Biopics can be scintillating. Imagine what the biography of a porn star would look like on Netflix?
You don’t need to answer that because Supersex is here on your behalf.
The Italian series is loosely based on Rocco Siffredi’s life.
He is a former pornographic star from Italy, who attracted the masses in the 1980s.
Supersex has seven episodes and runs for around five and a half hours.
Supersex Synopsis
Set mostly in the 1980s and early 1990s, it fictionalizes the life of a real-life porn star, Rocco Siffredi.
From his early days to his peak, the series explores Rocco’s tumultuous journey both in his personal life and in the porn industry.
Created by Francesca Manieri, it stars Alessandro Borghi (Rocco), Jasmine Trinca (Lucia), Adriano Giannini (Tommaso), Enrico Borello (Gabriele), Marco Fiore (Young Rocco), and others.
What Works for Supersex?
Real-life tales are always controversial and interesting. Sometimes, they are more intriguing than wholly fictional stories.
Supersex is the most eye-popping show to have been released on Netflix in recent times. I remember watching the recently released Griselda and Class Act, and thinking there cannot be more to the biography genre.
However, Supersex trumps both of them. The life of Rocco Siffredi is the perfect match for the screen-worthiness factor.
The makers do a great job in presenting a porn star humanely. They bring out the emotional side to his sexually objectified personality.
The storyline uses the emotions of a fictitious tale to showcase a real-life journey.
You would find appalling moments that seem upsetting, scenes of utter captivation, and also segments that are adorable.
Intimacy and sexual exhibitions are a natural part of Supersex. Thankfully, they haven’t been used in excess, which would have made the story useless.
Furthermore, the screenplay is consistent in capturing your attention. All the revelations, counter-narratives, and the protagonist’s growing image work in its favor.
The pace of narration never fails and, as a result, keeps you strongly inclined towards finishing the show.
Above all, I feel it is the sentimental genuineness of Supersex that makes it a horse-runner. You may be attracted towards it for the intimacy but you will stay for the dramatic arcs.
Moreover, many controversial scenes also form part of the series. It remains to be seen how many of them are true and how many are fictionalized.
Lastly, the music is comforting. Using the iconic song, “What is Love,” was a smart choice.
How are the Performances?
Playing the real-life Rocco on the screen, Alessandro Borghi becomes the most admirable actor in Supersex.
He is brilliant on all fronts, from expressions to body language.
Borghi has the effortless ability to convince you to believe in him.
He puts a lot of weight behind each pause, dialogue, and action, thereby doing justice to the character.
Alessandro looks exceptionally well-suited to portray the man he plays.
Jasmine Trinca as Lucia brings thoughtful craftsmanship to Supersex.
She is the north star of the series which reflects how women were treated back then.
If you give it a deep thought, you’ll realize nothing much has changed since then.
Her quiet yet powerful presentation impresses you beyond doubt.
Adriano Giannini plays Tommaso in Supersex. He leaves a deep, dark impact on your senses.
His performance is both exciting and disturbing. The actor allows for different layers to envelope him and goes on to decrypt them effectively.
Marco Fiore as the young Rocco amazes the audience with his skills. He is affable, cute, and delightful.
Someone like him was him was needed to establish the sincere nature of Rocco Siffredi. The child actor wonderfully plays out his part.
What Doesn’t Work for Supersex?
When you say, the story is ‘loosely based’ on someone’s life, you send a general viewer into a frenzy.
There is no clarity as to what is fictionalized and what is real. What might appear to be superficial could be the truest part and vice versa.
Moreover, I have a reservation with the series. In the very first episode, the overlapping voice of the protagonist says, he never saw a particular character again.
But in the very next episode, they develop a whole plot surrounding that character, which includes the time the two spent together after that particular incident.
Furthermore, Supersex could have simplified the timelines. While trying to make the narration interesting, the makers make things unnecessarily convoluted at certain junctures.
Lastly, exhibiting the time of the 1980s more effectively would have helped Supersex. But the Italian series shies away from doing so.
Stream or Skip?
Supersex is much more than ‘sex.’ It beautifully encapsulates the life of a man who not many would find ‘pious.’
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