The Boy with Pink Pants [Il ragazzo dai pantaloni rosa] **** (2024, Claudia Pandolfi, Samuele Carrino, Andrea Arru, Sara Ciocca, Corrado Fortuna) – Classic Movie Review 13,786

The 2024 Italian drama film The Boy with Pink Pants tells the heartbreaking true story of a super sweet schoolkid called Andrea (Samuele Carrino) who meets and falls for a heartbreaker, who turns out to be the devil in disguise.

On November 20, 2012, Andrea Spezzacatena, a boy who had just turned 15, took his own life. It was the first case in Italy of bullying and cyberbullying that led to the suicide of a minor. This movie is based on his story, though the screenplay by the film’s producer Roberto Proia is actually based on the autobiographical novel of his mother, Teresa Manes, and the film is in many ways her story rather than the boy’s, though maybe fifty fifty.

Director Margherita Ferri’s 2024 Italian drama film The Boy with Pink Pants tells the heartbreaking true story of a super sweet schoolkid called Andrea (Samuele Carrino) who meets and falls for a heartbreaker, who turns out to be the devil in disguise. He is Christian Todi (Andrea Arru), a boy a year older transferred from another school, who has two things going for him, his looks and his athleticism. Otherwise he’s a total failure, though mostly as a human being, certainly as a friend. Andrea wants to make friends with him, and continues to want to, even when it’s obvious that Christian is just using him to get correct school question answers, and even when he sides with his little gang of thugs against Andrea.

ndrea has a best friend in Sara (Sara Ciocca), whom he dumps in favour of his pursuit of Christian, and Sara is a good friend, warning him that Christian has no Christian values. Andrea also has troubles at home, with a useless, argumentative father (Corrado Fortuna), who splits from the mother Teresa Manes (Claudia Pandolfi), leaving Andrea and his little brother Daniele (Pietro Serpi) bereft.

The Boy with Pink Pants is maybe sugar-coated too much and too sentimental, as well as too slick and smooth, but you can see why, it would be unbearable otherwise, and as it is, it is hard to bear. But it makes its points clearly, succinctly and impactfully. Visually, it is basked in a nostalgic glow, and the soundtrack is there to cheer us up and smooth the way. But it’s an important, significant journey, with its heart totally in the right place. And it is an unusual film from Italy, where gays young and old have a hard time, so the shift in focus to the nationally admired mother would make it more agreeable, and so would the very significant role for hero’s girl best friend. Nevertheless, though glossy, it never shirks its responsibility to be honest and true. Every scene feels as credible as it is haunting. The film aspires to, and achieves, wisdom.

Samuele Carrino is tremendous as the little lost Andrea, a masterpiece picture of honesty and sincerity, and Claudia Pandolfi is very affecting as his loving, if mostly bewildered mom. These roles could not be better played.

The film premiered at the 19th Rome Film Festival on 24 October 2024 and was released in Italian cinemas on 7 November 2024 by Eagle Pictures.

It looks like they judged it right in Italy: it captured, maybe captivated an audience. It turned out to be a surprise hit as the best-grossing Italian film of 2024.

Running time: 115 minutes.

So, overall, very moving, the kind of film you want to hug. Approach with caution, though, and be in the right, receptive mood.

The theme song ‘Canta ancora’, performed by Arisa, was awarded Best Original Song at the Nastro d’Argento Italian film awards. It is something else you need to be in the mood for.

Andrea Arru (born 18 August 2007) is known for playing Pietro Maggi in the teen drama series Di4ries (2022–2023) and young Diabolik in the crime action film Diabolik: Who Are You? (2023).

© Derek Winnert 2025 – Classic Movie Review 13,786

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