›› Age 17 - 17 Anni ‹‹ a short film by Filippo Demarchi. 2013 | 22 mins | Switzerland. a compelling take on the adolescent heart. principal players: Fabio Foiada / Matteo, Ignazio Oliva / Don Massimo, Laura Minazzi / Nadine and Kevin Martinetti as Firat. Official Synopsis: Matteo is a 17-year-old boy who has fallen in love with Don Massimo; a young priest in the village who leads the marching band in which Matteo plays the drum. Matteo sees in Massimo a person willing to listen to his fears and desires and for the first time in his life, Matteo feels ready to open up to someone. Dave says: Delivered with a natural tone that makes it feel wonderfully realistic, here we find writer and director Filippo Demarchi relate the age-old story of a teenager's first crush. Yet as compelling a take on the adolescent heart as this is, Demarchi has fallen into the trap that many a director finds difficult to avoid, namely and whilst it's all but obvious to the viewer, let alone to rival drummer Firat, that gay boy Matteo has the hots for the leader of the band, the man himself is blind to the point of incredulity to Matteo's longing looks and ways, even when Matteo all but invites himself over to Massimo's house. That said, production values are solid throughout, with the setting in one of the Italian speaking cantons of Switzerland adding to the joy of a work that finds Fabio Foiada as Matteo beautifully portray the mixed emotions of a teenager not only coming to terms with his sexuality, but also his love for a man devoted to God. It's an impossible love triangle, one where Matteo often misreads Massimo's good intentions, only to end up learning that cold hard fact that the path to love is all too often filled with the tears of both happiness and heartache. Gay Visibility - overt.  Nudity - from the waist up.  Overall - file under ... 3+ stars.  nudity guide: strictly from the waist up shots of Fabio Foiada. donations are the lifeblood of Gay Celluloid; every drop helps keep it online - thank you :) Copyright 2016 David Hall - www.gaycelluloid.com. archive reference #2016003 ›› previous page | back to top | print me ‹‹