Netflix is ​​filming the story of one of the biggest porn stars of all time – but in the most boring way

“I shot 50 sex scenes in 95 days.” This is what actor Alessandro Borghi told the online magazine Today.it in March 2023 about the creation of the Italian Netflix series Supersex. He immediately had the attention on his side. Almost a year later, the seven-part mini-series about the… Porn star Rocco Siffredi its premiere at the Berlinale 2024. But what’s behind the hype?

In the aforementioned interview, Borghi not only promised numerous sex scenes, but also a reckoning with the woman Italian bigotry. He chose the controversial role of Rocco Siffredi “to argue a bit with everyone.” After the three episodes shown as part of the Berlinale Special Gala, disillusionment sets in. Supersex is anything but a brave Netflix project.

New Netflix series: Supersex delves into the past of porn star Rocco Siffredi

At the beginning of the story, Rocco Siffredi (Borghi) is at the peak of his career. He moves through the crowd in a flash of flashes, everyone’s eyes glued to him. He is one of the biggest stars in the industry, has been in the business for years and is more in demand than ever. This makes his announcement in front of the camera that he is all the more surprising withdraw from the porn world want. Rocco Siffredi – that name was once upon a time.

You can watch the trailer for Supersex here:

A ghost from the past sends shivers down Rocco’s spine. It doesn’t take long before the series leaves the narrative present and delves into Italy in the 1960s and 1970s. In the idyllic port town of Ortona Young Rocco grows up surrounded by his family and is particularly excited about one event: the return of his half-brother Tommaso (Adriano Giannini), his greatest hero.

Tommaso embodies everything that none of the other young boys around Rocco are. Happiness seems to fall effortlessly into his hands. He owns his own car and doesn’t have to worry about his appearance. Casual, charming and generous, he smiles his way into the hearts of the people of Ortona. But the most important thing is: He’s going with the most beautiful girl of the city. Rocco wants to be just like him.

Netflix’s Supersex moves unimaginatively from one station to the next in Rocco Siffredi’s life

As time passes, a second great inspiration enters Rocco’s life: super sex. The pornographic comic about the eponymous hero, whose Super power sex will soon become his personal Bible. He knows every crumpled page by heart, down to the smallest detail. Supersex lays the foundation for Rocco’s later career in the porn industry. But the introduction is not quite as straightforward.

Again and again we delve into Rocco’s past and get to know a stage in his eventful life story. The loss of a brother, estrangement from family and the discovery of Paris as the ultimate place of love (and broken hearts): the center of the series is his Relationship with Tommaso. Each episode reveals more abysses, arguments and violence.

Adriano Giannini plays a threatening, impulsive presence in the series. He is the ghost that gives Rocco no peace in the present and acts as the narrative engine for his suffering. Something devastating happened between the two. However, this secret, which is hesitantly revealed, is not enough to turn Supersex into a gripping story. Because everything around it is completely uninspired.

Supersex lacks its own superpower: A Netflix series from the assembly line at the Berlinale

Starting with the monotonous narrative structure, which only checks off obligatory points to explain the basic motivation of the characters, right up to the completely meaningless lookwhich only needs a few neon lights to conjure up a nightclub atmosphere: Supersex is one of the many interchangeable Netflix series that have no cinematic identity of their own, although the original could hardly be more exciting.

Supersex should bubble with the same energy with which Paul Thomas Anderson bundles the story of the (fictional) porn star Dirk Diggler in Boogie Nights. The film is drama and satire at the same time. A thrilling look behind the scenes of the industry, which mercilessly outlines the decline and still lets us live a piece of the dream. Unfortunately, super sex never feels so alive for a second.

The first three episodes rush with that necessary minimum of interest through Siffredi’s career to get from one place to another. The questions about (toxic) masculinity, gender roles and society’s perception of the world that Rocco immerses himself in are only touched upon. The dichotomy between business and feelings, between porn and passion is also almost intangible.

And super sex isn’t really good for arguing either. The series chooses harmlessness over bite. Uncomfortable terrain is avoided. Just don’t offend. Just no bold, shocking decisions. Netflix has found a way, even that most unusual stories with a standardized indifference. Even Siffredi’s softest porn probably has more rough edges.

The first three episodes of Supersex will be shown in the Berlinale Special Gala section of the 74th Berlin International Film Festival. In Germany, the series starts on Netflix on March 6, 2024. All seven episodes will be released simultaneously.