Gay Celluloid on Uproar

›› Uproar - Pipinara ‹‹

a short film by Ludovico Di Martino.

2017 | 14 mins | Italy.

the painful truth that for some, murder is something that you can get away with.

Dave says:

Well-played from start to finish, this compelling drama from co-writer and director Ludovico Di Martino begins as bright as a morning sunrise, only to turn decidedly dark as the day becomes night.

Before that however it charts the close friendship of a group of spirited young men, following them as they get their kicks by way of stealing a sacred icon from a local church, in turn for some quick cash and a plate full of pasta; well, it is Italy. Fronted by leader of the pack Claudio (Alessandro Marverti); namely a hot-blooded Italian who's repulsed when a good-looking stranger (Rocco Fasano) pulls up in a fancy car looking for his "boyfriend" Domenico (Andrea Orano), Claudio becomes even more enraged when he learns that Domenico intends to head-off later that night to turn tricks. Learning where the location is, Claudio follows Domenico to the beach at Ostia, only to discover that his best friend is in way over his head, getting up close and personal with noted Italian film director, writer and intellectual Pier Paolo Pasolini and the rest as they say, is history.

Weaving fiction with the shocking fact of the brutal murder of Pasolini on the night of the 2nd November, 1975, this striking short film has a lot going for it, seamlessly morphing from lively teenage kicks, to a scenario in which it's all too apparent that things are not going to turn out well.

For it's here that Di Martino excels, playing his work with such an intensity that you cannot take your eyes away from the screen for a second, culminating in a close-of-play that speculates on the way events could have played out, given exactly what took place that night is as much a mystery now, if not more so, than it was back then. Frankly, we'll probably never know. That Marverti dominates in the role of Claudio, goes without saying and yet if truth be told, he's too old for the character he's playing. Whatever, the result is a captivating work that showcases the painful truth that for some, whether it be the Mafia or not, murder is something that you can get away with. Uncomfortable viewing; undoubtedly, but wonderfully played by one and all.

›› available as part of THE ITALIAN BOYS shorts compilation.

›› posted: Wednesday, 10th March, 2021.

Gay Visibility - overt.
Nudity - none.
Overall - file under ... 4 stars.

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