Netflix series ‘Supersex’ weaves together ‘smut and art in intoxicating measure’ [Review Round-Up]

Vincent Mandile
·4 min read
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On March 6, 2024, Netflix launched “Supersex,” the true story of how Rocco Tano, a simple guy from Ortona, Italy, became Rocco Siffredi, the most famous porn star in the world. The Italian drama series written by Francesca Manieri stars Alessandro Borghi as Rocco and has received rave reviews from critics.

Holding fresh at 86% on Rotten Tomatoes, the scandalous series is a critically acclaimed hit with an equally impressive audience score. The ensemble cast includes Jasmine Trinca, Adriano Giannini, Enrico Borello and Vincenzo Nemolato. Read our full review round-up below.

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Meghan O’Keefe of Decider writes, “’Supersex’ manages to weave together smut and art in intoxicating measure. It could very well be the first foreign language show since ‘Squid Game’ to dominate Netflix’s other programming for weeks at a time. It’s also, thankfully, bringing back the kind of artsy, steamy, European storytelling that used to be all over the streaming site. (Does anyone else remember ‘Wetlands’?? ‘Gaspard Noe’s Love’?!?) But most of all, like ‘My Brilliant Friend,’ it follows an impoverished, talented Italian as they discover their most cherished relationships might be more complicated than they initially thought.”

Nick Schager of The Daily Beast praises the series, stating, “It’s a more ambitious venture than its subject might initially suggest—even if it does deliver the NSFW goods on enough occasions to avoid feeling like a bait-and-switch.” Continuing, “As the X-rated trailblazer, Borghi exudes both magnetic charm and sweaty, voracious hunger, if not a requisite measure of outright deviance. The same can be said about the show itself, with Manieri staging heated bacchanalia involving Rocco and anonymous, adoring women and men, and yet falling back on platitudes like Rocco’s future wife Rozsa (Nutsa Khubulava) telling the historic horndog, “You know how to fuck but not how to make love.”

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Aramide Tinubu of Variety says, “Though Rocco’s story is solidly depicted, audiences hoping for a bio-series-type narrative won’t find it here. It’s also worth noting that Netflix offers a dubbed English version, but the show is best viewed in Italian with subtitles.” Concluding, “Fewer episodes and less time spent on the self-destructive café manager would have kept the storyline squarely on Rocco’s psyche. Moreover, Manieri positions Lucia’s life as a counternarrative to Rocco’s. As with Rocco’s female co-stars, she isn’t allowed the same agency and status he obtains. Women are sexualized and then vilified for being sexual in the same breath. While Lucia eventually finds herself on a new path, it’s not without suffering and sacrifice, difficulties Rocco never contends with. The pair are an intriguing juxtaposition, but this mirroring gets muddled under their dark pull toward Tommaso. Similarly, Rocco’s enthusiasm for rough sex acts is never fully explored.”

Jonathon Wilson of Ready Steady Cut notes, “’Supersex’ wants to have its cake and eat it; it wants the sex and the nudity of a porno but also wants to be artistic and introspective. What we get is the sex and nudity of a porno and the dialogue to match.” Adding, “That being said, Rocco’s pathology is underexplored too. In real life, he’s famous for a particularly rough and degrading performance style that is present and acknowledged here, but so little is made of it that it passes by almost unnoticed. The same can be said of Rocco’s experimentation with his sexuality – he sleeps with women, trans women, and men, both in the series and real life – which is surface-level at best.”

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