Here it is folks, another one of my favorite movies is on the chopping block. Now you might be asking, “McKenna don’t you love really ‘edgy’ movies?”, or “McKenna how could a movie about fish boys relate to you in any way?” Well, buckle up because I’m going to give the best movie review this side of the Mississippi.  

Now I have already done a review of the short film Ciao Alberto, and it is on my blog from posts in November. So, after this if you want more Luca content review head there! 

Anyway, this movie came out the summer of 2021 and never really hit my radar of movies when it first came out.  But when I did finally watch it? I might have watched it multiple times in the span of a few days in both English and Italian. I could quote a lot of this movie in both languages. The storyline for this movie really got me hooked. Like what another Italian kid has a mom that acts like Luca’s? Insane concept to 18-year-old McKenna. Just the idea of running away from home was a theme that I think a lot of kids can resonate with, and all the underlying “I kinda came out to my parents and it didn’t go well time to run off with my best friend that is more than my best friend, but I’ll find that out later,” everyone goes through that.  

(SPOILER ZONE) This story felt so taken care of, the worldbuilding is subtle but is well thought out. The landscapes and design of Portorosso are so beautiful and really tie into the idea of a summer getaway. This story is a coming of age for Luca the main character, it’s the summer before he goes to human school, and the summer he meets many of the important people in his life. He meets two of his best friends, Alberto who he meets before going to Portorosso and who is also a sea monster, and Guilia who both Luca and Alberto meet in the town and persuades them to join the local triathlon. In this competition, Luca and Alberto strive to get a Vespa, a motor scooter, that is a symbol of freedom to both boys throughout the movie. When Alberto and Luca fight about what it means to mask as a human and Luca shows interest in going to school, the climax of the movie reaches its precipice. Alberto reveals that he’s a sea monster and Guilia acts out, scared, and Luca does as well. This breaks the otherwise good friendship Luca and Alberto had beforehand. And I do sob every time I see it. This is where we see more into Alberto as a character, he and Luca talk it out but it is left mostly open-ended. Back on the island in the middle of the race Alberto ‘sacrifices’ himself to make sure Luca has a chance in the triathlon, which Luca reveals himself to show he still cares about Alberto. Then the story has a wonderful message at the end that I sadly won’t be detailing as this post is the longest I’ve ever written… 

But please, if you haven’t watched Luca! It’s really great and Disney has it in almost every language.  

11/10 

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