Aldo Verde | E vissero / 2021

the socratic logic of a fairy tale

by Douglas Messerli

 

Aldo Verde (screenwriter and director) E vissero / 2021 [13 minutes]

 

Italian director Aldo Verde takes his viewers on a wonderful voyage of the mind through the Socratic method of logic in his absolutely charming short film E vissero.

     It centers around two boys, one named Felice (Happiness) (Emanuele Di Simone), the other Contento (Contentment) (Vittorio Nastri)—already a clue that we are entering philosophical territory—who participate in a dialogue and an experiment.

     Felice has already explored a tenant of logic before the film begins with his aunt, in the middle of lunch describing to her that he had read on the Internet about the common fetishism of spitting in a partner’s eyeballs or licking them, an action which sexually arouses some individuals.

      The very daffiness of a film beginning in this matter, particularly in the presence of a maiden aunt, immediately puts us off guard. Frankly, with all my film viewing and gay sexual knowledge, this is a fetish that I too had never before heard of. As any elderly, church-going heterosexual traditionist might respond, Zia (Antonella Morea) reacts with immediate disgust: “How gross. I’m not hungry anymore. Don’t dark speak of such things during lunch. How gross. It makes sick…..”

      Back in Felice’s room, Contento can well understand Zia’s reaction. But Felice relates that he was shocked by their brief exchange. He doesn’t think it is appropriate, given the topic, that his aunt stopped eating and got so upset.

      Contento responds that, one by one, they’re overcoming today’s misconceptions—or at least they’re trying. The aunt is still prejudiced, outdated, and just hasn’t focused on this particular fetish yet.

      Felice agrees, arguing that people can simply not see “the good.” Everybody is focused on isolated issues, he continues, “I mean if someone likes something and it doesn’t harm anyone, I don’t get it why someone should be grossed out by it.” And, of course, Contento agrees.

      What logical being wouldn’t agree with Felice’s later comment: “Certain issues, like people who get aroused by spit in the eyeballs are too irrelevant to grow into main social issues.” His philosophy, he concludes: “If it doesn’t harm anyone, it’s fine.”

       Certain problems, he continues, never even cross his mind; and yet his aunt is all upset and grossed out by it. Besides, adds Contento, how weird it is, after all, to spit into someone’s eyeball.

       The conversation quickly turns, “So, if, you now…spit in one of my eyeballs, without any sexual implication, and I gave you my consent, there would be nothing wrong with it.”

        No, Contento agrees. How could there be?

      Contento immediately rises, preparing to do just that, but Felice backs off, saying that he doesn’t quite feel like trying right now.

       But the shift from the verbal to the physical also allows another shift in their dialogue. However, since Contento has felt there was nothing wrong with spit in the eye, perhaps….” Contento suggests they are in complete agreement, that perhaps it might be right as a romantic gesture if conditions were right. They both agree, commenting on the similarity of the viewpoints along with their names.

        And suddenly Contento asks if Felice remembers that just before coming to the attic in which they are now sitting, they encountered a mutual friend, Amilcare? Even Felice comments on the strange phrasing of the typical Socratic interpolation of an example. Yes, it was an only an hour earlier when Amilcare announced that he is coming out of the closet, that he is gay.

       Both congratulate him for his for the bravery in his decision, Felice, as one might expect, providing us the full text of the current gay ideological belief: “In these times of ideological transition declaring yourself homosexual is easier than in the past, but is still not a piece of cake.”

      Contento continues that his bravery inspired him, as Felice lays down beside him on the futon upon which he sits. And Contento lays down beside him, Felice commenting that they are “quite close,” Contento again concurring, although it is clear that Felice is perhaps commenting not as much upon their viewpoints as upon their current physical contact.

 

     Felice almost gets up the nerve to touch Contento, but both quickly sit up, Felice suggesting that both the Aunt and Amilcare has made him think, Contento impatiently begging him to share his thoughts.

      Felice has discovered that perhaps he shouldn’t share anyone’s prejudices, and, of course, Contento fully agrees. And before you know it, Felice has laid his hand up Contento’s, turned his head toward him, and is about to kiss. But Contento quickly backs off, even though we quickly learn they have long talked about it. Contento still is worried that if people knew….. And Felice apologizes. What has seemed to be the moment of the two coming out, just as quickly appears to pass. Perhaps they are not as brave as their friend Amilcare, the filmgoer’s must assume.

     Felice is depressed. He repeats his earlier expression, “No one knows the meaning of ‘good.’” Contento suddenly turns toward him and answers: “Frankly, my dear, I don’t give a damn about other people.” And before our eyes, these two beautiful boys begin deeply kissing, stripping off their shirts and pants and proceed to make glorious love before our eyes. Felice is no longer unhappy and Contento is now once more content. Contento even leans over Felice and drops a globule of saliva into his lover’s eye. It’s not a pretty sight, although Felice seems to be in near ecstasy. Besides, we asked for it, and everything else along with it if we subscribe, as I would argue most of this film’s audience has, that ““If it doesn’t harm anyone, it’s fine.” We can even take joy it his absolutely essential coming out film, with happiness and content enough to flow from characters to their cinema audience

      But just as suddenly, with the click from below the attic in which they have been enjoying their love, they recognize that Felice’s father has returned, he declaring his father mustn’t find out, no one must! “I thought you said it’s okay,” Contento pleads. “That’s not the point….”

       “Food’s here,” calls the elder man from below.

       Felice asks that for now they must keep it to themselves.

       Contento promises, as they kiss, and go down for dinner.

       Felice wishes his father good evening, as Contento looks around the place, a bit confused it appears, before also responding, “Good evening, dad.”

       The father (Massimo Finelli) answers, “Good evening, boys. How are my children?”

      As they sit enjoying their “take out” Italian dinners, the two boys can’t help but to catch each other’s eyes and smile with the joy of their new secret.

        We might, obviously, imagine that Felice’s father is so used to having Felice’s friend Contento around that he calls him his own son, and that Contento has learned to respond in kind. But logic tells us that this isn’t the truth, that these boys, in fact, are both his sons, who have just shared in one of the most forbidden taboos of mankind, incest. If we were truly the students of Socrates we would have to admit, given these are both males who will produce no offspring to share DNA material, that they have harmed no one, and, in fact, have participated, as Felice argues, in a “good” or at least an enjoyable act that too few can recognize as being just that. Why should there be legal, social, and religious laws and the accompanying shame that goes with them visited upon such happy and content children, who have simply fallen in love? 

      The director, of course, has wilily tricked us with his Socratic logic, but justifiably so. And it is terribly difficult, without being fully illogical, for us to backtrack, similar to the Aunt’s act losing her appetite over such truly such trivial matters such as spit in the eye.

      I have long argued for the end to incest laws regarding same-sex, legal age relationships, although one recognizes that father-son and mother-daughter relationships, even as adults, are far more complex since they involve power and bring up important issues of consent. But surely, the consenting couple in this case have done not only no wrong, but have accomplished what we might describe as “good,” shared their brotherly love in a manner that has does no harm to any of us, and surely brought pleasure to themselves.

       With near genius, director/writer Aldo Verde has begun with a comedy which has turned into a serious dialogue about issues which society is still dreadfully terrified to bring up for discussion. Even more bravely, Verde dedicates his film to “his brother.”

      The film’s title, E vissero in Italian, means “They lived on,” in the sense that in English we ascribe to fairy-tale figures as “living happily ever after.”

       Legal age incest, of all sorts, is surprisingly permitted in a number of countries around the world* and in certain states in the US. It is not in Italy.

 

Incest is permitted in India, China, Brazil, Russia, Japan, Turkey, Thailand, France, South Korea, Spain, Argentina, Ivory Coast, Netherlands, Belgium, Serbia, Portugal, Israel, Singapore, Slovenia, Lithuania, Latvia, and Luxembourg, and generally throughout the US.

 

Los Angeles, August 29, 2023

Reprinted from World Cinema Review (August 2023).