“Senza Volto”, The Hollywood Pivot
TORONTO – Despite an April court ruling that’s ordered Netflix to refund circa $2 billion to its Italian subscribers (for illegal price hikes), the streaming giant is continuing with its plans to elevate Italian production quality and programming. Netflix’s VP for Italian Content Eleonora Andreatta coined it the “Year of the Stars”, a project that envisions the nation’s most celebrated performers under Netflix’s umbrella – all showcasing “previously unseen versions of themselves”.
The project was unveiled during Rome’s major event “What Next 2026”, where the Neflix team announced they’d be bringing Italy’s brightest talent together for 17 original titles. Names like Pierfrancesco Favino, Matilda De Angelis and Edoardo Leo were named in the ambitious undertaking, which includes films, series and unscripted content.
Thus far delivering on the promise, Netflix announced that the Italian Action Thriller Senza Volto just wrapped post production. The film is not only garnering attention for Anita Leo’s debut screen role, but also for pairing her with her father Edoardo Leo – reflecting their father/daughter relationship on screen.
Edoardo’s “artistic identity” has been built on romantic leads and comedic roles in films like Era Ora, Follemente and Lasciarsi un Giorno a Roma. Playing a roughed up undercover agent who has lost everything and is scraping by in the shadows is not just a departure for Leo, it has the potential – if successful – to become a radical pivot for the actor.
Directing the film is Fabio Guaglione, whose most celebrated film Mine (2016) was a psychological thriller starring Armie Hammer as a Marine sniper trapped in a desert minefield. He also wrote several action thrillers, including the Netflix hit My Name is Vendetta (2022), starring Alessandro Gassmann as a former Mafia enforcer protecting his daughter from old enemies.
Guaglione’s focus on psychological intensity rather than gratuitous action puts Leo in a prime position to prove his value in the action/thriller marketplace.
In Senza Volto, Leo plays Gabriele: a down-and-out father, faceless and invisible to his daughter, Laura, whom he watches from a distance. Things go from bad to worse for Gabriele when his ex-wife is suddenly murdered, and he becomes the prime suspect.
If the character type is a signature departure for Leo, it’s largely due to a plot that seems lifted straight from a Hollywood playbook. It strikes a similar chord to classic action thrillers like The Fugitive (1993), Man on Fire (2004), Live Free or Die Hard (2007) and Taken (2009). Some might shudder at the mere thought of Italian films taking this path, but there’s always an upside.
Proving that Italian cinema can produce high-octane blockbusters with higher than normal production value – thanks to Netflix’s investment – will help Italy’s industry compete on the global stage. The Italian film landscape, known for its local dramas and niche comedy, can only benefit from reaching international markets – even it means adopting an American style every so often.
Images courtesy of Netflix
Massimo Volpe is a filmmaker and freelance writer from Toronto: he writes reviews of Italian films/content on Netflix
