The intimate Italian drama “Malanova,” out November 19 on DVD and on demand, sensitively examines a gay couple at a crossroads. Riccardo (Nuno Nolasco) returns from a trip to Portugal and thinks his partner of six months Matteo (Joele Anastasi) is being “melancholic.” As they go on a hike, Matteo has an episode where he feels unwell. It is soon revealed that Matteo is HIV-positive. Matteo asks Riccardo to get tested, but Riccardo doesn’t want to — perhaps because he does not want to know if he, too, has HIV. Moreover, Matteo is also facing fears; he is reluctant to treat his HIV with the medication he is given.
When Matteo heads off to visit Enzo (Stefano Saccotelli), Riccardo is initially suspicious, but he soon learns Enzo is Matteo’s uncle. Enzo helps both men process their feelings and gives the couple perspective about managing both the illness and their relationship.
“I wanted to compare the old and new generations,” out gay writer-director Roberto Cuzzillo explained in a recent interview with Gay City News. “In Italy, we don’t talk much about HIV, and the younger generation, in particular, doesn’t talk about HIV. Often, when we hear the stories, we are talking about the past — the 80s and 90s. I wanted to tell the story of this topic now; what it means to HIV positive today. Many things around HIV have changed. The medicine has changed, and the illness can be managed.”
“Malanova” suggests that Riccardo is afraid to get tested because doesn’t have information on treatment.
“It is why he has a fear about his status,” Cuzzillo said, “It is important that we address this. If someone is positive and they use the therapy, he can live like other people; it is not like it was in the film ‘Philadelphia.’”
The filmmaker deliberately sits with the characters, shooting much of the film with a handheld camera. This approach allows the actors to express their emotions as Matteo and Riccardo grapple with the future of their relationship.
“I like to portray introspective moments,” Cuzzillo observed. “I like to go inside their heads. You are alone with the emotions they feel — the fear. Like everyone in the world, we are alone, and as we have to our feelings and emotions. It’s about fighting within ourselves, but also learning to fight together to confront a bad situation.”
Matteo is conflicted because he feels alone with his illness. Matteo is also hearing impaired and Cuzzillo did not want to use his disability or his illness to make him a victim. He acknowledged, “Initially, the idea was that Matteo lives with this disability. It was a metaphoric way to have him confront his problems alone. Sometimes he wants to be alone in the world.”
He continued, “I decided not to use the music and sound to show Matteo was not hearing well. His [hearing impairment] was a part of him. I didn’t want his HIV and hearing impairment to be seen as ‘problematic.’ Matteo is a normal guy.”
Cuzzillo’s shrewd approach is not to spoonfeed viewers information about the couple. Did Matteo have HIV before he met Riccardo, or did he get it by cheating on his partner? Cuzzillo is not being cagey when he states, “I don’t want to explain everything. I shot the film using an ‘ellipsis.’ When people watch, they can imagine what has happened.” The filmmaker wants viewers to engage with the characters and think about them during and after the credits roll.
One aspect of “Malanova” that is unambiguous is depicting the tenderness between Matteo and Riccardo. There are many affectionate scenes between the couple. Cuzzillo’s intimate aesthetic is designed to make the film feel passionate. The actors, who knew each other prior to filming, were encouraged to improvise their scenes, giving them the freedom to play up the intimacy.
Cuzzillo wants viewers to engage with the film’s characters and consider the issues they face. “Malanova” is a perceptive and well-acted romantic drama about a still important topic.
“Malanova” | Directed by Roberto Cuzzillo | Available November 19 on Digital, DVD & Blu-ray; Digital: major TVOD outlets, cable on demand and Dish | Distributed by Ariztical Entertainment.
