WINNER – 2016 ITALIAN ACADEMY AWARDS – BEST FILM, BEST SCREENPLAY
WINNER – 2016 TRIBECA FILM FESTIVAL – BEST SCREENPLAY
OFFICIAL OPENING NIGHT SELECTION – 2016 LAVAZZA ITALIAN FILM FESTIVAL
The multi award-winning new comedy of manners from Paolo Genovese is a fiendishly clever take on decorum in the age of modern technology, and poses the question: how well do we really know those close to us?
The titular perfect strangers are actually seven long-time friends (three couples and one bachelor), all 40ish, who gather one night for a dinner party and agree that no private calls or messaging will disrupt their evening. Instead, in a communal fit of ‘we have nothing to hide’ bravado, they place their devices on the table, and all incoming calls and texts are shared with the group. (Letting a caller know they’re on speaker is considered a cheat). But what seems at first like an innocent and playful distraction between friends quickly turns into something more, as the messages start to reveal some eye-opening secrets and how little they may truly know about the partners and acquaintances opposite.
Fairly bristling with of-the-moment talking points about the wonders and complications of modern technology, PERFECT STRANGERS became a box office sensation in Italy. Thanks to its superb, rapid-fire dialogue and terrific ensemble cast, including Marco Giallini (God Willing) and Alba Rorhwacher (I Am Love), the film effortlessly transitions between incisive comedy and emotion, delivering a fresh and wildly entertaining spin on the many ways performance has come to define our public lives.
