Nuovo Olimpo

Two male lovers are separated by unexpected circumstances in Ferzan Ozpetek’s remarkable Italian drama.

A shared glance at one another and two faces in a crowd become instantly attracted. The year is 1978 and Enea Monte (Damiano Gavino) is a film student just wrapping up his latest project. This brings up an audience of onlookers, one of whom is medical student Pietro Gherardi (Andrea Di Luigi). They swap looks. Later on they meet again at a gay art cinema – the Nuovo Olimpo of the title, where Enea is friendly with the cashier, Titti (Luisa Ranieri). They hook up but, although the much-experienced Enea wants to have sex, the nervously reticent Pietro, obviously cruising for the first time, would rather go somewhere less public than a cinema toilet. They eventually end up at a friend’s vacant apartment where Enea and Pietro spend the night together.

Both men appear to be bisexual and they immediately develop a loving relationship. They plan to meet again the following day at a restaurant after Pietro has seen his mother who is recuperating in hospital. Unfortunately, on the way to their rendezvous Pietro is caught up in an anti-fascist demonstration and, although Enea goes in search of his new friend, he is nowhere to be seen. Ten years on and Enea has become a successful director, while Pietro has married Giulia (Greta Scarano). After seeing Enea’s latest film, Pietro is curious and revisits the Nuovo Olimpo. However, it is no longer a gay arthouse but an adult porn cinema and cashier Titti is nowhere to be seen.

Another five years pass and Enea meets a new lover, Antonio (Alvise Rigo). So, the two brief former lovers are now with different partners but there is still the nagging doubt in their minds as to what really happened. Director Ferzan Ozpetek and his co-writer Gianni Romoli present a thoroughly emotional situation with utter restraint and sensitivity and deal with the inevitable frustration that both Enea and Pietro are feeling about the loss of a loved one. Shot in Rome, the film is set against beautiful locations that only emphasize the sadness of the two ex-lovers’ predicaments, having to accept a second-best relationship while also dealing with the loss of their one true love.

As Enea and Pietro, Damiano Gavino and Andrea Di Luigi give credible but heartstopping performances and their loving relationship is confirmed with just the briefest of bedroom scenes. Interestingly, the director drops a few hints about his filmic influences – the cinema displays posters of Rear Window and À bout de souffle and there are scenes on the Nuovo Olimpo screen with Anna Magnani, while mention is made of the death of Federico Fellini. However, what really was brought to my mind was a nod to the cinema of Douglas Sirk, in which Ozpetek acknowledges the importance of life becoming tragic merely by unfortunate accidents.

MICHAEL DARVELL

Cast: Andrea Di Luigi, Damiano Gavino, Luisa Ranieri, Greta Scarano, Federico Mancini, Alvise Rigo, Giancarlo Commare, Luca Finotti, Loredana Cannata, Mariano Gallo.

Dir Ferzan Ozpetek, Pro Tilde Corsi and Gianni Romoli, Screenplay Gianni Romoli and Ferzan Ozpetek, Ph Gian Filippo Corticelli, Pro Des Rossella Pirro, Ed Pietro Morana, Music Andrea Guerra, Costumes Monica Gaetani, Voice Director Lorenzo Grasso, Intimacy Coordinator Luisa Lazzaro, Stunt Coordinator Paolo Antonini.

R & C Produzioni/Faros Film/Warner Bros-Warner Bros/Netflix.
113 mins. Italy. 2023. UK and US Rel: 1 November 2023. Cert. 15.

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