Directed by:
Paolo GenoveseCinematography:
Fabrizio LucciComposer:
Maurizio FilardoCast:
Giuseppe Battiston, Anna Foglietta, Marco Giallini, Edoardo Leo, Valerio Mastandrea, Alba Rohrwacher, Kasia Smutniak, Benedetta Porcaroli (more)Plots(1)
The titular perfect strangers are actually seven long-time friends (three couples and one bachelor), all 40ish, who gather on a warm summer evening for a dinner party to watch a lunar eclipse. They agree that no private calls or messaging will disrupt their evening, and in a communal fit of 'we have nothing to hide' bravado, they place their devices on the table and declare that all incoming calls and texts are shared with the group (letting a caller know they're on speaker is considered a cheat). But what seems at first like an innocent and playful distraction between friends quickly turns into something more, as some eye-opening secrets about the partners and acquaintances opposite begin to emerge... (Madman Entertainment)
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Reviews (11)
An Italian single-location film that was surprisingly enjoyable. I find games like truth or dare pathetic, but this version enhanced by cellphones was downright suicidal. For example, I'd love to see Sofia's reaction if she found out with whom daddy shared their private conversation. The creators did an excellent job portraying the individual characters and I really enjoyed the conclusion which unraveled the alternative version of the story. I was completely satisfied.
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The Italians are pulling a decent Ace out of their sleeve at the beginning of the year and I dare say already that in the comedy/drama genre this will be hard to beat this year. This is probably the first comedy that is smart, based only on dialogues, without bad words, without teenage humour, without nudity and without awkward situations that I liked ! :D At first I was worried about how the film, set entirely at the table of one dinner between four couples of old friends, would turn out, but the play or the idea is brilliant in itself, that the fun is downright taken care of. The idea of me laying out my cell phone on the table amongst all my friends and any call or text that comes in will be seen by everyone, I probably wouldn't be comfortable with that either.Towards the end the film escalates in such a way that the comedy eventually becomes a nerve-wracking thriller. Very funny, smart, twisted, original and perfect. 100%.
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Hypocrisy is a trait possessed by almost everyone who dines together in this movie. What seems to be fun at the beginning changes with time into a brutal emotional ride that just doesn’t end. An exemplary premise reflecting the present times where people cannot live without their smartphones and while walking at the sidewalk, they spend more time looking at their screens than that sidewalk. With this dialogue-based movie the Italians did the best they could.
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Perfect Strangers starts as a light and enjoyable relationship comedy about a group of long-time friends who, along with their partners, come to a party wanting to forget their worries, reminisce about the past, and enjoy the lunar eclipse undisturbed by their kids. Playful banter and a relaxed atmosphere lead to a foolish idea of revealing their privacy (after all, they have nothing to hide from each other) and conducting their phone calls with the speaker on. The voices of dissenting parties are silenced - those who disagree have something to hide. Soon skeletons start coming out of the closet, characters are exposed, and communication begins to dangerously falter. Positive emotions are replaced by distrust and bitterness. The comedy subtly becomes a moralistic drama. It is accurate and true to life, but I feel that for this film it applies more than to others that you need to have some life experience to fully enjoy it. It is simply a film for the middle generation who knows what a mid-life crisis is. I liked both the comedic and dramatic aspects, and I also appreciated the civility of the performances and the fresh quality of the actors. It is a movie that I will definitely come back to in the future. Overall impression: 90%.
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Perfect Strangers is an excellent conversational film built on a simple yet original idea escalated by some surprising
twists. True, Woody Allen or Roman Polanski would have given it the unique poetics of a great filmmaker, but can’t we do without
that? The success of the conventional form is all the more appreciated when it is due “only” to the right cast, brisk pace
and striking socially significant moments. The call from the 17-year-old daughter is the emotional, human peak of the
film, while the earrings scene is the best moment of the film’s comical side. And there is a nice ending in the style of La
La Land. I think an American remake, which would get a rating of about 68% on this website, is more than likely (with
Bateman, Sudeikis, Vergara et al?).
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