Among the mountains of movies, series, and documentaries released on Netflix every week, there are some pleasant surprises. This is the case with director Ferzan Ozpetek’s Nuovo Olimpo – at AlloCiné we didn’t hesitate to share our favourite.
The story tells about a romance between two men in Italy in the late seventies. If they meet for the first time at the Nuovo Olimpo cinema, a secret meeting place, Enea and Pietro see their paths to finally meet again after more than thirty years. During all this time, the two heroes never forgot each other.
This drama is all the more poignant when we delve into its creation and its raison d’être. Director Ferzan Ozpetek was inspired to write the story of his characters by an encounter that changed his life.
“Underlying everything is a story that actually happened to me in the first years of my life in Romehe reveals Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera. Missed the meeting, they were waiting for us in two different places. (…) by writing to Janis , I realized that when we talk about Aeneas and Pietro, my memories are mixed up. The result is a film about memory as the only possible fidelity.“
Many real and fictional elements intersect in Nuovo Olimpo. Cinemas never really existed, but Ferzan Ozpetek explains that in Rome at the time, these institutions were indeed meeting places.
The character of Titi, played by Luisa Ranieri, really existed.
Other connections to reality: The characters of Titi and Alice, to whom the film is dedicated. The first, played by Luisa Ranieri on the screen, was the cashier of the director’s favorite cinema. They became friends. This also applies to Alice, who is played by Aurora Giovinazzo, the hero’s best friend.
In the film, the two characters share a unique friendship that even flirts with romance. Ferzan Ozpetek clarifies:I had sex with my friend: we went to the cinema, then we got home and I told him about the boy I met.”
Nuovo Olimpo is available on Netflix.
Source: Allocine
Rose James is a Gossipify movie and series reviewer known for her in-depth analysis and unique perspective on the latest releases. With a background in film studies, she provides engaging and informative reviews, and keeps readers up to date with industry trends and emerging talents.
