Oh mio Dio, this gay Italian romance is about to ruin us, isn’t it?
Coming (very) soon to Netflix is Nuovo Olimpo, a sweeping, decade-spanning story about love found, lost, and then found again.
The film takes its title from a little Italian movie theater, which plays a pivotal role in the lives of two young men, Enea (Un Professore‘s Damiano Gavino) and Pietro (newcomer Andrea Di Luigi). It’s there, under the glow of the projector, that they first lock eyes, forever changing the course of their lives.
We first got word of Nuovo Olimpo a year ago when the streamer announced it had begun production, sharing a photo of writer-director Ferzan Özpetek (Steam: The Turkish Bath, Loose Cannons) with his stars, both looking fabulous in some ’70s-era threads.
Image Credit: Netflix
At the time all we knew of its story was its vague yet evocative synopsis:
“Two 25-year-old men who meet by chance, fall madly in love, and are then separated due to an unexpected event. For the next thirty years they pursue the hope of finding each other again.”
But the film’s sumptuous trailer fills in some of the details, first showing us how Enea and Pietro found freedom through the movies shown within the walls of the Nuovo Olimpo, and then how they found each other.
Outside the theater, however, revolution is brewing. Throughout the 1970s, social movements swept through Italy, and a number of student-led protests were met with violence. When one of them comes to the doors of Nuovo Olimpo, it disrupts Enea and Pietro’s cinematic paradise, and the two are torn apart.
Cut to 30 years later, the men haven’t seen each other since that fateful day. Their beloved theater is now seedy and run down, showing snuff and adult films.
‘The Goddess of Fortune’ examines love and masculinity, Italian style.
While they’ve done their best to move on with their lives—Enea, for his part, is now a successful director—they’ve never really managed to forget the fiery passion they felt for one another.
Was their spark just momentary, or is their love as timeless as the classic films that first brought them together?
Özpetek is one of the most underrated queer voices in international cinema, so we’re thrilled Netflix’s global platform means his latest has the opportunity to be seen far and wide.
Nuovo Olimpo premiered this past week at the Rome Film Festival, and will exclusively debut on the streamer on November 1. You can check out its trailer below:
