''The Ignorant Fairies'' (; released on DVD in the US as ''His Secret Life'') is a 2001

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, a Romance ethnic group related to or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance languag ...

drama film In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. The drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular ...

directed Direct may refer to: Mathematics * Directed set, in order theory * Direct limit of (pre), sheaves * Direct sum of modules, a construction in abstract algebra which combines several vector spaces Computing * Direct access (disambiguation), a ...

by Turkish-Italian film director

Ferzan Özpetek Ferzan Özpetek (, ; born 3 February 1959) is a Turkish-Italian film director and screenwriter, residing in Italy since 1978. Biography Ferzan Özpetek was born in Istanbul in 1959. In 1976, he decided to move to Italy to study Cinema History ...

. The story follows a woman who discovers that her recently deceased husband had been having an affair with another man. In 2022, Disney+ released a TV serialization of the film, directed once more by Özpetek.

Plot

Antonia, a doctor specializing in

AIDS The HIV, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is a retrovirus that attacks the immune system. Without treatment, it can lead to a spectrum of conditions including acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). It is a Preventive healthcare, pr ...

treatment, and her husband Massimo live a seemingly perfect life. Antonia's quiet everyday life is irreparably changed when Massimo suddenly dies, run over by a car. Her violent detachment from her husband throws her into deep

mourning Mourning is the emotional expression in response to a major life event causing grief, especially loss. It typically occurs as a result of someone's death, especially a loved one. The word is used to describe a complex of behaviors in which t ...

that prevents her from working and challenges her relationship with her mother, also a long-time widow, even more difficult. Antonia receives personal objects from Massimo's office and discovers a painting, ''The Ignorant Fairy'', with a declaration of love on the back. This leads her to search for the gift-giver, whose existence Antonia was unaware of. Antonia discovers a reality very far from her imagination: Massimo was

bisexual Bisexuality is romantic attraction, sexual attraction, or sexual behavior toward both males and females. It may also be defined as the attraction to more than one gender, to people of both the same and different gender, or the attraction t ...

and had a clandestine relationship with a man, Michele. The impact with Massimo's secret life is dramatic for At first disbelieving, Michele pretends to be ignorant. Then he blames Antonia for all the sacrifices he made in order to be with Massimo. Antonia decides to meet Michele again to understand Massimo's life. An ambiguous friendship is established between the two, through which Antonia comes into contact with the colorful community to which Michele belongs:

gay ''Gay'' is a term that primarily refers to a homosexual person or the trait of being homosexual. The term originally meant 'carefree', 'cheerful', or 'bright and showy'. While scant usage referring to male homosexuality dates to the late ...

friends, a

transgender A transgender (often shortened to trans) person has a gender identity different from that typically associated with the sex they were sex assignment, assigned at birth. The opposite of ''transgender'' is ''cisgender'', which describes perso ...

woman, a Turkish refugee, the Turkish singer Emir and a true Neapolitan woman; a kind of extended family that lives in the attic of a public building located in one of the most characteristic neighborhoods of

Rome Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...

Ostiense Ostiense is the 10th of Rome, identified by the initials Q. X. The toponym comes from the original name of the Porta San Paolo, a gate in the city walls of Rome, was , because it was located at the beginning of Via Ostiensis, Via Ostiense. It ...

. Antonia begins to interact with the group constantly with the excuse of assisting Ernesto, a young friend of Michele's, who's

HIV positive The human immunodeficiency viruses (HIV) are two species of ''Lentivirus'' (a subgroup of retrovirus) that infect humans. Over time, they cause AIDS, acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), a condition in which progressive failure of th ...

. Through the contact and impact with the reality represented by the group, mitigated by sharing the memory of Massimo, Antonia undergoes a process of personal maturation and liberation from her previous routine. She shares memories of Massimo with Michele. Both discover through the other the numerous lies that Massimo had told to lead the two parallel lives. The balance between the two is broken, when during a party, Antonia sees Michele flirting with two guys at the same time, which he will later have a ''

ménage à trois A () is a domestic arrangement or committed relationship consisting of three people in polyamorous romantic or sexual relations with each other, and often dwelling together. The phrase is a loan from French meaning "household of three". ...

.'' Michele feels it as an insult when Antonia presents him with a book by

Nazım Hikmet A nazim is the coordinator of a city or town in Pakistan. Nazim or variant spellings may also refer to: * Nazim (given name), including a list of people with the given name ** Nirmala Devi, born Nazim, Indian actress and singer * Nazim (surname), ...

, their favorite poet, which Massimo had pretended to appreciate in order to seduce Michele. The feud between Antonia and Michele comes to an end when Ernesto runs away from home. Antonia finds him, remembering where he had met his lover and convinces Ernesto to take care of himself once and for all. Shortly after, Antonia and Michele exchange a passionate kiss, which sends both of them into crisis. Antonia then discovers that she is

pregnant Pregnancy is the time during which one or more offspring gestation, gestates inside a woman's uterus. A multiple birth, multiple pregnancy involves more than one offspring, such as with twins. Conception (biology), Conception usually occurs ...

with Massimo's child, and runs to Michele's house to give him the good news, but she overhears Michele talking to his friends, where he seems to want to distance himself from her. Antonia, saddened, decides to distance herself from Michele. She pretends to accept Emir's offer to travel, but instead, she leaves alone. The film ends with Antonia leaving secretly.

Production

The director Ferzan Özpetek, born in

Turkey Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a relatively small part called East Thrace in Southeast Europe. It borders the Black Sea to the north; Georgia (country), Georgia, Armen ...

in 1959, and who has lived in

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

since 1976, created ''The Ignorant Fairies'' to portray the theme of

homosexuality Homosexuality is romantic attraction, sexual attraction, or Human sexual activity, sexual behavior between people of the same sex or gender. As a sexual orientation, homosexuality is "an enduring pattern of emotional, romantic, and/or sexu ...

, which he deeply felt on a personal level. In the film, he depicts loneliness, family, and detachment caused by loss. Co-produced with

French French may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France ** French people, a nation and ethnic group ** French cuisine, cooking traditions and practices Arts and media * The French (band), ...

capitals, the film is one of the hits of the 2001 film season.

Stefano Accorsi Stefano Lelio Beniamino Accorsi (; born 2 March 1971) is an Italian actor. Early life and background Accorsi was born in Bologna. He graduated from Bologna's Theatrical School in 1993, and acted in the theatre for several years before moving to ...

and

Margherita Buy Margherita Buy (; born 15 January 1962) is an Italian actress. She is a seven-time David di Donatello Awards winner and eight-time Nastro d'Argento winner. Overview After a long period of studying at the Academy of Dramatic Arts, she made her ...

both received the

Nastro d'argento The (plural: ''Nastri d'Argento''; English: Silver Ribbon) is an Italian film award, held since 1946 by the ''Sindacato Nazionale Giornalisti Cinematografici Italiani'' (Italian National Union of Film Journalists). Awards are given annually in ...

as best male and female performers.

Awards

* 3

Nastro d'Argento The (plural: ''Nastri d'Argento''; English: Silver Ribbon) is an Italian film award, held since 1946 by the ''Sindacato Nazionale Giornalisti Cinematografici Italiani'' (Italian National Union of Film Journalists). Awards are given annually in ...

Prizes (Best Actress:

– Best Actor:

– Best Producer: Tilde Corsi and Gianni Romoli) * Public's Choice, Image-Nation Festival * Best Film, New York Gay and Lesbian Film Festival * Best Film, Austin Gay and Lesbian International Film Festival

External links

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ignorant Fairfies, The 2001 films 2001 LGBTQ-related films 2001 drama films Italian drama films 2000s Italian-language films Italian LGBTQ-related films 2000s LGBTQ-related drama films Transgender-related films Films directed by Ferzan Özpetek Films set in Rome 2000s Italian films