Pianese Nunzio, Fourteen in May (1996)
"Pianese Nunzio, 14 anni a maggio" (original title)

A young priest crusades against organized crime in his Naples neighbourhood but falls in love with a 13-year old boy. It's the chance the gangsters were waiting for to get rid of the thorn ... See full summary »

Director:

Antonio Capuano

Writers:

Antonio Capuano (screenplay), Antonio Capuano (story)

Stars:

Gaetano Amato, Fabrizio Bentivoglio, Flavio Brunetti

1 win & 6 nominations.

Cast

Credited cast:
Gaetano Amato
Fabrizio Bentivoglio	...	Don Lorenzo Borrelli
Flavio Brunetti
Rosaria De Cicco	...	Rosaria
Emanuele Gargiulo	...	Nunzio Pianese
Beppe Gatta
Livia Imparato
Manuela Martinelli	...	Ada
Vincenzo Pirozzi
Teresa Saponangelo	...	Anna Maria Pica
Tonino Taiuti	...	Cuccarini
Carlo Triola
Nando Triola	...	Giovanni Pianese
C. Vacalebre
Gianfranco Veltre

Storyline

A young priest crusades against organized crime in his Naples neighbourhood but falls in love with a 13-year old boy. It's the chance the gangsters were waiting for to get rid of the thorn in their side. Will they be able to force the boy to accuse the priest of sexual harassment and have his reputation destroyed?

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Plot Keywords:

priest | boy | love | journalist | pay phone | 

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Taglines:

Tragressivo, provocatorio, aspro: la seconda fatica di Antonio Capuano dopo "Vito e gli altri" è un film che ha fatto e farà discutere a lungo.

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Genres:

Crime | Drama

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Details

Country:

Italy

Language:

Italian

Release Date:

5 September 1996 (Italy)

Also Known As:

Pianese Nunzio, Fourteen in May

Filming Locations:

Naples, Campania, Italy

Company Credits

Production Co:

A.M.A. Film, Istituto Luce, GMF

Technical Specs

Runtime:

114 min

Color:

Color

User Reviews

Moral ambiguity

To me this film was about morality: Of the murderous tactics of the mafia and the sexual transgressions of a priest. The priest rails against the mafia while seducing a 13 year old boy. He is shown to have had another boy lover now discarded for a younger, more attractive one. Listening to the priest's recorded voice, the young lover hears: "sanctity and eroticism are the same". Bluring the moral responsibility of the priest, we learn that he was born of unknown parents. All the adult characters are shown to be flawed. Only the boy and his girlfriend, are shown as innocents, wanting only affection and sensual pleasure. In an attempt to discredit the priest, the boy is pressured to betray him by admitting to the relationship. His silence loses him his life and hence is sacred,far more so than the sacred rituals the priest recites to a few bored parishioners. The question remaining is:Is the priest any less guilty than the mafia? There is of course no answer and it is left to the viewer to ponder the events.

The story is developed slowly and in Italian with English subtitles so it is a bit hard to keep the familial relations and events straight. But the major outlines are clear and well worth watching.