#i was genuinely getting so choked up even at the first episode and imprinted onto him like a duckling

[starleska]

while i was away i picked a new show to try at random and oh gosh...Mr. Adrian Monk 🫠💖🫠💖 he is just so wonderful. one of the prettiest smiles i've ever seen. you could just drown in those eyes 🙈✨

[only-in-dreamland]

We need to talk about Rocco part 2

The season may have ended, but my appraisal of Rocco's acting abilities hasn't and well, to put it simply...he's incredible. But that's not my style so here's another essay because it seems there's still some people who are missing his genius and it's not that I can't handle people disliking his performance, it's more the fact that they're just not seeing it. And honestly I've wanted to do a follow up since we got 'la grotta' and 'martino e niccolò' because quite frankly; they're some of his best work.

So firstly; 'la grotta' oh my god 'la grotta'. It truly is perfection. All 6 minutes 24 seconds of it. But we're here to talk about Rocco. So fast forward to the moment martino arrives on the terrace.

When niccolò turns to face martino, he doesn't budge. He's practically frozen. No doubt his heart froze too. Because martino really came? And he's here, right now?? You know he's holding his breath, and it isn't until martino starts to move forward that he gets to exhale and oh my god you can see the shaky release; like he's so choked up and couldn't breathe properly but now he can. And Rocco portrayed all of that...from a faraway shot. Absolutely magnificent.

And so nico matches marti and walks up towards him. A little slower. And when he get there it's all up to marti. Nico's showed his hand. He laid bare all his feelings in that text message. Now it's time for marti to reply so to speak, and boy...does he reply. The intention behind all the movement is so clear; I just cannot appreciate Rocco's performance enough.

That first shot of niccolò as marti holds his face is just so heartbreaking. He's ashamed. He can't look martino in the eyes just yet. The last time they saw each other was Milan, and nico knowing that he had an episode and marti being left alone and confused, will have just overwhelmed him with guilt and it's so so obvious here.

Fuck, this next shot where he looks so genuinely pained stabs me in the heart. He's so vulnerable in this moment. So raw. Like he said; 'melancholy', which is defined as 'a feeling of pensive sadness'. And you can damn well see it. Through his eyes and through his tears...Rocco you just twisted the knife so thank you.

And then when marti kisses his tear away, he can't help but gasp at the softness of this wonderful boy holding him. Holding him. 'He's really here' and this is when he glances up at marti's eyes for the first time and let's himself smile. Despite his tear-filled eyes, and he shakes his head slightly like he can't believe he's smiling amidst all the pain he's feeling and at the fact that he's letting marti see all this; exposing the deepest parts of himself that he couldn't trust with anyone and yet here he is. Baring it all.

And marti shows him the perfect reason as to why he can trust him with it. Marti accepts it. And him, wholeheartedly. The way he lifts nico's chin up, forcing him to look at him because 'let me see you' and that kiss is an 'I want you' and you can almost see nico taken aback by marti's brazenness, even if just for a split second. And oh my fucking god when that ghost of a smile starts to creep through and the hope in nico's eyes radiates from him, that's when marti takes the opportunity to say those words because more than just hearing them, nico will accept them. Rocco is simply sublime I can't-

Last detail for this clip; when nico finally lets himself look at marti and into his eyes, you know he sees it. The willingness of this boy in front of him. The determination. The love and the acceptance. And he's so so grateful. And the kiss on marti's thumb is a show of that.

Now moving onto 'martino e niccolò':

When nico wakes up, he's so groggy and tired and also just...emotionally and physically exhausted. He can't bring himself to open his eyes straightaway. Even as he says 'I should go', his whole body hasn't moved one bit.

Right before he says 'I don't want you to see me like this...your face gets sad', he keeps blinking as a way of trying to hold back the tears. And then you hear the emotion come through in his voice. And his face contorts because the idea of nico's own pain bringing marti pain too, of bleeding into his life...god it's unbearable.

His stubborn, abrupt 'no' in response to marti's 'look at me, my face's not sad' because he knows that looking at marti will make the urge to cry even more. Plus he's trying to hide his pain. He's still carrying shame around on his shoulders because of the consequences his mental illness has had on those around him like his parents and maddelena. On how it affects their life. On how it makes them pity him. And that's the last thing he wants to see with marti.

Then he can't even respond with words and can only shake his head as a response, and my god it's such a small yet loud movement. And then all of a sudden you realise why he couldn't bring himself to speak in that moment, because you can hear he's crying through those shaky exhales. 'It's just that I already know this can't work', and his voice is all choked up so he tries to hush the words out. Rocco has always been so brilliant at using his voice to portray niccolò's emotion or motivation in a scene, for e.g. in 'Nel Mio Letto' and in 'Mia mamma'.

His small smile that he lets creep through when martino is talking because he managed to make him laugh, despite how low he's feeling right now. What a rare surprise that must be. His 'true' is so mellow yet also so so hopeful; it sets the tone for the next minute of the scene which to me is literally the visual definition of HOPE.

'With serenity' and niccolò closes his eyes in relief, and in disbelief. But also to imprint this moment on his mind; he never wants to forget it right here, right now. And he finally turns to face martino, naked and exposed...because he can. Because he trusts him. Because marti reassured him that he's here, for it all. Every. Single. Day

Finally, you can see how martino is able to uplift niccolò. But in a progressive way. Nico's smile builds; slowly, subtlety but surely. Until he can't help but giggle at marti's suggestion. He found a solution because again, marti is determined to make this work. And nico adores him for it . And there's a bit where nico laughs after marti first kisses his nose, and ugh it sounds like you know when you're laughing, but on the verge of crying all mixed together; so relieved that you could cry but you're so happy at the same time...how Rocco? How in the hell did you convey that exact emotion??

And the last detail, where niccolò is just looking up at martino; both hovering in each other's space. Taking each other in. Nico is unashamedly displaying himself. He's letting marti see him. And I swear, he truly looks satisfied to be in the arms of the boy he loves and who loves him in return.

Wow so this got a lot longer than I intended but that's the thing; the list is endless. And whilst essentially this is subjective, I purposefully watch the clips in detail in order to catch THE DETAILS. I'm not even trying to force you to like Rocco as an actor, but just giving a breakdown of every single nuance he HAS shown that perfectly matches with the emotion and intention behind his character. It's there. You just have to be willing to see it.

One more thing, Rocco said in an interview a while back that working with Federico was a beautiful thing because he allowed him to 'just be'. He gave him the time to play his character. And my god, if any of these details are anything to go by...nothing has ever been truer.