‘I Don’t Understand You’ Review: Nick Kroll and Andrew Rannells’ Gay Italian Vacay Takes a Demented Turn
09.03.2024 - 07:39
/ variety.com
Peter Debruge Chief Film Critic Swanning around Italy like side characters from the second season of “The White Lotus,” well-to-do gay couple Dom (Nick Kroll) and Cole (Andrew Rannells) have decided the world is against them. As Americans, they live at a time in a country when they can legally get married, adopt and do pretty much everything straight people can — but they’re also old enough to remember when that wasn’t the case, and so they anticipate rejection and homophobia at every turn. They’re prepared for the worst, and somehow they attract it.
Loosely inspired by filmmakers Brian Crano and David Craig’s bumpy road to fatherhood, catty black comedy “I Don’t Understand You” depicts a stretch in Dom and Cole’s relationship when everything seems to be going their way … until suddenly it doesn’t. While celebrating their anniversary in Italy, the pair get the news that the baby they’ve been so desperately trying to manifest (one adoption already fell through) is about to be delivered. An old family friend arranges for them to have an exclusive meal at an out-of-the-way restaurant.
And so on. La vita è bella. As the vacation unfolds, what began as a sunny “Eat, Gay, Love” story takes a series of dark turns. Suddenly, dead bodies are piling up and the couple can’t tell if they’ve dodged a hate crime or perpetrated one on their hosts, who could hardly be nicer.
And yet, they stab the air with knives and say things like, “You’re going to be dey-ud.” If you’ve been persecuted your entire life (as Dom and Cole feel they have), it’s easy to misinterpret such signals. And because they’re oblivious to the local culture and language, things have a way of escalating awfully fast. Objectively speaking, Dom and Cole are terrible
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