Copyright Variety
Italian director Margherita Ferri, whose “The Boy With Pink Pants” was the country’s top local 2024 hit, is back behind the camera on “Piercing.” Her next film is a genre-bending feminist and queer fable with a cast including her “Pink Pants” protagonist. Shooting started Monday in Bologna on “Piercing,” which is set in the city’s working-class Pilastro neighborhood. The plot focuses on an inseparable trio of 17-year-old friends — Gemma, Alex and Lauriana — “whose lives take an unexpected turn when a lip piercing seems to grant them mysterious superpowers,” according to the synopsis. “When Gemma gives birth, her mother insists on giving the baby up, convinced she cannot handle the responsibility. Refusing to accept this, the girls run away with the newborn, using their newfound powers to escape,” the description continues. “What begins as a reckless flight soon becomes a transformative journey, forcing them to confront the true weight of their powers. In a whirlwind of comic situations, the truth is revealed: their powers do not come from the piercings, but are inherited from their mothers.” “Piercing” features emerging talents Beatrice Savignani as Gemma, Alicia Edogamhe (“Those About to Die”) as Alex and Lisa Pires Lima as Lauriana. Rounding off the cast are Samuele Carrino, who played the lead in “The Boy With Pink Pants”; Andrea Arru (“The Boy With Pink Pants”); Barbora Bobulova (“A Brighter Tomorrow,” “Portobello”); Italian singer and actress Thony; and Francesco Colella (Netflix’s “The Leopard”). In her director’s statement, Ferri said “Piercing” seeks “to break away from the canons of all the genres it draws inspiration from: Italian post-neorealism, superhero films, science fiction, queer cinema and European auteur cinema.” She added that “the most interesting challenge is maintaining the balance between the realism of the characters and the film’s supernatural element.” Ferri continued: “The film’s events also stem from the many encounters I’ve had during my work as a documentary filmmaker and during film workshops in schools. From those experiences, I absorbed a bold view of the world; the beautiful recklessness of youth who feel invincible and fearless. This prompted the need to tell this story: an irreverent coming-of-age tale with a strong dose of girl-power, in which both daughters and parents find themselves on a journey of growth. The main theme, in fact, is the changing perception of femininity among the new generations.” Ferri studied at the University of Bologna, at UCLA in Los Angeles and is also a graduate of Rome’s Centro Sperimentale di Cinematografia, where she trained with Paolo Sorrentino and Marco Bellocchio. Last year, she scored a surprise megahit with “The Boy With Pink Pants,” which depicts the harrowing true tale of a 15-year-old boy who took his own life after enduring bullying at school and online. The teen drama became the big box office winner in 2024, grossing more than $9 million and beating high-profile Hollywood titles such as “Wicked” and “Venom 3.” A U.S. remake is in the works to be directed by Nick Cassavetes. “I’m very happy to be able to return to the set with a story I wrote, after ‘The Boy with the Pink Pants,’ which I cherish as a wonderful experience and the relationships with some of the cast members who supported me on this crazy project: Samuele Carrino and Andrea Arru,” Ferri said. “Piercing” is being produced by Carlo Cresto-Dina’s Tempesta with RAI Cinema, in co-production with Switzerland’s tellfilm. RAI Cinema’s 01 Distribution will release in Italy. The film’s producers are Carlo Cresto-Dina and Manuela Melissano. Cresto-Dina is known for shepherding works by young directors who have gone on to make a major splash, such as Alice Rohrwacher, all of whose works he has produced. “With ‘Piercing,’ our research continues towards a cinema that can appeal to a broad audience, without giving up on provocation,” the producers said in a statement. “In Margherita Ferri’s fantastic story, it’s the daughters who teach their mothers how to dare and win; how to rediscover the superpowers of the feminine within themselves.”
