7 September 2026
The film captures a snapshot of the life of Luca Varani, the twenty-three-year-old murdered in Rome in March 2016, just before he became a tragic headline. Loosely inspired by Nicola Lagioia’s Strega Prize-winning novel, the story follows Luca through his everyday routine: the adoptive family that loves him, his friends, his days spent between the city center and the outskirts, and the meaningful romance he shares with his girlfriend. Then, a seemingly chance encounter sets off a downward spiral that, within hours, leads to his death.
An actor before stepping behind the camera, Gabbriellini (born in Livorno, 1975) made a striking debut as a teenager starring in Paolo Virzì’s Ovosodo (1997), which earned him the Pasinetti Award at Venice. He returned to the Lido as an actor in Luca Guadagnino’s I Am Love (Orizzonti, 2009) and Adriano Valerio’s Banat. As a director, his credits include B.B. and the Cormorant (Semaine de la Critique, Cannes 2003), The Landlords (Locarno, 2012), the documentary Kemp. My Best Dance Is Yet To Come (2019), and Holiday (Rome Film Festival, 2023).
