

Written & Directed by Gianluca Vassallo

Produced by Maddalena Satta for White Box Studio

Co-produced by Daniele Guarnera and Alessia Calvani for Percettiva;

Whitney George for The Curiosity Cabinet

Executive Producer | Gianluca Vassallo

Director of Photography | Gianluca Vassallo

DOP Assistants | Francesco Mannironi, Roberto Verbena

Editors | Gianluca Vassallo and Giulio Tiberti

Color Correction | Francesco Mannironi

Sound Design | Daniele Guarnera

Foley Artist | Fabio Cucculelli

Assistant Director | Mercedes Corveddu

Camera Operators | Francesco Mannironi, Roberto Verbena

Graphic Design & Titles | Samuele Savio for Choice Studio

Sound Post-Production | Percettiva

Mastering and DCP | White Box Studio

Original Music | Whitney George

Performed by | The Curiosity Cabinet

Adam von Housen | Violin I

Laura Thompson | Violin II

Laura Sacks | Viola

Mark Serkin | Cello

Steve Beck | Piano