Supersex, written by Francesca Manieri, is loosely based on the life of a porn star named Rocco Siffredi. According to this series, personal pain (brought on by the loss of a brother) pushed Rocco towards carnal pleasures so intensely that when he got a taste of the world of pornography, he decided this particular profession was made for him. Rocco (Alessandro Borghi) likes to have hard sex - his colleagues refer to him as an "animal." His female co-stars complain about his aggression, but Rocco doesn't stop doing his job with, well, too much passion. How is this porn profession? How many hours do the actors remain on the sets? What about the compensation, in the sense that is there any pay disparity between the men and the women? For a show that spends so much time with a pornographic actor, it has almost nothing to say about his profession. What it does display to us - actors reach orgasm on the director's command, the cameraman stands very near to the action while the director tells actors to make different expressions - is nothing but common knowledge.
Supersex is too incurious about its world, its characters, and its emotions. Everything is built on the spot without much thought or rhythm. No wonder it forgets about most things as soon as it sets them up. For instance, as a young boy, Rocco decides to become a priest for his mother's happiness. We see him going to the church in the proper uniform, but when another boy informs him that some kid is calling himself "Supersex," Rocco throws away his costume and goes for a confrontation. So, did he forget all about his mother's happiness? Was his sentiment so feeble? What did his mother think about this action? Was she hurt? Did she come to know about this decision immediately, or was it hidden from her for, say, a few months? Again, Supersex provides us with no answer. Such writing decisions don't come under "plot holes." They only tell us that the makers (or call them creators) don't have any respect for the audience. The Supersex team has made this show with the notion that the viewers will watch their Netflix series without paying attention. It's made for people who look at their phones while shows like Supersex play like background noise on their TVs or laptops.
Carmela (Tania Garribba), Ricco's mother, constantly tells Ricco he needs love. To Tommaso (Adriano Giannini), Rico's half-brother, she gives an advice (or call it a warning) that he needs to stay away from Lucia (Eva Cela when young, Jasmine Trinca when older), the local sex goddess. Both men ignore Carmela's words. Ricco indulges in sexual pleasures and starts feeling empty from within. Tommaso marries Lucia and is mostly seen arguing with her. Does this mean "Mother knows best?" But then, this mother also thinks women shouldn't be allowed to roam on the streets at night. She believes men are born to rule the world and can do whatever they want with their lives. So, by making Ricco and Tommaso unhappy and, by extension, supporting Carmela's statements, is Supersex attempting to reinforce conservative, patriarchal viewpoints? Are women like Lucia, um, dangerous? Instead of looking for sex (like Ricco), should you focus on settling down with that one woman like a normal person?
Here is another question: Should you even read so deeply between the lines while watching something like Supersex? I don't think so because the characters here are pretty bland. They don't reveal anything new about themselves. The series, too, isn't interested in exploring their facets. It merely wants them to act as per the script's requirements. This is why Tommaso is generally seen in an angry state, while Ricco shifts between pining for Lucia and engaging in plenty of copulation. For the most part, there is little to no change in their behaviors. It's all repetitious. The female characters feel incredibly inconsequential. One of them loves music, so she is mainly seen playing the piano. A girl says she doesn't easily trust anyone and then, a few seconds later, falls head over heels for Ricco. The series doesn't show us what precisely makes her trust Ricco. The way she looks at him, you feel as if she is merely attracted to him because of his looks. It appears that for something as shallow as Supersex, such weak excuses are enough to establish strong relations between characters.
In one of the episodes, Ricco ends up falling in love with a woman named Tina (Linda Caridi) and settles down with her on an island. Tina, however, turns out to have unreal expectations. She is the kind of person who actually believes love is enough for survival. Tina is nothing but just another insignificant female character. Lucia gets so much screen time, yet she is reduced to an object of desire for Ricco and his half-brother. She gives a speech about men always seeing women as sex objects. She further adds that there is more to them than their flesh or something like that. It's funny then that the series itself sees her only as a romantic interest - a woman who ends up marrying a man instead of choosing independence.
I was shocked by Lucia's decision because if I were her, I wouldn't have chosen any of the men that are present in Supersex. They are all dumb and smug - they fill you with hatred towards men. The series, after a point, filters Ricco and Tommaso through a schmaltzy lens. It tries to show them as lovesick individuals. Ricco breaks the heart of a woman (by giving her a flight ticket) because his voice tells us that "love consumes love" or some nonsense like that. Whatever. I thought both Ricco and Tommaso were extremely stupid characters. Their so-called romantic sacrifice looked like a boring excuse to display these characters as intensely emotional, lovelorn, and passionate. Aww. No, make that yawn.
There is, however, one scene that's so good it feels out of place here. It's the one where Ricco buys a cycle for Lucia and bids her farewell. Supersex is about their romance (notice how the series cuts from Ricco dancing to a song to Lucia dancing to the same music as well), and their terrific love story is buried somewhere in this mess. It briefly - with vigor - comes to the surface during this cycle moment. The rest of the show can be compared to that porn film where an injured Ricco makes out with a woman. In other words, the series is mainly concerned with erotic matters (the story is frivolous). This is why the words "SEX" arrive before the appearance of the full title.
Final Score- [3.5/10]
Reviewed by - Vikas Yadav
Follow @vikasonorous on Twitter
Publisher at Midgard Times