Parents' Guide to

Nuovo Olimpo

By John Sooja, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 16+

Bittersweet queer romance has sex, nudity, language.

Movie NR 2023 113 minutes
Nuovo Olimpo movie poster: A White Italian man back left sits behind a white Italian man in leather jacket center in a movie theater

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

  • Nuovo Olimpo movie: A White Italian man rides on back of Vespa behind a white Italian man in leather jacket center driving
  • Nuovo Olimpo movie: Two White Italian men stand close together facing each other in dark hallway
  • Nuovo Olimpo movie: A White Italian man in leather jacket left speaks to another white Italian man right while on balcony next to railing with ancient pillars and pieces of buildings in background

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What's the Story?

In NUOVO OLIMPO, an aspiring director (Damiano Gavino) meets a med student (Andrea Di Luigi) in the late 1970s. They quickly emotionally connect and have an intense love affair, but a police riot separates them one fateful day. Normal life soon takes over, and they end up not finding each other afterward. Will their adult lives allow them to ever find each other again? Or will they simply remain a fond memory forever?

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say: Not yet rated
Kids say: Not yet rated

The sumptuous 1970s aesthetic in the first third of the film is gorgeously shot. As the backdrop for Enea and Pietro's intense love affair in Nuovo Olimpo, this early period provides a perfect environment to represent the culture of cruising movie theaters for hookups in 1970s Italy, and it is endearingly and welcomely represented without unnecessary drama. The primary romance is also represented for what it was, both passionate and loving, and hopeful and searching. It's easy to imagine that Enea and Pietro could have had a wonderful life together.

While the film meanders a bit in the middle and final third, jumping from time frame to time frame, the inevitable resolution perhaps feels a bit anticlimactic by the time it rolls around. The character aging process also takes a bit of a hit in believability because they bounce from decade to decade probably too quickly, after a full third being devoted to the initial romance when they were young. The overall message is also perhaps a little too bittersweet, suggesting that many times in life, people end up with not who they ultimately want to be or should have been with.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about romance and love in romantic dramas. Did the love between Enea and Pietro in Nuovo Olimpo feel authentic and genuine? Why or why not?

  • Why do you think neither Enea or Pietro desperately tried to find the other right after the protest? What got in the way?

  • Was the ending satisfying? If not, what were you hoping to have happen instead?

  • Is this a happy or sad story? Both? What do you think the message or lesson of this film is?

  • Do you think Enea's and Pietro's respective partners were fully loved? Why or why not?

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