A dark tale set in a southern suburb of Rome, Bad Tales is the award-winning second feature film from directing duo the D’Innocenzo Brothers (Boys Cry IFF18), starring Elio Germano (Lucia’s Grace IFF18, Romazo Criminale IFF06).
The sweltering summer heat beats down on a sterile residential estate in the outskirts of Rome. There, four emotionally stifled kids on the cusp of puberty are caught between the angst of their age and a complete lack of reliable adult role models. With their parents constantly frustrated because the middle-class life they had hoped for is now beyond their reach, an almost ancestral rage festers in their relationships, and the world created by the D'Innocenzo brothers - screenwriters on the award-winning film Dogman (IFF18, Winner: Bvlgari Critic’s Choice Award). Yet ultimately it is the desperation and anger of the children which explodes and propels the entire estate towards collapse.
Reminiscent of Sofia Coppola’s The Virgin Suicides (1999), this sun-drenched suburban noir explores the destruction of the family unit in a story about women and men who see their dreams falling by the wayside all too soon.
Director
Damiano and Fabio D'Innocenzo
Twin brothers Damiano and Fabio D'Innocenzo are film directors and screenwriters. After growing up with a passion for painting, photography and poetry, in 2018 they made their first feature film Boys Cry (IFF18), which was nominated for Best First Feature at the Italian Golden Globes. The two were screenwriters on award-winning Dogman (IFF18). Bad Tales is their second film as directors.