Is it possible for love to transcend terminal illness? According to Laura Muscardi, who in 2001 directed and released her movie GIORNI (DAYS), it can, but it's a premise only seen on the surface at a literal sense: the poster for this detestable trick of a movie shows two attractive men in a playful, loving embrace. The tagline points at a comedy of sorts: "Are these guys completely nuts... or hopelessly in love?" The synopsis hints at the lengths two men -- one infected and living with HIV -- will go to remain in love and together. With all these invisible traps it's a wonder this movie hasn't been so vocally trashed for being a complete cheat as well as for suggesting that becoming infected with such a disease is something to look forward to. It certainly could be seen in another light: as a movie that brings forth the limits of irresponsible behaviour coming from both parties -- the man infected who decides to stop his treatment because he wants to "live" and the even crazier one who wants to be 'pozzed'. Because as suicidal as the behavior seems, this is something I keep coming across with an increasing frequency. It's as if we were back in the Seventies and throwing caution to the wind and if we get sick, we go out with a bang.
Anyhow. Not to lose track of the movie I am attempting to review here: GIORNI is a travesty of a story that denies itself down to its final unsatisfying scene. It introduces Claudio (Thomas Trabacchi), a successful executive who has been HIV positive for ten years and lives with his longtime partner Dario (Davide Bechini) while also being a caregiver for his sister and mother. Because of his condition he cannot enjoy passionate intimacy and this is building up tension within his psyche. Claudio comes across a waiter with model looks, Andrea (Riccardo Salerno), and in a moment of heated sex when the ubiquitous condom should make its appearance, Andrea tells Claudio he wants it 'au naturel'. Andrea doesn't seem to mind Claudio's HIV status. Oh, no. Because, get this: he's in love and believes that love should be enjoyed without the mechanics of protection.
This is when my brain cells went zing! and I wondered if I had just seen the scene that had transpired on screen. I re-wound the DVD and lo and behold, I wasn't going nuts: the two main characters decided to engage in unsafe sex and were in love, although they'd known each other for little more than the act itself. I stuck through the gargantuan implausibility of the situation (it's a blissfully short movie). Thinking it would get better, the movie got worse and worse as the plot thickened. Why Claudio would knowingly put his, his partner, and Andrea's life in danger is beyond me, but this is exactly what the plot has him do. In a confession to an outraged Dario he exclaims the need to do things spontaneous for once. I guess it must be a Latin thing: always eschewing protection and identifying passion with genitalia. (I won't name the countries who are known for this type of attitude towards sex by the way.) The thing is, I can't identify with or even justify anything that these incredibly stupid characters get themselves involved in.
Which brings me back to the way this movie goes against what it advertises. If love truly conquers all, why does Claudio abandon Andrea to his luck at the end? This is a monstrous way to end a movie that purportedly aims towards the love between two men suffering from an illness. If the director and writer wanted to sabotage the "love above all" theme, they've managed to do so in the deepest sense of the world. GIORNI stands as an example of how not to market your product, but also as an example of how gay men should confront a situation instead of ceasing to care about the other person and selfishly grabbing the last drop of enjoyment they can and to hell what may take place later. There are countless other movies who tackle the issue in a much more honest way, who have truly well-written characters with whom the public could root for. LONGTIME COMPANION is a prime example. This is Euro-trash.
