Closeted queer dancer Mario (Thomas Prenn) lives in a small Italian village where most of the locals speak German. His friend Lenz (Noah Saavedra), who is also the object of his affections, encourages him to visit him in Rome and Mario believes that he’s on the road to becoming his authentic self with Lenz by his side. That couldn’t be further from the truth, which becomes painfully obvious, when they meet in a gay bar in Rome and as tensions simmer between the friends, tragedy strikes when Islamic terrorists storm the bar and shoot everyone dead, except Mario. Escaping unharmed, Mario is left with survivor’s guilt and spirals into a rapid descent as he tries to continue with his life.
‘Why Not You’ is the directorial debut for Evi Romen and it attempts to tackle plenty of issues ranging from homophobia to religious extremism. The film feels like two different films sown together, with the first 40 minutes or so feeling like a frothy coming-of-age story and the rest of the film plunging headfirst into religion and politics, making it much heavier to watch. The two sides don’t gel together all that well and the stark turning point, the shooting, will likely take many viewers by (unwelcome) surprise.
The second half of the film finds Mario becoming friends with Muslim character Nadim (Josef Mohamed), who wants to help Mario get his life back together. There’s a very mixed message in here though and I can only think that Romen is clumsily trying to show that not all Muslims are terrorists, which of course we know, but there’s not enough development of Nadim or of the Muslim community he represents for Romen’s point to land. I also didn’t feel fully convinced of how Mario’s journey unravels, and that meant I simply didn’t buy into what was happening.
‘Why Not You’ succeeds on some levels. Visually it’s very striking to look at and the cast does a fine job, even if the character of Mario isn’t given much to do other than look sulky for the majority of the film. Prenn’s performance is intense and he doesn’t get chance to show any light, as Mario’s journey is an incredibly dour one. There are no moments of levity to break from the weightiness of the material, which becomes hard-going by the end.
‘Why Not You’ sets out with plenty of ambition but a muddled script and a plot that delves superficially into the big issues, under-serves what could have been a compelling story. There’s a good story in here somewhere, but sadly ‘Why Not You’ plods along with a too-long running time and never really delivers the pay-off it needs to.
Cast: Thomas Prenn, Noah Saavedra, Josef Mohamed Director: Evi Romen Writer: Evi Romen Certificate: 15 Duration: 107 mins Released by TLA Releasing Release date: 24th May 2021
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