If Ferzan Özpetek is not Queerguru’s favorite queer Italian filmmaker, then he is definitely near the top of our list. This Turkish-born Italian captured our attention with Hamam (Steam: The Turkish Baths) in 1997. He then went on to capture our hearts with his multi-award-winning The Ignorant Fairies (released in the US/UK as His Secret Life.
Since then Özpetek has established a real panache for his multi-layered queer stories that often center around some melodrama and/or tragedy but always contain another twist that always surprises us. More importantly however is whilst all his films have main protagonists, Özpetek and his co-writers always ensure that the ensemble cast has well-rounded roles that actually make a major contribution to the film itself.
His latest film, a queer romance Nuovo Olimpo set across three decades in Italy premiered on Netflix this week. This drama is set in the ’70s and centers around a same-sex couple that tries to survive a dangerous period in time after falling madly in love. The movie takes its name from a movie house that plays a crucial role in the lives of its protagonists, one of whom becomes a noted film director. The trailer shows how Enea (Damiano Gavino) and Pietro (Andrea Di Luigi) meet while going to the movies at Nuovo Olimpo and embark on a swoony romance.
But the world outside is not quite so accommodating and is filled with unrest, and when a protest – and a police response – find their way into the theater’s walls, the two lovers are driven apart. The memory of their youthful romance fuels the movies Enea goes on to direct, and his steamy gay love stories prompt public speculation that he might be incorporating some of his own life into his work. At least one female lover enters the mix, before the two reunite 30 years after their passionate affair.
https://www.netflix.com/title/81645391
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