There are movies that spend years getting off the ground, going through script rewrites, cast changes, and director switches, and enough money to feed a small country — and there are endeavors like “Sunday at Il Posto Accanto,” which seems to have risen organically from a favorite East Village eatery.
Located at 190 East 2nd St., it’s the spot that foodie Padma Lakshmi lists as one of her favorites — and she’s not alone.
Director Seth Svi Rosenfeld, who was born and raised in the neighborhood, was in town to make another movie altogether when that project fell apart. Julio Pena, co-owner of Il Posto with his wife, Beatrice Tosti di Valminuta, invited Rosenfeld to the restaurant.
“It was one of the crazier Sundays that I remember, and I’ve been going there since 1995,” Rosenfeld recalled. “It was a drunken, wild night, and I woke up the next day thinking that I should be making a movie at the restaurant instead of the other one. In about a week, I had some 60-odd scenes written on index cards on the wall.”
His first call was to his producers, who agreed that he had the makings of a movie. The next was to his old friend actor/writer Danny Hoch, who quickly agreed to collaborate. Next up was actor Victor Rasuk, another friend, and then to Pena, who had to be convinced not only to let them shoot in the restaurant, but to be in it as well, with Valminuta as a co-star.
Set in the post-COVID lockdown era, Il Posto had become not just a location but a hub for the community during a trying and uncertain time.
“Never did I think that I would do anything of this sort,” admitted Pena, who had never acted before —except maybe a bit growing up. “I’m an only child, so I had to act a bit so I wouldn’t get my ass kicked for all the bad things I did as a child.”
What’s exciting for him is “not seeing myself on film, but seeing how the restaurant is portrayed. It’s a big shout-out to the food industry and the time we were living in. We were just trying to figure out what the next step was, you know, when you’re responsible for twenty-something people who work for you.”
Valminuta, who is also the furthest thing from an actor, had no problem playing herself. But, while she confesses that the experience was amazing, she is not looking forward to seeing herself on screen.
For her, “the movie is so many things. It’s not about Posto Accanto, it’s about the magic of the neighborhood place that keeps the magic here.” Although she had her reservations about disrupting her customers while filming, but she was relieved that “everyone enjoyed themselves very much.”
The entire shoot took place over six days in the summer of 2021, with two days spent at Il Posto. And, Pena said, “Seth lied to me! He told me that they were going to shoot with iPhones while we were open and no one would know they were there.”
Rosenfeld was definitely not lying when he praised Pena and Valminuta, saying that “Beatrice was amazing — she brought an unexpected emotional quality to the film. And Julio was a grounding force. I couldn’t be happier with them.”
The leads, Hoch and Rasuk, are experienced actors but were often working without a net.
“There was a ton of improvisation,” Rosenfeld informed us. Many of the scenes were written as scenarios, which gave the leads an opportunity to create.
“We rehearsed a lot, but the least I knew, the more organic it became,” said Rasuk.
Some of those scenes grew out of Hoch’s stories (he wrote a couple of the main monologues ) and at least one situation may or may not have been drawn from Rasuk’s life (“No comment!” Rasuk said).
Lisa Binns, a regular patron since the place opened, is another first-time actor who found herself in a major role in the film.
“Quite frankly, I didn’t really act in this movie,” she admitted. “I was playing myself. If they made me remember lines, it would have been an epic fail.”
Another frequent flier, Michael Pankov, has been a patron there for around 15 years and can be found there almost every Sunday with his friends.
“It was a little surprising seeing myself in the film,” he noted, “but it brought up wonderful memories of the time when the film was shot. I believe that the film perfectly captures the essence of the restaurant. It’s always great food, great wine, amazing people, and the feeling that you’re with your extended family.”
The theme of community is ever-present, and as Binns said, “the movie feels like a love letter to Il Posto and the community.”
Rosenfeld’s takeaway is that “we need each other. Sometimes there’s a sense in the world that there are things that are more important than the person next to you, but I’m looking out for a sense of community. The neighborhood restaurant is a gathering place for the tribe.”
“I want to second that sentiment,” said Hoch. “New York City, despite how extremely the world has contorted post-COVID, is still New York City. That tapestry of community can survive anything, no matter what crisis is befalling us.”
Rasuk mused that we need to “keep the ones you love close. As the pandemic magnified, life is short.”
Pena noted that one of the effects of the pandemic was that “there was this beautiful period when people were putting political stuff and getting along. We don’t need another pandemic, but we need another moment for people to come together and be loving and understanding. I miss people being nice to each other, I really do.”
“Sunday at Il Posto Accanto” is now available on AppleTV+, and will soon be on Tubi and YouTube. Further info online at www.
