FILM
Shedding Labels in Los Angeles
Actress discusses “Show Me What You Got”
BY GARY M. KRAMER
“Show Me What You
Got” is director/
cowriter Svetlana
Cvetko’s charming
romance about a loving relationship
that develops between Christine
(Cristina Rambaldi), Nassim
(Neyssan Falahi), and Marcello
(Mattia Minasi).
The three strangers fi rst meet
in Los Angeles. Marcello is there
on behalf of his famous father Riccardo
(Pietro Genuardi). He bonds
with Nassim, and they in turn connect
with Christine and become inseparable.
The trio quickly move in
together and hop around town, visit
art galleries and attend demonstrations.
They also take a trip out to
Joshua Tree where they end up in
bed together. The affection between
them is genuine even if they are,
as Nassim’s mother (Anne Brochet)
says, “a French cliché.” Eventually,
they head off to Italy where Marcello
has an obligation.
“Show Me What You Got” is an
homage to fi lms such as “Jules and
Jim” (and “Willie and Phil,” that
fi lm’s loose reimagining). Cvetko
shoots this gorgeous fi lm — and
the gorgeous actors — in arty
black and white as the characters
grapple with sex and love, as well
as family and loss.
Actress Cristina Rambaldi, who
had previously worked with Cvetko
on a short fi lm, was a “creative
champion” for the feature. In a recent
zoom interview, she explained
that she was approached — along
with Falahi and Minasi — to develop
the story. However, while the
actors use their own experiences
to inform the characters, “Show
Me What You Got” was not an improvisational
project.
“When talking to Svetlana about
who we wanted Christine to be, we
agreed that we wanted her to be
someone who cared,” Rambaldi
said. “This overlooked, feminine
trait of caring is, in its own way, rebellious
— because it has been so
disregarded. We wanted someone
who was strong, but didn’t have
to sacrifi ce her nurturing, caring,
Three strangers fi nd romance in “Show Me What you Got.”
Svetlana Cvetko appreciated the lack of labels in “Show Me What You Got.”
loving nature that you see in these
powerful female leads nowadays.
We wanted her to care deeply about
the world and other people.”
What comes across in the fi lm
is that Christine, Nassim, and
Marcello’s intimacy is based their
mutual love for each other — not
the sex, which Rambaldi acknowledged,
“is functional to their relationship,
but not the focus.”
The characters do not try to defi
ne or discuss their relationship.
The guys kiss each other without
comment, and none of the characters
talk much about polyamory.
The actress applauded this approach.
SVETLANA CVETKO/DOUBLE TAKE PICTURES
SVETLANA CVETKO/DOUBLE TAKE PICTURES
“I think that’s how it should be,”
Rambaldi explained. “I don’t believe
in labels. Labeling something
is not helping. We have to normalize
diversity and honesty. I appreciate
the choice that Svetlana made
to not do that. It’s them; they are
their own thing. When you fall in
love with someone — for me, I don’t
put a label on it. I feel the way we
treat the relationship makes the
movie stronger.”
This aspect also helped Rambaldi
in her performance. Consciously
or not, she treated her male lovers
as “one entity that had two physical
bodies.” She added, “It worked
because they do love each other
equally — that’s why if one character
were to leave the relationship, it
would crumble.”
Falling in love is what inspires
the actress, and she indicated she
could fall for a person, a cause, a
book, a fi lm, or a song. Love is also
what inspires Christine, who is
grieving over the loss of her grandfather.
The actress quoted Sam
Shepard, saying, “The most authentic
endings are the ones which
are already revolving towards another
beginning.”
She continued, “I don’t want to
reduce it to acceptance, and making
the best out of it, but Christine
alchemizes the relationship with
these two men — after her grandfather’s
death — into a new beginning.
When you do have that kind
of love, no matter what happens,
she understands these are lessons
for grief or pain. She fi nds beauty
in them. She fi nds solutions. Fate
deals her the cards, but she rearranges
them, and in a way, she
does make her own fate with what
she’s given.”
That said, “Show Me What You
Got” features signs and symbols
that direct the characters —
Christine in particular. The actress
was very pleased with their
inclusion.
“There is a lot of Jungian references
to the subconscious and the
dream realm,” she said. “We played
a lot with that. I am very much affected
by symbols in my own personal
life. I do navigate reality trying
to listen to my subconscious
and intuition.”
This may be why Rambaldi
pours so much of herself into her
projects.
“The reason I think we love movies
so much is because they shed
light on the dark areas of our lives,”
she observed. “When we share our
stories and vulnerabilities, that really
helps others in ways we don’t
even realize.”
SHOW ME WHAT YOU GOT |
Directed by Svetlana Cvetko | Level
Forward’s Labz Live & Screen Forward
Theatrical Network | Opening
Feb. 12 in virtual cinemas
February 11 - February 24, 2 34 021 | GayCityNews.com
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