Perfetti Sconosciuti is an Italian foreign language film about the power we give our mobile devices and the secrets we keep on them.
The film follows a group of adult friends as they get together for a dinner party.
But things take a turn at the dinner table when they decide to "play a game". A game where each person surrenders their phone to full transparency, forcing them to make all their notifications public to everyone in the room.
Perfetti Sconosciuti touches on many issues surrounding friendship, loyalty, secrets and the concept of a living private life.
Synopsis
As described above Perfetti Sconosciuti tells the story of a group of longtime friends getting together for a special party on the night of a lunar eclipse.
At the party, all of the friends are happy to see each other and update each other with details of the lives. Each of the friends (three couples included) are in different stages in their relationships, but each consider their own relationships as successful. Each believe they can fully trust their partners.
During their dinner notifications from everyone's phones end up pulling away from conversation which turns into questions of their own. Like "how much time do we waste on our phones", "what exactly are on our phones" and most importantly, "are you hiding anything from the rest of us?"
Eventually, they all decide to take part in a game where each person has to make all of their notifications public to all the others in the room. That's each text, e-mail, phone call and message of any sort.
The rest of the film follows the group of friends as intricate details and secrets end up surfacing.
Causing many serious consequences to develop for all involved. Turning the film into something of a mini social media thriller.
Important Themes
Perfetti Sconosciuti touches on many issues including the complex relationships we have with our phones. But squarely takes on the issue of trust within relationships.
American statistics hold that anywhere between 30 to 60% of all married people will engage in infidelity at some point during their marriage. Which even at 30% is still a fairly sizable number.
Additionally, this research shows that approximately 2 to 3% of all children are the "product of infidelity".
Furthermore, in today's day and age technology has changed everything. More than a decade ago things used to be quite a bit simpler.
There were no cell phones, laptops or social media platforms around. You actually had to go out and physically meet people. But today, everything has changed, now you can essentially meet someone with a swipe of a smartphone and a few words.
Nowadays there are far too many dating apps available which make it that much easier, with apps like Tinder, Plenty of Fish and Bumble leading the way.
Connectivity had never been so fast and direct. But this also poses many challenges for people as well.
It has become very easy to create profiles and to hide information, texts, messages and pictures on your phone.
Therefore it has become harder to trust your partner isn't doing anything shady behind your back. There have even been instances where people have been threatened with extortion from hackers or people who have gotten a hold of passwords for devices.
In many cases, people have had their private photos shared on the internet or have been threatened with blackmail.
It is clear to see that we as people have changed with the many developments of technology.
Technology has allowed us to connect with more people. But in doing so also has caused many people to focus on their "internet lives" rather than engaging in their own real lives.
For example when was the last time you saw somebody sitting at a coffee shop simply enjoying their coffee, not looking at their phone.
You can't even walk down the street without running into someone who has their face buried in their mobile device. Instead of connecting with the outside world many are in fact disconnecting from the real world and what is truly important in their lives. Just like the characters in Perfetti Sconosciuti.
Conclusion
To conclude Perfetti Sconosciuti is a film which is very topical and relatable to current times.
It speaks to our disconnect with reality and the power we give our mobile devices. Never before has their been a time where people have been so protective over small rectangular devices.
Perfetti Sconosciuti is a film which challenges idyllic morals and beliefs. Showing that the person you may consider to be the most trusting may be hiding some very revealing secrets on their phone.
Be sure to add Perfetti Sconosciuti to your watch list as it tells both a unique and current story which many can relate to.
