There are minor dramas among Charlie’s friends, but mostly it’s about Charlie and Nick. It looks like Hollyoaks with an art-school twist. Charlie’s friend Elle wonders if she has feelings for their other friend, Tao, and hearts appear in the air. Hands almost touch cartoon lightning crackles between them. It nods to its origins as a graphic novel with moments of animation, particularly when emotions run high.
When Ben progresses from treating him coldly to getting a girlfriend then belittling him when they are together, Nick comes to the rescue, and their friendship slowly builds towards something else. (There is much on-screen messaging in this, and watching characters write, delete, rewrite and re-delete their replies is tensely effective.) Charlie has a secret sort-of-boyfriend, Ben, who meets up with him in the library at break time, but who picks on him when anyone else is around. It is unutterably sweet and wholesome, and by the end of its zippy eight episodes, it leaves the sensation of being on the receiving end of a solid hug.Ĭharlie is already out at school, and has experienced some bullying as a result, but seems to have settled into a supportive friendship group who value their film nights and send each other a lot of DMs.
Adapted by the writer Alice Oseman from her graphic novel series of the same name, it follows 14-year-old Charlie as he develops a crush on popular rugby player Nick, after they bond over whether it is appropriate or not to do your homework on the way to maths. on May 6, 2022, and on DVD/Digital on May 10, 2022.H eartstopper (Netflix) may not quite live up to the dramatic promise of its title, but this adorable teen romance is a heartwarmer, at the very least. He’d be a find for an American indie seeking exciting new blood.Īwards Daily had quite the rousing and fun chat with both filmmakers and star. Deft at comedy, he is also heartbreaking in the film’s serious moments. Along the way, he makes new and trippy friends, realizes where his true career path lies and lets himself finally give in to a healthy romantic life.Ĭommare commands the screen.
But when Lorenzo dumps him, he must learn to forge his own path, and that means figuring out who he is, alone. Handsome and sexy Antonio (Giancarlo Commare) isn’t even 30 yet and he’s been in a serious relationship for 12 years, relying on his husband, Lorenzo, for most everything and seemingly unaware of his own worth, not to mention his yumminess.
Even Ozpetek’s gays are safe and often closeted.įirst-time feature film directors Alessandro Guida and Matteo Pilati deliver a delicious, queer-empowering delight that has all the ingredients that you would expect (hot men, nudity, sex, clever dialogue, pastries, Madonna), but the filmmakers, along with co-screenwriter Giuseppe Paternò Raddusa, do a deep dive into the fears and anxieties that come with learning to love oneself in a world that rarely allows for that luxury. Certainly Pasolini, Visconti, and Zeffirelli (to name the most famous out directors) explored homoeroticism in their films in the ‘60s and ‘70s, but except for Turkish/Italian helmer Ferzan Ozpetek’s seminal work throughout his career, gay representation on the Italian screen has been virtually limited to comic caricature characters and a few male-gaze lesbian moments.īut now we have Mascarpone (Maschile Singolare), a bold and rather subversive new film where gay characters are out and proud and live their lives without any of that self-hate and Catholic guilt you’ve heard so much about (okay, maybe not without the latter but with less than the usual amount). Italian cinema has never been incredibly embracing when it comes to telling queer stories. Download: Making ‘Mascarpone,’ a Queer-Positive Concoction