WATCH: ‘Fireworks’ offers a forbidden romance under the Italian sun based on a true story
Call Me By Your Name and Summer Of 85, upcoming Italian drama Fireworks touches on a lot a lot of the tropes we’ve come to expect from queer, European, coming-of-age tales.Two young men meet by chance and become fast friends, spending their carefree summer days frolicking in the sun, splashing in the water, and riding their bikes across town—possibly falling for one another in the process.
Familiar territory at this point, right?But Fireworks sets itself apart because it’s actually based on a true story, one that played a significant role in the Italian Gay Rights movement in the ’80s.
To tell you any more about those real-life events would spoil where the film is headed, so for now we’ll just offer this advice: Get those tissues ready.The first feature film from actor-turned-director Giuseppe Fiorello (whose on-screen credits include a small role in Queerty favorite The Talented Mr.
Ripley), Fireworks—or “Stranizza d’amuri” in Italian—is a romance about two young men in Sicily in 1982, at a time when many still held prejudiced opinions about homosexuality.The shy Gianni (Samuele Segreto) isn’t exactly able to hide his nature, and finds himself frequently teased by the macho men in his hometown.
