''Sacred Silence'' ( it, Pianese Nunzio, 14 anni a maggio) is a
1996
File:1996 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: A Centennial Olympic Park bombing, bomb explodes at Centennial Olympic Park in Atlanta, set off by a radical Anti-abortion violence, anti-abortionist; The center fuel tank explodes on TWA Flight 8 ...
Italian
Italian(s) may refer to:
* Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries
** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom
** Italian language, a Romance language
*** Regional Ita ...
film directed by
Antonio Capuano that deals with a
Catholic
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...
priest, his
pederastic
Pederasty or paederasty ( or ) is a sexual relationship between an adult man and a pubescent or adolescent boy. The term ''pederasty'' is primarily used to refer to historical practices of certain cultures, particularly ancient Greece and anc ...
relationship with a
Napolitan street boy, and the domination of daily life in Southern Italy by the
. The title translates as ''Pianese Nunzio, 14 in May'' and the movie was released in the US with the title ''Sacred Silence''.
Plot
Don Lorenzo Borrelli (
Fabrizio Bentivoglio
Fabrizio Bentivoglio (born 4 January 1957) is an Italian cinema and theatre actor and screenwriter.
Biography
Fabrizio Bentivoglio was born in Milan (his father is Venetian). After only one season in the juvenile team of Inter, he left his spor ...
) is a priest in a poor neighborhood in Naples where
Mafia
"Mafia" is an informal term that is used to describe criminal organizations that bear a strong similarity to the original “Mafia”, the Sicilian Mafia and Italian Mafia. The central activity of such an organization would be the arbitration of d ...
killings are a daily occurrence and most young people see
organized crime
Organized crime (or organised crime) is a category of transnational, national, or local groupings of highly centralized enterprises run by criminals to engage in illegal activity, most commonly for profit. While organized crime is generally th ...
as a way to earn respect. Don Borelli tries as best as he can to persuade the adolescents that the Camorra is at odds with Catholicism, but has to learn that nothing will change as long as their parents silently accept the Mafia supremacy.
Borrelli's personal life centers on his relationship with a 13-year-old choir boy, Nunzio Pianese (
Emanuele Gargiulo), who is not only strikingly handsome but also a very talented musician. Nunzio plans on becoming a priest as well, as the easy life of a priest without worries about the future appeals to him.
The mobsters figure that a
child molestation
Child sexual abuse (CSA), also called child molestation, is a form of child abuse in which an adult or older adolescent uses a child for sexual stimulation. Forms of child sexual abuse include engaging in sexual activities with a child (wheth ...
charge is a convenient way to get rid of the incendiary Don Lorenzo and try to get the local authorities to investigate. Meanwhile, Nunzio begins to doubt if he should stay his course or give in to the pressure to denounce Don Lorenzo.
Cast
*
Fabrizio Bentivoglio
Fabrizio Bentivoglio (born 4 January 1957) is an Italian cinema and theatre actor and screenwriter.
Biography
Fabrizio Bentivoglio was born in Milan (his father is Venetian). After only one season in the juvenile team of Inter, he left his spor ...
as Don Lorenzo Borrelli
* Emanuele Gargiulo as Nunzio Pianese
* Rosaria De Cicco as Rosaria
*
Teresa Saponangelo
Teresa Saponangelo (born 22 October 1973) is an Italian film, television and stage actress.
Life and career
Born in Taranto, Saponangelo is the daughter of a workman and a housewife. Her father died when she was two years old, and in 1976 she ...
as Anna Maria Pica
* Antonella Stefanucci as Sandra
* Tonino Taiuti as Cuccarini
External links
*
1996 films
Italian LGBT-related films
Italian drama films
1990s Italian-language films
Films set in Naples
Films about the Camorra
1996 drama films
Films directed by Antonio Capuano
LGBT-related drama films
1996 LGBT-related films
1990s Italian films
{{LGBT-drama-film-stub