Italian director Margherita Ferri, whose film *The Boy With Pink Pants* became Italy’s top local hit of 2024, is back behind the camera with her new project, *Piercing*. The genre-bending feminist and queer fable features a cast that includes the protagonist from *Pink Pants* and began shooting Monday in Bologna.
*Piercing* is set in Bologna’s working-class Pilastro neighborhood and follows an inseparable trio of 17-year-old friends—Gemma, Alex, and Lauriana—whose lives take an unexpected turn when a lip piercing seems to grant them mysterious superpowers, according to the official synopsis.
The story takes a dramatic twist when Gemma gives birth and her mother insists on giving up the baby, convinced she cannot handle the responsibility. Refusing to accept this, the three girls run away with the newborn, using their newfound powers to escape. What starts as a reckless flight soon becomes a transformative journey, forcing them to confront the true weight and meaning of their powers.
Amidst a whirlwind of comic situations, the truth is revealed: their powers do not come from the piercings but are inherited from their mothers.
The cast of *Piercing* includes emerging talents Beatrice Savignani as Gemma, Alicia Edogamhe (*Those About to Die*) as Alex, and Lisa Pires Lima as Lauriana. Also featured are Samuele Carrino, who starred in *The Boy With Pink Pants*; Andrea Arru (also from *Pink Pants*); Barbora Bobulova (*A Brighter Tomorrow*, *Portobello*); Italian singer and actress Thony; and Francesco Colella (Netflix’s *The Leopard*).
In her director’s statement, Ferri explained that *Piercing* aims “to break away from the canons of all the genres it draws inspiration from: Italian post-neorealism, superhero films, science fiction, queer cinema and European auteur cinema.” She added that “the most interesting challenge is maintaining the balance between the realism of the characters and the film’s supernatural element.”
Ferri also shared that the story was inspired by her encounters during her work as a documentary filmmaker and film workshop facilitator in schools. “From those experiences, I absorbed a bold view of the world; the beautiful recklessness of youth who feel invincible and fearless,” she said. This inspired her to tell an irreverent coming-of-age tale with a strong dose of girl power, in which both daughters and parents embark on a journey of growth. The film’s central theme explores the changing perception of femininity among new generations.
A graduate of the University of Bologna and UCLA, Ferri also trained at Rome’s prestigious Centro Sperimentale di Cinematografia, where she studied under Paolo Sorrentino and Marco Bellocchio.
Last year, she scored a surprise megahit with *The Boy With Pink Pants*, a harrowing true story of a 15-year-old boy who took his own life after facing bullying at school and online. The teen drama became the biggest box office winner in Italy in 2024, grossing over $9 million and outperforming major Hollywood titles like *Wicked* and *Venom 3*. A U.S. remake, to be directed by Nick Cassavetes, is currently in the works.
“I’m very happy to be able to return to the set with a story I wrote, after *The Boy with the Pink Pants*, which I cherish as a wonderful experience and for the relationships I formed with some of the cast members who supported me on this crazy project: Samuele Carrino and Andrea Arru,” Ferri said.
*Piercing* is produced by Carlo Cresto-Dina’s Tempesta with RAI Cinema, in co-production with Swiss company tellfilm. RAI Cinema’s 01 Distribution will release the film in Italy. The producers are Carlo Cresto-Dina and Manuela Melissano.
Cresto-Dina is known for championing works by young directors who have made significant impacts, such as Alice Rohrwacher, all of whose films he has produced. Regarding *Piercing*, the producers stated, “Our research continues toward a cinema that can appeal to a broad audience, without giving up on provocation. In Margherita Ferri’s fantastic story, it’s the daughters who teach their mothers how to dare and win; how to rediscover the superpowers of the feminine within themselves.”
https://variety.com/2025/film/global/boy-with-pink-pants-margherita-ferri-next-film-piercing-1236572330/