Whoever leaves the old path for the new knows what he leaves, but does not know what he finds. This old adage of popular wisdom certainly has some truth in it. But, as we know, clichés are made to be proven wrong. Why are we telling you this? Why, after saying goodbye Suburra – The serieswe thought that, without so many iconic characters that we had loved, Subura she would never be the same again. There could have been one Subura without Alessandro Borghi’s Aureliano? And without Francesco Acquaroli’s Samurai? Suburræternathe new series streaming on Netflix from November 14th, it is a spin-off, but in fact it could very well be considered the fourth season of Subura and it works great even without some of its historical characters.
Thanks to the “veterans”, who return here in a new guise (Spadino, Cinaglia, Nadia and Angelica). But above all thanks to a series of new characters, well written and even better staged, thanks to an excellent casting job. The new ones don’t make you miss the old ones and give new life to a series that really encourages binge watching. We present you the new characters of Suburræterna.
1. Damiano Luciani (Marlon Joubert)
Damiano is the Dogman of Suburræterna. He is one of the first characters we know. And we see it right there, in that dog cage of the Anacleti house, a place that gives us shivers. Yes, because in Subura, the film and not the series, we saw Manfredi die there, mauled by his own dogs. Damiano seems to know his way around dogs, indeed, he seems to be the only one who treats them well and understands them. But precisely for this reason he seems to be considered inferior by the Anacleti: also because he is not one of them. Damiano is a Luciani. Thanks to flashbacks we learn that Damiano was only eight years old when, together with his two twin brothers Giulia and Cesare, he saw their mother killed before his eyes at the hands of Manfredi Anacleti. Since then the three brothers have had to fend for themselves, running the family fish shop and making do with small businesses to earn money. Just the three of them against everyone. Until, however, Damiano fell in love with Angelica, and, in order to be with her and create the family he has always missed, he agreed to live at the Anacleti house, treated like a pariah, taking care of the fighting dogs that they had been from the same man who killed his mother. Damiano is played by Marlon Joubert, the actor we had seen in It Was the Hand of God by Paolo Sorrentino: he was Fabietto’s older brother. An actor with a particular face, with that mole above his lips that distinguishes him, and regular and clean features, here he proves to be a versatile performer, capable of becoming a criminal after being a good guy in Sorrentino’s film. He is one of the most interesting faces in the new series.
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2. Ercole Bonatesta (Aliosha Massine)
Ercole Bonatesta’s entrance on the scene is one that requires a lot of courage. He is completely naked, from his back, and he is having sex with a woman in front of a window, we’ll tell you who that woman is later. Meanwhile, we present Ercole Bonatesta, the symbol of the new politics that should bring ideals and participation, but instead he is like the old one, he only wants money and power. A young politician elected to the city council, Ercole is considered by everyone only as the wooden head of his grandfather Vito, patriarch of the Bonatesta family, who, thanks to agreements with Samurai first and with Cinaglia now, owns almost all the licenses of the small food products which are sprouting like mushrooms in Rome and which therefore needs someone to look after its interests in the Capitol. Ercole, however, feels much more than a blockhead and will do anything to prove it. Aliosha Massinewho in addition to being an actor is also a screenwriter, outlines a perfect portrait of the slimy guy who is the typical politician for so many of us: that greasy hair pulled back, those top-of-the-class glasses that hide a buzzard-like, predatory look, that sharp face that always seems ready to bite. And those clothes that would like to be elegant are actually vulgar, tacky, those of a rich man, of someone who would like to have a tone, but can’t. Look at those ties, coarse and badly knotted, or those showy shirts. This look, combined with the physicality and expressiveness of Aliosha Massine make it a successful portrait.
3. Armando Tronto (Federigo Ceci)
Armando Tronto also enters the scene in a very particular way. In an ordinary apartment, he and a friend watch a football match and talk to each other in Spanish. So much so that, for a moment, we believe that Armando Tronto is South American. Shortly afterwards, the surprise: once the match was over, over that white t-shirt Armando wore a cassock and showed up, very dressed up, at a meeting in the Vatican. But who is Armando Tronto? Born and raised in Trastevere, he left Italy while still very young to go on a mission to Colombia: this is why he speaks fluent Spanish. That experience changed his life: he saw the war up close, he had to deal with the rebels, he was literally forced to fight for what he believed in and to save hundreds of people from a hellish situation. And now, having returned to Rome as a cardinal, he has not lost that spirit of humble service and is not afraid to take the field to face a new challenge, less bloody, but equally important: changing the Church and electing a different Pope, that he is finally on the side of the last. Agree. But don’t think he’s an idealist: in the end he too chases power, money, and is the key (along with his sister, who mysteriously disappeared) to the race for the contract for the new stadium in Rome which sees all the contenders in the running. Federico Ceci (recently seen in the Circeo and The Name of the Rose series) is very good at outlining the portrait of a hateful, unfriendly character. That tight snout, that hard face seem to justify those who believe that in a part of today’s Church there is very little of Christ’s message. But his rival, the old Cardinal Nascari is not at all better than him. In there, the cleanest one has mange.
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4. Miriana Murtas (Giorgia Spinelli)
But who was that woman who was having sex with Ercole Bonatesta? For her too, her entrance on stage is one of her courageous ones: completely naked in a moment of passion. A few minutes later, we see her step into her role. She is putting herself together, putting on makeup, and wearing serious and modest trouser suits that are perfect for getting into a character, that of politics. Or rather, those of those who are behind the scenes of the great politicians but she weaves the plots and pulls the strings. Ambitious and charismatic thirty-year-old, Miriana Murtas is officially the mayor’s chief of staff. She unofficially is Cinaglia’s right-hand man in the Capitol. Amedeo is her mentor, he taught her how to navigate politics and how to maneuver situations to her advantage. And Miriana learned quickly, and when things start to get bad for her, her intervention will be fundamental for the balance on the pitch. Playing Miriana is Giorgia Spinelli, classic beauty, from times gone by. Her austere and angular face, her toned and sinuous physique make her a figure that would not have been bad in the films of the past, those of Neorealism or the Commedia all’Italiana, the one written with capital initials. We had seen Giorgia Spinelli in the films The Power Of Romeby and with Edoardo Leo, ne The man without gravity and in the Netflix series The Law of Lidia Poët. We hope to see you again in the future Suburræterna (a series where it is not easy to stay alive) and in other roles.
5. Giulia Luciani (Yamina Brirmi)
Another great surprise from Suburræterna, Giulia, known to all as “Giuliè”, enters the scene with an impressive monologue. Giulia is the twin sister of Damiano and Cesare, and is the crazy head of the trio. She is very instinctive, very smokey, she never really got over the death of her parents. In the first scene in which we see her she is in the fish market, which is a cover for drug trafficking, while she apostrophizes Damiano and Cesare, who she harasses with her “eh, Cè“. She insists on resurrecting the Lucians, defeating the Anacletes, taking everything. The only thing that has kept her from sinking into her anger is the unconditional love she feels for her brothers. But when Damiano decided to moving to the house of the family responsible for the death of their parents, marrying a woman who until recently was Alberto Anacleti’s wife, she just couldn’t accept it. And now she’s ready to do her own thing, no longer brakes. Yamina Brirmi, an actress of Tunisian origin, throws herself body and soul, and above all face, into the role of Giulia. Look at those wide-open, crazy eyes, that face distorted by a grin, a sort of female Joker: the haircut shaved on the sides with the very high shade, the tracksuit on the lean and sporty physique do the rest. Her role requires her to make excited faces, which she does very well. But that role, and that look, hides a clean, regular and very beautiful face. Follow her on her Instagram profile (yayapuntoebasta) and you will understand that she is an actress who seems very versatile to us. She and she are able to give a lot to Italian cinema. And, obviously, to seriality.
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6. Cesare Luciani (Morris Sarra)
Those “eh, Cè” of Giulia are addressed to him. Cesare is the most calm of the Luciani triplets. When Damiano and Giulia argue, he is always ready to act as peacemaker. The only thing he wants is to see his family united, to see his brothers happy. But, despite his most good-natured attitude, if now is the time to raise his head to regain what was taken from him when they were still children, he is ready for any clash. The corpulent physique (Morris Sarra he had to gain weight for the role), the calm face makes Cesare Luciani a very particular character in the crime novel of Suburra. And also for this reason we love Cesare a little more than… equal (as his grandmother used to say We just have to cry).
7. Victor Anacleti (Gabriele Di Stadio)
Another surprise from Suburræterna it’s Victor, the teenage son of Manfredi Anacleti. Having been orphaned three years earlier, he has since been raised by his grandmother Adelaide to whom he is very close. He has a rebellious nature and a difficult character, but deep down he is still a boy who has missed his father figure. When Uncle Alberto, the person responsible for his father’s death, returns home, conflicting feelings will emerge in him. Gabriele Di Stadio he brings the character to life in an interesting way: a slap face, hair shaved on one side and long on the other, combed to the side, which gives him an immediately forced look. And that look always slightly upwards, that air of self-importance, arrogant and unpunished.
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