“Everything can change…” But should it change into this?”
Gabriele Muccino’s latest film Here Now (originally Fino alla fine) just dropped its U.S. trailer—and it’s a sweaty cocktail of summer lust, impulsive violence, and Mediterranean chaos. Think Before Sunrise meets Spring Breakers—if both were locked in a Fiat during a coke-fueled 24-hour crime spree across Palermo.
At first glance? Pure thrill ride.
We meet Sophie (Elena Kampouris), a wide-eyed 20-year-old American basking in the Sicilian sun with her sister. The setup is familiar—girl meets boy (Saul Nanni’s Giulio), girl meets friends, girl gets swept away. But things go sideways fast. The trailer drops us into a pulsating fever dream where carefree flirtation spirals into a survival sprint.
There’s sweat. There’s shouting. There’s an ominous line about how “everything can change”—delivered just as things do. It’s a masterclass in tonal whiplash.
But is there something deeper behind the chaos?
Muccino, known for emotionally charged dramas like The Pursuit of Happyness and Seven Pounds, isn’t a stranger to exploring characters under pressure. Here, though, the pressure isn’t spiritual—it’s physical, external, and constantly escalating. It begs the question: Is Here Now a commentary on American naïveté abroad? A parable of privilege turned peril? Or is it just a hot mess draped in European film chic?
Either way, the trailer’s mood recalls a recent wave of films where tourists are thrown into ethically messy situations abroad. Think The White Lotus (but bloodier), Old (but less sci-fi), or Beast (but with fewer lions). Vacation horror is the new prestige genre, and Muccino seems ready to stake his claim.
Historical flashback—vacations gone wrong: a pattern or a crutch?
We’ve seen this before: Americans abroad, lulled by the charm of the unfamiliar, only to find themselves entangled in chaos. Hostel (2005) turned backpacking into a butchering. A Bigger Splash (2015) made island vibes feel oppressive. Even Call Me By Your Name—with its sun-drenched romance—hinted at emotional violence under its tranquil surface. The difference? Those films had clear stakes and emotional arcs. From the trailer alone, Here Now looks more interested in vibe than clarity.
The takeaway?
There’s something undeniably watchable about Here Now—a kind of cinematic rubbernecking. You know it’s going off the rails, but you can’t look away. Whether it lands as a thrilling examination of impulsivity and identity—or drowns in its own melodrama—depends on whether Muccino reins in the chaos or leans fully into it.
Would you risk it all for one Sicilian night? Or stay safely bored at the hotel?
Drop your thoughts below—passport not required.
