Bellezza, addio

In the mid-1990s, news broke that poet Dario Bellezza - who was friends with Sandro Penna, Alberto Moravia, Elsa Morante, Anna Maria Ortese, and Pier Paolo Pasolini - had AIDS: this was the beginning of the end for him. Today, friends, poets and literary critics tell the story of the first openly gay writer of Italian literature, one of the symbols of a thriving cultural scene. They called him 'Italy's poète maudit', to which his snarky response would be: "If anything, I was blessed, blessed by the Muses".

Directed by Massimiliano Palmese, Carmen Giardina, Bellezza, addio leans on a strong ensemble — Barbara Alberti, Antonella Amendola, Ulisse Benedetti — to carry a story that balances spectacle with character.

The film landed with audiences for its craft and performances, and remains one of the most talked-about documentary titles of 2023.