Arka Mukhopadhyay
Mehdi Avazv helmed the Danish-English bilingual romantic comedy-drama ‘Toscana’ with subtlety and grace. Theo Dahl is a famous name in the culinary culture of Denmark, thanks to his dishes which look like bonsai gardens. However, his restaurant has taken a financial hit. After a botched deal with an investor, Theo heads to attend his father’s funeral. While he plans to sell the estate that he inherited from his father to gather the money, a meeting with Sophia makes him traverse memories. Set against a lush backdrop featuring famed stars and conditioned by a poignant score, the movie evokes an unadulterated feel-good ambiance. However, you may wonder what goes down in the final moments. In that case, we have you insured. SPOILERS AHEAD.
Toscana Plot Synopsis
After Geo’s death, Pino Conti sends a letter to his son, Theo, asking him to return to Tuscany. Pino, the executor of the estate, must inform Theo that he has inherited a vast estate and the Castello Ristonchi. Meanwhile, Michelin-star winning chef Theo Dahl, who is going through some monetary constraints, makes “Dove In Nest,” a dish that looks nothing less than a work of art. The team of able cooks prepares the dish for potential investor Jonas Zeuten. Jonas brings a company, Lila, and they head to the kitchen to greet the chefs before the dinner. However, as they intrude into the kitchen in the middle of work, infuriated Theo gets into a commotion, and Jonas leaves.
Shortly after, Theo leaves to handle the business of Castello Ristonchi, while his accountant Merle thinks it is an excellent opportunity for Theo to get his mind off of things. Meanwhile, she also reminds him of the financial situation. At the estate, Theo meets waiter Sophia under hostile circumstances. Theo asks for a water bottle, and Sophia brings him one, pouring water into a glass filled with ice. When Theo hesitates to drink from it (since the ice may be contaminated), Sophia gets offended and leaves. Vincent comes to apologize to Theo. Then Sophia comes to know Theo’s identity from the credit card. After a meeting with Pino, Theo returns to his father’s house, cleans the kitchen, and makes a sandwich that he would like to eat.
Later, Sophia gives Theo a tour down memory lane, and Theo discovers a statue of his father. While Theo thinks that the engraving, ‘As Extraordinary as Everyone Else’ is hypocritical, Sophia assures him that the sculpture will eventually erode. Returning to the kitchen, Theo discovers Vincent and Sophia cooking for an upcoming wedding. Theo further realizes that the marriage is between Sophia and Pino Conti on a hike with Vincent. After that, Theo discovers a photo in Sophia’s place and realizes that she is the same girl he had a crush on in his childhood. After getting a lucrative offer for the estate, Theo decides to put on a culinary show for Sophia’s wedding and prove the estate’s potential to his buyer. When he catches the lovebug, it causes additional tension.
Toscana Ending: Does Theo Sell The Estate?
Ultimately, Theo decides against selling the estate. At the beginning of the movie, Theo is adamant about selling the estate, especially after looking at the financial papers. The Ristonchi Castle, mainly, seems to be in bad shape, and it needs some renovation. Also, Theo knows from Vincent that Sophia invested a hefty sum of money in renovating parts of the house. Theo meets business mogul Lucca at a party as Pino introduces them to each other. Lucca gives Theo the offer of four hundred thousand euros, but it is seemingly too low for such a vast estate. Theo raises the bar to nine hundred thousand, promising Lucca to show the estate’s potential.
Lucca plans to turn the estate into a hotel and a restaurant. And to capture the glory of the venue in front of Lucca, Theo decides to cook for Sophia’s wedding. But with Theo kissing Sophia on the night before the marriage, the story takes a tight turn. The following morning, Sophia confronts Theo, asking whether he is cooking for the wedding for Sophia or showing the place’s potential to Lucca. For Theo, who is trying to get rid of the property, the latter reason comes to the fore. The revelation puts Sophia in a tight corner, and she moves forward with the wedding.
Consequentially, Theo and Lucca finalize the deal. Back in Denmark, Theo and Merle look at the blueprint of their next venture. But Theo seems on the verge of crying, and Merle lets him leave. Theo returns to Pino’s house, and a fight ensues. Afterward, he speaks to Lucca, connecting him to the previous investor, Jonas. As Jonas agrees to give him some credit, Theo seeks to revive his family heritage rather than giving it away. In the finale, we see Theo and his team of cooks serving food to people in the open-air restaurant at Castello Ristonchi. With the revelation, we get the idea that Theo ultimately refrains from selling the castle.
Do Theo And Sophia End Up Together?
Although their early encounters evoke more tension than love, Theo and Sophia form a dynamic romantic pair. In the restaurant where Theo meets Sophia, his insistence on having water from the bottle causes some problems. Furthermore, Sophia does not want him to taste the food they are preparing for the “event” a la Sophia’s wedding. However, gradually, we realize that Theo and Sophia are pretty compatible with each other, as they are both reserved, secretive, and have complementing personalities. Sophia’s involvement in the story makes Theo realize how much his father loved and respected him. Sophia also has contrasting ways of looking at things, and Theo realizes that there is some gravity in Sophia’s takes on situations.
In Sophia’s room, Theo finds a photo of two children holding hands, reminding him of a faint past. In flashback, we see little Theo trembling from a kiss on the cheek by little Sophia and sense that Sophia is Theo’s childhood crush. With the revelation, Theo gathers the courage to kiss Sophia outside her house the night before the wedding. After the kiss, Theo apologizes, but Sophia seems to share Theo’s feelings as she leans forward for another kiss. However, as Sophia and Pino get wedded at the ceremony the following morning, Theo avoids human contact. When Pino asks Theo to change his chef’s apron to join them for a few drinks, Theo and Sophia become uneasy.
Therefore, we realize that Sophia and Theo do not end up together, but there remains a twist in the tale. At Pino’s house, Theo attempts to meet Sophia for the last time, only to find out that she has left Pino. The groom knows about the affair between Theo and Sophia, and the resentment leads to a fight. But there is a silver lining as Sophia arrives at the gate of Castello Ristonchi. She has decided to pursue university and is looking for lodging in the house. Theo says he can get Sophia a room, although he shies away from kissing Sophia, looking at the customers. However, we do not think it will hinder their budding romance, and seemingly, Theo and Sophia end up together.
What Is In The Statue?
Near the entrance of the Ristonchi Castle is a statue of Geo Dahl, Theo’s father. The inscription reads: ‘As extraordinary as everyone else.’ Theo abhors the figure since he thinks that the statue indicates his father’s megalomania. For him, it is hypocritical that a person who claims to be the same as everyone else would make a statue of himself. However, Theo does not realize that the engraving speaks more about the spectators than the person depicted in the sculpture. The figure indicates that everyone is as extraordinary if they reach their potential.
After the incident with Sophia, Theo breaks the statue on her wedding day. In the sculpture, he finds a compartment with eggshells within it. You may wonder where the eggshell comes from. Now, some of you may remember that Theo’s most treasured memory with Geo is them cooking eggs together. As Theo recollects to Sophia, his father taught him to cook eggs three ways – poached, boiled, and scrambled. Although it took Theo a year to perfect the cooking of the eggs, they have been perfect ever since. Therefore, the eggshells may stand for familial heritage and memories that people discard as they embrace busy, urban lifestyles. Following the discovery, Theo makes amends with his father’s statue as they stare at the sunset together.
Read More: Where Was Toscana Filmed?
