Supersex is an Italian drama series released on Netflix. Created by Francesca Manieri, the show is directed by Matteo Rovere, Francesco Carrozzini and Francesca Mazzoleni. It is loosely based on the real-life of the pornographic star, Rocco Siffredi, and consists of 7 episodes with a runtime of about 42-55 minutes.
The show “Supersex” is inspired by the true story of Rocco Siffredi, the world’s most famous porn star. It is a profound tale that explores Rocco’s family background, his origins, and his relationship with love. The show takes you on a journey through Rocco’s life, starting from his childhood and leading up to his transformation into the highly acclaimed figure that he is today. Discovering how and when Rocco Tano, a simple guy from Ortona, became Rocco Siffredi.
The cast of the series includes Alessandro Borghi as Rocco Siffredi, Jasmine Trinca as Lucia, Adriano Giannini as Tommaso, Enrico Borello as Gabriele, Jade Pedri as Sylvie, Saul Nanni as young Rocco, Vincenzo Nemolato as Riccardo Schicchi, Gaia Messerklinger as Moana, Linda Caridi as Tina and others.
Supersex Review
The show starts at the point in Rocco Siffredi’s career in 2004, where at a sex convention he declares that he would retire from performing in porn. However, something startles him, as he finds a familiar face in the audience. It turns out to be his half-brother Tommaso, who was presumably dead and it startles Siffredi. News of his sudden retirement was an impulsive action already, soon he makes a scene when a girl ‘begs’ him to make one movie with her and he grants her wish, on the spot by fucking in front of media. As he steps onto the roof to catch a breath, lo and behold, his brother stands before him alive. As Siffredi moves towards him for a hug, his brother points a gun to his abdomen & asks him to walk to the car.
The scene cuts back to their childhood, where Rocco goes by his family name Tano. A ten-year-old, Tano trapped in impoverished rural Ortona. His mother focuses solely on his disabled brother, Claudio, leaving him feeling neglected. Only person who makes him feel valued is his half-brother, Tommaso. Thus, Rocco looks up to his charismatic brother, who represents a type of freedom and hypermasculinity that seems out of reach for the men of Ortona. Tommaso also has the love of the town’s most stunning woman, Lucia, which only fuels Rocco’s admiration for him.
Despite Sex being a taboo subject, Rocco is sucked into the world of lust, by seeing his brother and Lucia getting intimate and coming across a pornography magazine called Supersex starring Gabriel Pontello. Popularly known for its story of a alien of the same name, occupying a human body and solving crime cases on Earth or acting as a superhero. Sex is introduced as an essential part of the story, as Supersex engages in intercourse to either punish the criminals (if women) or their wives, and with the damsels he would save usually. Rocco considers him his superhero and religiously keeps the magazine with him until he steps into the world of pornography.
Also Read: Mea Culpa Review: Gripping Thriller But Awkward Love Affair
Despite being fixated on ‘sex’ Rocco’s sex life is almost negligible until he arrives/runs away to France as an adult. His evolution from a sex enthusiast to a successful star happens gradually. As a young waiter working in a Paris café owned by Tommaso, Rocco becomes aware of the impact he has on women. Leading him into a world of obsession and desires, that knew no bound. Especially his stint at a sex club aligned with the financial and social status he hoped to achieve. However, his growing sexuality and rise to prominence industry creates a rift with Tommaso. Added with his treatment towards Lucia, who is forced to do sex work to support the house – taking away Rocco’s admiration and revealing the reality of his brother.
The creators have creatively used the character of Lucia, who represents a synthesis of most women with whom Rocco had a relationship in his life. For the most part, she remains to be an object of desire that can’t be attained but also works as a mirror character to Rocco. They both seem to have an insatiable inclination towards sex and leans towards sex work, for most of their lives. Yet where Rocco reaches for the stardom with his acts, she is vilified for being the same. And what connects them is Tommaso, who also engulfs them in the darkness.
Conflict and irony plays interchangeably throughout the plot. The main conflict arises from Rocco’s mother’s inner guilt. It is often hinted that she used to be a prostitute and Tommaso being the half-sibling created ruptures in the family and fueled many rumours around their town. Yet it’s ironical that their mother loathes Lucia, a girl desired by many and bad mouths at any chance she gets. In modern terms, Tano’s family situation is a clear example of childhood trauma that maps out the children’s destructive adult lives. For example, Tommaso choosing Lucia, despite her promiscuous nature can be seen as him choosing a partner similar to his mother – seeking familiarity.
And in case of Rocco, being neglected initially created a need to get his mother’s attention, thus, doing anything to make her happy and take notice of him. Then the rumours pushed him into discovering sex, well before his age and getting fixated on it because of the guilt imposed by the mother. She wanted to make him a priest and being raised in a religious environment becomes a source of inner turmoil later on. Although becoming a porn star provides the financial stability he lacked in his life and fulfills his sexual desires, his inner turmoil stems from trying to live up to the expectations his mothers set and be looked up in her eyes.
Rocco’s yearning for love and how to differentiate it from the physical aspect is the core plot of the story. Sex plays a big role in realising his self-worth but also becomes an outlet for dealing with his emotional roller coasters. Which means one would witness Rocco engaging in a range of sexual acts whenever his mood goes either ways on the graph. It wouldn’t be wrong to say that seeing his parents and siblings in relationships, essentially created a fear towards love. The feeling of being trapped takes over Rocco’s mind whenever any relationship starts to get serious.
Keeping the pornographic career aside, Supersex excellently portrays how a distorted view of love can affect relationships. While it’s hard to differentiate the real and fictional parts of the story, the show brings forward a portrait of people who steps out of the conventional and embraced their desires, staying true to themselves. There are a few things that are confusing or doesn’t entirely answers all the questions, like transition of young Rocco to adult one creates a lag in understanding the time leap. Or no explanation for his eccentric & torturous sexual style and shifting focus to Tommas downfall or how it relates to the Rocco’s trajectory. But overall, it’s an intimate and emotional story to watch.
Rating: 3/5
Supersex is available for streaming on Netflix.
Leave a Reply