Né Giulietta, né Romeo [A Little Lust] *** (2015, Andrea Amato, Pia Engleberth, Corrado Invernizzi, Carolina Pavone, Francesco De Miranda) – Classic Movie Review 12,629

The fresh and funny 2015 comedy drama Né Giulietta, né Romeo [A Little Lust] is a likeable, well meaning film starting from bullying and homophobia among teenagers at an Italian high school, where gay teenager Rocco (Andrea Amato) is relentlessly stalked by the school bully.

Director Veronica Pivetti’s fresh and funny 2015 comedy drama Né Giulietta, né Romeo [A Little Lust] is a likeable, well meaning if slightly unresolved film starting from bullying and homophobia among teenagers at an Italian high school, and moving onto how friends and family handle the fallout for one gay teenage boy. The gay teenager, Rocco (Andrea Amato), is relentlessly stalked by the school bully and they have a punch-up in the showers (which we see). This is followed by another incident in the showers (which we don’t see) when the hero is found kissing another gay boy, a handsome, sensitive new kid in school.

Meanwhile Rocco’s favourite pop star Jody McGee is outed and goes on a farewell Sodom and Masturbation tour. The film switches to Rocco’s obsession about going to a pop concert to see his idol, with the help of his sympathetic girl best friend Maria (Carolina Pavone) and straight male friend Mauri (Francesco De Miranda), with mom (Veronica Pivetti) and fascist gran (Pia Engleberth) off in pursuit in the old girls’ ancient Fiat cinquecento when the kids vanish in mom’s car.

It has both entertainment and enlightenment value – it’s very amusing and thoughtful – and its good spirit and nice hero see it successfully through. The parents come over really quite unsympathetically, the mamma a journalist and the papa (Corrado Invernizzi) a psychiatrist. Both of them should know better, but they don’t. Pia Engleberth, the actress who plays nonna (gran) pushes her luck, but mostly she’s funny enough. It’s a surprise to find the psychiatrist so selfish, self-obsessed and useless. It’s a shock to find the boy’s male school friend Mauri isn’t at all impressed that he’s gay, but it feels right. The only real villain though is the school bully.

It takes on generally a light tone as more of a comedy than a drama, and is a bit daft at times, but happily it has a darker heart, with a fairly dim view of humanity. The sour edge suits it nicely. Plus it has a modern, fresh vibe, with a fair amount of attitude and frank speaking. It’s a bit sexless, considering that sex is on the agenda, when it could afford to turn up the heat. A sexier gay film would be more enjoyable, but then this is homophobic Italy.