Boys Cry (2018)

Mirko and Manolo are best friends and live in the suburbs of Rome. They both live in poor conditions with their single parents, are still in school and struggle with occasional odd jobs to ... See full summary »

Directors:

Damiano D'Innocenzo (as Fratelli D'Innocenzo), Fabio D'Innocenzo (as Fratelli D'Innocenzo)

Writers:

Damiano D'Innocenzo (story) (as Fratelli D'Innocenzo), Fabio D'Innocenzo (story) (as Fratelli D'Innocenzo)

Stars:

Andrea Carpenzano, Matteo Olivetti, Milena Mancini

3 wins & 11 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview:
Andrea Carpenzano	...	Manolo
Matteo Olivetti	...	Mirko
Milena Mancini	...	Alessia
Luca Zingaretti	...	Angelo
Michela De Rossi	...	Ambra
Massimiliano Tortora	...	Danilo
Giordano De Plano	...	Simone
Yan Lovga	...	Principe
Nicole Centanni	...	Dani
Walter Toschi	...	Carmine
Andrea Di Casa	...	Mauro
Demetra Bellina	...	Ragazza dai Capelli Rossi
Maristella Burchietti	...	Ragazzina Jeans
Tania Orlandi	...	Ragazza Violentata
Claudio Graziano	...	Gestore Bar Videopoker

Storyline

Mirko and Manolo are best friends and live in the suburbs of Rome. They both live in poor conditions with their single parents, are still in school and struggle with occasional odd jobs to make ends meet. Together they share dreams of women, of sex and money, of a better life to come. After killing a man in a hit-and-run one night, they get involved with the local mafia and their lives change dramatically. Soon they find themselves doing the dirty work for their new bosses and have fresh blood on their hands. But lured by the dreams of easy money and illusions of a thriving career, they fail to realize the consequences of their choice. Life in the underworld becomes exceedingly tough and Mirko and Manolo soon disconnect from family and former friends as they engage on a download spiral, a pathway towards darkness.

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Plot Keywords:

pimp | rome italy | criminal gang | female exploitation | prostitution ring | 

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Genres:

Crime | Drama

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User Reviews

Roman purity

Rome, today. Manolo (Andrea Carpenzano) and Mirko (Matteo Olivetti) are two township boy who, during a night of harmless revelry, run over a pedestrian walking in the dark of the roadside. The only thing to do seems turning themselves in, but maybe the Manolo's father (Max Tortora) could avoid any judicial consequences, sending them on an alternative way, definitely darker, from which it's impossible to run away. It turns out they killed a whistleblower that was hiding from the local criminals: a perfect chance to claim the killing and to get ahead in the underworld. This is how begins the remarkable suburban thriller that represents the D'Innocenzo Brothers' debut (Damiano and Fabio D'Innocenzo), presented with thunderous applauses at Berlinale 2018. The picture is released almost in the same time of another work partially written by these twins, the splendid Dogman by Matteo Garrone, where are recognizable the naturality and the realism in the colorful language. It's clear that we are in the groove of films like Don't Be Bad, They Call Me Jeeg, Suburra and Pure Hearts, although Boys Cry was conceived in 2011, well before the quoted works, proper pillars of current imaginary of Roman suburbs. That's the main problem of this film genre jewel: the release timing, for what there's no remedy. Said this the picture remains a must see of the current season, the credible reconstruction of a painful coming of age of two young men born and raised in a harmful context to their personal aspiration, a land where it's impossible to go beyond what's is "enough" to get by. The nihilism and the pessimism are returned by the sublime trials of the two protagonists (Carpenzano and Olivetti are perfectly complementary, the first reflexive and sore, the second impetuous and impulsive: Moon and Sun), well assisted by excellent supporting actors as Luca Zingaretti and Max Tortora. "Boys Cry" communicates an absolute pity on a generation with the soul corrupt by a society and families unworthy (we see a father send his son to the crime way), making room for loss, amorality and abandonment of own aspirations. Manolo and Mirko seem two ronin, two loose cannons without neither control nor ideas, dominated by a perverse sense of cupio dissolvi. This is the best way to start for the D'Innocenzo Brothers, with a picture where are well recognizable a dry style and capable of keeping the finger at the pulse (it is incredible how this varied cast is directed by two beginners). So, "Boys Cry is, without fear of contradiction, one of the best surprises of the season 2017/18 that makes a big mistake in building the final scenes credibility and that suffers the comparison of better previous works. Anyway, the hope is that the moviegoers haven't seen none of the above mentioned films; just in this case they will face a work of remarkable originality and purity.

7.5/10

Details

Country:

Italy

Language:

Italian

Release Date:

6 April 2021 (USA)

Also Known As:

Boys Cry

Filming Locations:

Ponte di Nona, Rome, Lazio, Italy

Box Office

Budget:

EUR800,000 (estimated)

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$138,535

Company Credits

Production Co:

Pepito Produzioni, Rai Cinema, Ministero dei Beni e delle Attività Culturali e del Turismo (MiBACT)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

95 min

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1