Where it was filmed 'Lovely Boy'

Rome and a recovery centre in the foothills of the Dolomite range of Alto Adige: these are the two contrasting worlds that symbolically represent the interior conflict of the lead character played by Andrea Carpenzano, torn between Nic, a sensitive and talented boy, and his alter ego, the singer Lovely Boy whose approach is arrogant and over the top.

The Dolomites is where Nic flees to hide from the chaos and the noise of the capital city. Joining a recovery community housed in a dusty mountain hotel, Hotel Stammer, disused for over 15 years, the young man struggles to find himself, sharing the enormous solitude that he carries inside with others who, like him, have fallen prey to drug addiction. The locations in Alto Adige include the little village of Gudon, near Chiusa, in valle Isarco about 30km from Bolzano and the area around the old station of Merano, where Nic goes, hoping to catch a train home.

Rome is an impetuous presence in the continual flashbacks which scene by scene tell the story of the rapid rise and equally rapid fall of Lovely Boy, through current slang (“RIP Botta”), vocal messages, stories on social media, TikTok dancing and, above all, the original score created by Paco Martinello that creates a musical genre which, as the main character himself states, has no name and is not rap because it has no content – in contrast to rap.

The shoot for the videoclip that will launch XXG, musical duo formed by Nico and his friend Borneo, takes place in a green valley overlooking the residential complex of Corviale, known as the “serpentone”, today a symbol of the degradation of the south western outskirts of Rome. Rome is also represented by the great dome of the Basilica of St. Peters which appears before Nic as he strolls while listening to the vocal message from his girlfriend announcing her pregnancy.

Nic’s druggy and inexpressive expression suggests the depth of his desperation as he wanders past the Imperial Fora, Trajan’s market, the Vittoriano monument and the buildings of piazza Venezia. He even walks into a church and lets himself be rattled by the frescoes inside before reaching ponte della Scienza, which links Lungotevere Vittorio Gassman to the Gazometro area, where he throws himself off watched by stunned passers-by.