Nuovo Olimpo is a tale of love and serendipity, following the relationship of Pietro and Enea who stumble across each other on, of all places, a film set. The film treads in the footsteps of other love stories, and deals with lost love and regret after a brief rendezvous. Fans of the genre will no doubt be engaged by the performances and direction. The arty and almost dreamlike tone draws on the romance of the silver screen, the theme layered into the narrative, and the meta approach to the story provides hints that the scenario drew its inspiration from a real-life encounter. But is Nuovo Olimpo really a true story, or just a love story that feels like one?
Is Nuovo Olimpo based on a true story?
Nuovo Olimpo is not based on a true story, but it is indeed a love story and feels real enough in that sense. It’s interesting to note why people feel an attraction to the idea that it could be based on real events.
The nature of the film, which is initially set in the 1970s, seems to resonate with viewers, and that may be due to the screenplay that evokes a love of film and cinema throughout the production.
The film itself could be considered a love story, acknowledging classic tales of lost love and yearning, stretching through the world of film itself. The pair, Enea an ambitious lover of film, played by Damiano Gavino, and Pietro a medical student, played by Andrea Di Luigi, cross paths by chance, however, they are later reunited at Rome’s Nuovo Olimpo cinema. The theatre is known for showing classic tales of romance and is a favored meeting place for gay couples. However, like all good love stories, they face adversity, and an unexpected turn of events sees the couple separated. Torn apart, the movie follows the lives of the pair who move on, but constantly yearn for their lost romance. In the years that follow, aspiring director Enea turns their story into a film, capturing the event on celluloid forever.
Following the course of the two main protagonists through the years, bitter-sweetly acknowledging their missed opportunity, may also resonate with many lovers of film who recognize the trope as a staple of many others — and indeed many real lives.
It could be argued that Nuovo Olimpo does lean a little too far into melancholy. The film is often a little melodramatic, but at its heart, the love story between our two protagonists speaks to many of us who have experienced the regret of a lost love.
Who directed Nuovo Olimpo?
Nuovo Olimpo was directed by Turkish-Italian director Ferzan Ozpetek and this was his first film for Netflix.
The hard-working director has previously been at the helm of fourteen other movies including Loose Cannons and Ignorant Fairies and was recently recognized during an amfAR gala at the Venice Film Festival for how his movies celebrate characters within the LGBTQ community. Here’s an excerpt from the amfAR announcement:
amfAR, The Foundation for AIDS Research, will honor Ferzan Ozpetek with the Award of Courage and Achille Boroli with the Philanthropic Leadership Award during the Venice Film Festival on September 7, 2022. The event will be presented by Campari and the Red Sea International Film Festival with the San Clemente Palace as the official hotel sponsor. International singer-songwriter Ellie Goulding will headline the intimate evening.
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