The film is part of an ongoing series at Meta House, curated by Davide Posca.

Stefano Sollima’s 2023 crime thriller, “Adagio,” paints a grim and atmospheric portrait of a Rome scorched by wildfires and plagued by corruption. The film follows the harrowing journey of Manuel, a sixteen-year-old boy, who becomes entangled in a dangerous web of blackmail, forcing him to seek help from his estranged father’s past.

Manuel is coerced by corrupt police officers to infiltrate a party and secretly photograph a mysterious, high-profile individual. However, the plan goes awry, and Manuel finds himself a loose end in a conspiracy far bigger than he could have imagined. Now a target of the very same crooked cops, he is forced to flee for his life.

In his desperation, Manuel seeks out the former criminal associates of his aging father, Daytona, a once-feared gangster now battling dementia. This reunion thrusts him into a world of old loyalties and bitter rivalries. Two of his father’s old comrades, the blind but still cunning Polniuman and the physically frail but fiercely protective Cammello, reluctantly agree to help the boy.

What ensues is a tense and gritty game of cat and mouse through the sweltering, blackout-ridden streets of the Italian capital. As the corrupt officers, led by the ruthless Vasco, close in, Manuel’s unlikely protectors must confront their own violent pasts and decide if they are willing to risk everything for the son of their former friend. “Adagio” is a slow-burn thriller that explores themes of legacy, redemption, and the cyclical nature of violence, all set against the backdrop of a city on the brink of collapse. The film features a stellar cast, including Pierfrancesco Favino, Toni Servillo, and Valerio Mastandrea.