Marco Bonini makes his directorial debut with a film adapted from a previous novel published by Longanesi, in which family relationships take center stage and the ways in which they often end up becoming inadvertently entangled.
Starring an exceptional cast that includes among others Edoardo Leo, Claudia Gerini, and Giovanna Mezzogiorno, the protagonists of If You Love Someone, Tell Them learn to confront a toxic masculinity and the inability to express their own feelings. They do so against the backdrop of a city that, at least on the surface, seems unfazed; as the lone answer to the frenetic and at times alienating pace of daily life, it offers glimpses of breathtaking beauty. The film’s locations, in theaters from October 16, 2026, are jewels to be discovered.
What it’s about
Sergio, the lead played by Edoardo Leo, is struck by a sudden illness while he is betraying his partner and ends up in a coma. When he awakens, he is like a child who must learn to do everything from scratch. Once a grim, emotionally distant man who believed that showing his feelings was something men didn’t do except to brag, he discovers that he is a sensitive person capable of loving deeply. This revelation is bound to leave those around him perplexed, especially his extended family and his son Giulio (Biagio Venditti). Laughter, moments of awkwardness, and also instances of deep tenderness will pepper Sergio’s new life.
Where the film was shot
Produced by Noname Entertainment, Alea Film and Vision Distribution in collaboration with Sky, the new film starring Edoardo Leo, Claudia Gerini and Giovanna Mezzogiorno was shot in Rome and on the Lazio coast. Above all, the choice of the Eternal City gives Sergio’s renewal and his fresh approach to his own emotions, to others, and to their feelings a distinctly universal value.
Rome
Among the filming locations of If You Love Someone, Tell Them stands out in particular the former Carlo Forlanini Hospital: it is here that Sergio is taken after the heart attack and where his ex-wife, his new partner, and their son await news. Of the historic Rome hospital, founded in the 1930s to treat lung diseases and long since decommissioned, the screen captures highlight the iconic columned atrium with marble and bas-reliefs devoted to the value of labor, a setting already used in numerous Italian films (from Paola Cortellesi’s There’s Still Tomorrow to Stefano Sollima’s Adagio).
Equally easy to recognize on screen is the Park of the Aqueducts, one of the city’s largest parks (spanning over 240 hectares), famous for preserving the remains of ancient Roman aqueducts and bustling with runners, walkers, sunbathers on benches or in the sun, or people savoring a spectacular sunset. Nearby is the small soccer pitch where Sergio’s son plays with his friends.
Those who know Rome well will also spot the narrow lanes and the 1930s-style villas of the Quadraro, a historic working-class neighborhood that today is among the city’s most multicultural and gentrified areas.
Fiumicino
The beach scenes, the parts of the new life in which Sergio rediscovers the pleasure of small things, such as a stroll along the shoreline with the people he loves, were filmed near Fiumicino. In some shots it’s possible to see the pier and the old lighthouse, among the most scenic spots in the area.
