Diva Futura

Given the long and rich history of cinema, it’s understandable that filmmakers occasionally like to celebrate aspects of it in their own films. This extends to the more erotic side of the industry too, with the likes of biopic Lovelace and Ti West’s homage to exploitation cinema in X. The latest film to tip its hat to the adult film industry is writer-director Giulia Louise Steigerwalt’s Diva Futura, which shines the spotlight on the titular production company that rose to fame in Italy in the 1980s under the vision of Riccardo Schicchi (Pietro Castellitto). Cited as the one who coined the term “pornstar”, Schicchi’s company turned actors like Ilona Staller (Lidija Kordic), Moana Pozzi (Denise Capezza) and many others into household names.

Encompassing the studio’s prominent rise to success, Schicchi’s marriage to Eva Henger (Barbara Ronchi), Pozzi’s election campaign to become Rome’s mayor, Schicchi’s legal troubles and the darker side of the industry, this film covers a lot of ground within its sizeable 128-minute runtime. Despite its wide scope, however, the script is unable to tell a cohesive story.

There’s a distinct visual flair and sly sense of humour laced throughout this flick. This tone is best exemplified in the opening scene in which a shocked Schicchi stares at the camera while his staff frantically organise photo opportunities at a funeral for his decapitated pet python. Other scenes are punctuated with vibrant neon lights and moody jazz, which lend a feverish dreamlike feel to them. No matter the scene, each sequence is shot elegantly with a cast who give solid performances throughout.

With a plot spanning decades, there’s a lot of jumping around in the chronology that happens seemingly at random. One moment it will be the 90s, then the 2000s, and then it’s back to a different point in the 90s. There’s no logical reason for the order of events, which consequently makes the scenes feel jumbled together. Likewise, there’s barely any time given to focus on any of the ideas that the script tackles. Everything is rushed and thematic content, especially concerning the more exploitative side of the industry, comes across as shallow as a result. Had the film been narrower in its scope, then the studio’s story could have been more effectively told.

Although shot with real cinematic style, a shambolic script doesn’t do justice to the scandalous tale it wants to tell.

Andrew Murray

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Watch the trailer for Diva Futura here: