Perfect Strangers (2016)

Seven long-time friends get together for a dinner. When they decide to share with each other the content of every text message, email and phone call they receive, many secrets start to unveil and the equilibrium trembles.

Director:

Paolo Genovese

Writers:

Filippo Bologna (screenplay), Paolo Costella (screenplay)

Stars:

Giuseppe Battiston, Anna Foglietta, Marco Giallini

13 wins & 13 nominations.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Giuseppe Battiston	...	Peppe
Anna Foglietta	...	Carlotta
Marco Giallini	...	Rocco
Edoardo Leo	...	Cosimo
Valerio Mastandrea	...	Lele
Alba Rohrwacher	...	Bianca
Kasia Smutniak	...	Eva
Benedetta Porcaroli	...	Sofia
Elisabetta De Palo	...	Nonna
Tommaso Tatafiore	...	Bruno
Noemi Pagotto	...	Rosa

Storyline

On a warm summer evening, the loving couple of Rocco, a plastic surgeon, and Eva, a therapist, are expecting their good friends to share a pleasant gathering over dinner. Everything is in order: The first course is ready; the roast is in the oven; the table is set, and without a doubt, this is going to be a meeting of true friends. Before long, the group begins the feast; however, in this nice but somewhat ordinary dinner, there is certainly something missing. Perhaps, if everyone placed their mobile phones on the table--and like a dangerous Russian roulette shared whatever arrived (texts, WhatsApp messages, and calls)--it would spice things up. Clearly, this uncommon truth-or-dare game has no point among honest companions who share everything with each other; nevertheless, when the phones start ringing, who will be the one with the sweatiest palms?

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Plot Keywords:

lunar eclipse | dinner party | group of friends | reference to steve jobs | telephone | 

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Taglines:

Each of us has three lives: a public, a private and a secret.

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama

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Did You Know?

Trivia

It has been remade 18 times in many different countries including Spain, Mexico, South Korea, France, Hungary, Greece, China, and Russia. For this reason it entered into the Guinness Book of World Records!

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Quotes

Peppe: Eva, how do you know if you're in love?
Eva: Why are you asking me?
Peppe: You study these things.
Bianca: I'll tell you. If you talk to her for 30 minutes a day, you're in love.
Peppe: What if I talk for 60 minutes?
Carlotta: Then you're madly in love.
Lele: Then you stop talking, which means you're married!

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Connections

Remade as (Nie)znajomi (2019)

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Soundtracks

I Will Survive
Written by Freddie Perren (uncredited) and Dino Fekaris (uncredited)
Performed by Gloria Gaynor

User Reviews

friendship games

Quite difficult to believe that Paolo Genovese's Perfect Strangers is not inspired by a theater play. Everything happens within the closed limits of one apartment where seven friends meet for a casual dinner which turns into something completely different when they decide to play a 'Truth or Do' kind of game using their ... mobile phones. One immediately thinks to movies like Roman Polanski's Carnage , but that one was based on the play (and screenplay) of Yasmina Reza. It seems however in this case that the movie took precedence, but I am confident that the stage adaptations will follow quickly. So will the American remake, I am afraid.

What happens if all the calls, messaging, social networking content we believe to be confidential comes in the clear? This is the game the friends decide to play and the results will - as expected- be disastrous for most of the friendships and couple relationships. Is the film about the dangers of social networking and other forms of Internet communication? or maybe about the dangers of hiding and lying and trusting or not trusting your friends? One should see this film to decide. And ask yourself also if you are ready to play the game with your friends.

The film starts at a slow pace, and it took a while to catch me. When it did it was fantastic. It also contains a final twist in the script that I will not reveal. It's well acted and smartly written. I recommend it. There are good chances that you'll enjoy it.

Details

Official Sites:

Official site [Italy] Official site [Japan]

Country:

Italy

Language:

Italian

Release Date:

11 February 2016 (Italy)

Also Known As:

Perfect Strangers

Filming Locations:

Rome, Lazio, Italy

Box Office

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$31,640,626

Company Credits

Production Co:

Lotus Production, Medusa Film, Leone Film Group

Technical Specs

Runtime:

96 min

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.39:1