Don't Be Cruel

La Chimera

Everyone has their own Chimera, something they try to achieve but never manage to find. For Arthur, the Chimera looks like the woman he lost, Beniamina. In an adventurous journey between the living and the dead, between forests and cities, between celebrations and solitudes, the intertwined destinies of these characters unfold, all in search of the Chimera.

Sanpietro

Sanpietro, the reclusive concierge of an apartment building, has the keys to every unit. At night, he watches the lives of the residents from his dim, solitary studio; by day, he slips into their apartments, immersing himself in their routines and habits. But a chance encounter with the young son of a newly arrived tenant stirs something within him, driving Sanpietro toward a drastic act in his desperate attempt to ease his loneliness.

The Enemy

During a mountain trip, three children spend the afternoon playing war. When a local child asks to join them, he is given the role of the "enemy". This innocent choice will lead to unexpected consequences.

I Sassi

Alessandra and Elisa are fifteen, bound by an intense connection that shifts between closeness, desire, and subtle jealousy. Elisa is about to move abroad, and the looming distance charges every gesture with new weight. They tease, provoke, and cling to each other, as if holding on and pushing away were the same thing. What they can’t express surfaces in silences, in glances, in the fragile balance between them. Over the course of a long afternoon, following the path of a river, they drift along the edges of their world: boys who bully, men who blur boundaries, glimpses of an adult world they observe without fully understanding. In that uncertain space - shaped by fear, confusion, and desire - something cracks. An extreme act begins to take shape, driven by something deep, unspoken, and unresolved.

Pretty Boy

Sean is taken to a motel and is given a prostitute for his 18th birthday by his father. He must sleep with her to "fix" his questionable homosexuality. "Pretty Boy" is a coming of age story of a young bullied teen, Sean, struggling with his sexuality and the hardships of high school. After his father finds some questionable magazines in his room, this devout Christian will go to any lengths to get his son to find the light and "perform" the way a man should. Sean is introduced to Katie, a prostitute that understands the stigmas of modern society and helps him see the true light that is within him.