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The Second Adolescence

Back in Milan, Federico (30) must face adulthood when hidden truths shatter his circle.

synopsis

A group of friends, on the verge of adulthood, struggle with the gap between expectations and reality. Federico returns to Milan from Berlin for his best friend’s graduation, but he is lost in a personal crisis he hides from his longtime friends Costanza, Raffaele, and Francesca. The reunion rekindles the joy of their youth, but bonds once held by affection now feel fragile. Each carries unspoken doubts: Francesca questions her marriage, Costanza distances herself after opening her bar, and Raffaele, overwhelmed by failure, stages a fake graduation. The lie unravels when he suffers a serious accident – perhaps intentional – that leaves him in a coma. His silence forces the others to confront their own secrets. When Raffaele survives, the four spend a weekend together, finally admitting their fears and failures. They return more fragile but honest, ready for a new, mature friendship that allows space for vulnerability.

Director’statement

In 2019, after Parasite won the Palme d’Or, I invited friends to go watch it; only Alessandro, a childhood friend, came. He was in a difficult moment: toxic relationships, Psychology studies stalled. After the film, over a drink, he talked without ever really saying how he felt. When I shared my doubts about living between Los Angeles and Milan, he fell silent, turned pale, and suddenly vomited. He blamed the beer, but I believe my unease mirrored his own unspoken turmoil. His inability to open up struck me: if even he, my lifelong reference, couldn’t share his fragility, how could I expect genuine connection elsewhere? From this came The Second Adolescence: a choral film about the fragile passage from twenties to thirties, when friendships are tested by the masks we wear. I want to make this film to explore how group dynamics evolve, how intimacy can fracture or deepen, and how growth forces us to face ourselves and each other.

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