Anna Cuocolo

An unknown actress lands the role of a lifetime in Rome. Paired with an American journalist writing a profile, she will discover surprises about love and life in the eternal city.

Bologna, 1954. Taddeo, a young man of 18 whom everyone calls Kid, dreams of becoming one of the regulars of the mythical Margherita Café, located under the portico across from his family's home. Through a ploy, he manages to get work as the chauffeur for Al, the neighborhood's most glamorous and mysterious resident. Having been taken under Al's wing, Taddeo gets to witness the adventures of Bep, who is in love with Marcella the entraineuse; the trials and tribulations of Gian, an aspiring singer and the victim of a horrible practical joke; the crazy behavior of Manuelo, a small-time robber with a sex phobia; the meanness of Zanchi, inventor of the elastic necktie; and the bizarre manias of Sarti, a ballroom dancing champion who wears his tux day and night. And Taddeo's home life is no less out of the ordinary, considering his mother is being led on by the family physician while his grandfather has fallen head over heels for a well-built piano teacher.

Mr. Nothing is a bitter fairy tale about two young men who meet on an app: one loves unreservedly, while the other seduces and destroys, incapable of opening up. Caught between illusion and fear, he chooses the void over love.

This film exposes the hidden dangers of dating apps driven by the urgent consumption of sex and entertainment. Behind simple profile pictures often hide pathological narcissists and ambiguous characters. Looking for fleeting encounters, they prey on vulnerable users through flattery and deception. In this virtual world, emotional connection is entirely absent. Everyone becomes a mere object of desire in a perverse, addictive game of dominance and submission that detaches users from reality. Ultimately, the virtual realm takes over, leading to a profound depersonalization where human beings are completely stripped of their humanity.