Jump to the good stuff: The Story | Some Thoughts | The Final Verdict
The Story:
Nuovo Olimpo is an Italian drama about two men who meet at a cinema and fall in love only to be separated during a political clash with the police. Despite their separation, their love for each other continues.
The film begins in 1978 at the Nuovo Olimpo movie theater in Rome. The theater shows old films and is a cruising spot for gay men. Pietro (Andrea Di Luigi) is a young medical student who visits the theater and meets Enea (Damiano Gavino), an aspiring film producer. They go to the men’s room, but Pietro is too shy to have sex with Enea in the toilet stall. Pietro asks if Enea will meet him at the cinema the following day. Enea agrees.
Pietro visit his mother in the hospital while Enea goes home and hangs out with Alice (Greta Scarano), a friend with benefits. They have sex, then Enea tells her about his encounter with Pietro. Alice reminds him that they have class all afternoon the next day, and Enea says he’s going to call out sick.
The following day, Enea meets Pietro at the cinema and tells him that he has a place where they can meet up. It’s a friend’s grandmother’s house that’s empty, all he has to do is pick up the key. Pietro agrees and they spend the day having sex and falling in love.
When they meet at the cinema the next day, there’s a political demonstration going on outside the cinema. They decide to leave the cinema and have dinner, but Pietro has to visit his mother first. Pietro walks outside as the demonstration gets violent, and the two men are separated with no way to contact each other.
The film then shifts to 1988. Pietro becomes a physician and Enea a director. Although they each marry; they still think of each other. The film continues, skipping to 1993 and then finally to 2015, when they meet for the emotional conclusion.
Some Thoughts:
Enea’s bisexuality is introduced naturally, with him cruising men and then having sex with a woman, Alice. The current spate of gay movies mostly depicts men who are sexually exclusive to one gender, so this is refreshing.
I like Enea’s friendship with Alice and wish it was more fully explored. Nuovo Olimpo is a film that spans thirty-seven years and Enea and Alice are friends throughout that time. While Enea marries a man, Alice remains single. And over the years, the physical aspect of their friendship remains. This part of Nuovo Olimpo is far more interesting than the love story we’re given.
Pietro’s character is never fully explored. After losing touch with Enea, he tries to make contact again, then moves on with his life. He marries a woman and lives in the closet. What made him choose to suppress his homosexual desires? Alas, we never find out.
The story between Pietro and Enea often feels forced and contrived. The meat of the story is Pietro and Enea’s relationships with their spouses while they still feel a connection with each other. Director Ferzan Özpetek forces the bond between Pietro and Enea instead of trusting the audience to see it through the characters’ actions. Nuovo Olimpo suffers from the director’s lack of trust, and therefore doesn’t have the emotional impact it deserves.
The Final Verdict:
Nuovo Olimpo often feels contrived and forced. Because of that, it lacks emotional punch and authenticity.