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“Prisma” is an exciting brand-new TV series that celebrates the LGBTQ+ community by exploring relationships and identity. Don’t miss your chance to watch “Prisma”!
“Prisma” is an original series that was released on Prime Video this fall. Created by Ludovica Bessegato, Alice Urciuolo—the minds behind the hit show “SKAM Italia,” the Italian adaptation of the Norwegian popular teen series "SKAM"—and Giulio Calvani, the eight-episode show centers on a group of teenagers delving into the complexities of identity, aspirations, and physical appearance while thoughtfully exploring questions of sexual orientation and gender identity. Also, it features multiple LGBTQ+ leads that offer an honest and entertaining showcase of diverse perspectives rarely seen on TV.
Through the collaboration of three creators, you have been gifted a captivating insight into the lives of two Italian twin brothers, Marco and Andrea. With each episode, they delicately guide you on the twins’ journey, exploring a fascinating array of topics such as self-discovery, body image, and sexual awakening.
Marco and Andrea are an intriguing pair: while they were born as twins, their differences couldn’t be starker. While they may appear as physical copies of each other, a delve into their personalities reveals that beneath the surface lie two people who are profoundly different. Despite this, they share a deep connection based on years of caring for each other, which usually surpasses any misunderstandings or disagreements that arise between them.
Underneath Andrea’s typical and cool high-schooler exterior, their true gender identity is waiting to be unleashed on the world—but for now, it must remain hidden away. When no one is watching, Andrea finds a small amount of solace and relief by putting on stylish dresses and makeup. Finding no way out of their reality, they reach out into an alternate world instead; with a fake account on Instagram, they talk anonymously to Daniele, the person they are desperately and sadly in love with.
Unlike his brother, Marco is a nervous ball of energy when it comes to expressing his feelings for Carla. He is hesitant to look her way in case she sees what he is too scared to admit. His mood can change abruptly, from joy to despair, in seconds. However, deep down inside lives a poor romantic who simply yearns for the girl he loves so dearly to understand how much she means to him. Marco has been in love with her for two years now; but is still yet to take a step forward, held back by the fear of potential rejection.
This fascinating story follows two twins’ paths of self-discovery as they take a step back to explore the underlying aspects of their personalities and challenge gender norms.
Gravitating around the two brothers are Daniele, Vittorio, and Ilo, who form Klan Bruxelles, a rap group determined to make it big.
At the heart of the story is also Daniele, who falls madly in love with a mysterious person he’s talking to on Instagram. Little does he know that this person is actually Andrea and that meeting them face-to-face could be closer to reality than he believes. (And the end of the show is just perfect!)
Nina is another LGBTQ character in the series. She desperately tries to reconcile with her ex-girlfriend Micol, despite their intentions to remain just friends. But Nina will also unexpectedly finds herself falling for someone else during this season.
Carola continues forward while making strides in her relationship with Marco, with help from Andrea, as she resiliently faces whatever obstacle comes her way.
As the school year begins, identical twins Andrea and Marco are in different classes. Due to selling drugs, Andrea failed the previous year, leaving him no choice but to repeat it. As he faces the new class for the first time, Andrea can't help but feel bitterness about the situation. To make matters worse, he discovers that Nina, a classmate who previously slept with his ex-girlfriend, Micol, is also in his class. Meanwhile, Marco's return to the swimming club after a nasty arm injury proves challenging. Having undergone a long rehabilitation process that pulled him out of the water for months, he reunites with his old rival, Daniele, who surprisingly harbors no grudges against him.
Andrea claims to have quit drug dealing, but his actions suggest otherwise. Rather than spending his money, he purchases occasional women's clothing - a secret he keeps to himself. Andrea takes great pleasure in wearing these clothes and even takes selfies of himself wearing them, without revealing his face. These photographs are then posted on his social media profile under the username "No_one_knows_me."
Daniele is one of his followers who believes the account belongs to a girl named Sofia, whom he trusts and confides in. However, he is now tired of conversing with someone whose identity he cannot verify and requests a photo of her. Unfortunately, Andrea, without considering the consequences, sends him a picture of Micol instead. This impulsive action starts a chain of events that quickly spiral out of control. This leaves Andrea struggling to maintain the fragile facade he constructed.
Whilst Marco successfully captures Carola's heart, whom he has been enamored with for years, things don't seem to be going according to plan. In the midst of it all, Nina grows captivated by Andrea. She is intrigued by his imperturbable and overbearing demeanor, which hides a sensitive personality.
Meanwhile, Daniele anxiously attempts to unravel the mystery surrounding the individual behind the enigmatic (No_one_knows_me) profile.
Andrea's restlessness and worry seem to be growing, even though his relationship with Nina remains tense. Nina becomes intrigued by his unusual behavior. Meanwhile, Marco has a date with Carola, who takes him to the roof of Torre Pontina, the tallest building in Latina. Klan Bruxelles is experiencing friction as disagreements arise regarding which track to release first. Furthermore, the videographer they hired for their music video backed out at the last minute, adding to the tension. Carola convinces Marco to shoot the video for Klan Bruxelles. Andrea was summoned to provide drugs and met Klan Bruxelles at a club. They all have a fun and exciting night. While hanging out, they teased Daniele about his crush on an anonymous person known as (No_one_knows_me). Daniele grew tired of the teasing and decided to show the group a photo of Sofia that she had sent to him. This proved that she's a real person. To their surprise, Susi claimed to have seen the girl in the photo before in Sabaudia.
Andrea discovers Carola's past relationship with Daniele, including that they had slept together. Concerned about his brother Marco, Andrea makes efforts to prevent him from getting involved with Carola. Eventually, Andrea discloses Carola's history with Daniele to Marco. Frustrated with Andrea's interference and overprotectiveness, Marco confronts him, leading to a disagreement that results in them deciding to move to separate rooms. Meanwhile, Nina becomes increasingly curious about Andrea and notices he is reading a book by a trans poet. On the "No_one_knows_me" profile, Daniele messages Nina, revealing that he has purchased a ticket to see her in Turin.
The relationship between the twins remains tense, with no communication or face-to-face interactions. Andrea struggles to navigate his social relationship with Daniele, who has told numerous lies through his anonymous profile. On the other hand, Marco's jealousy reaches a boiling point as he learns about Carola's past with Daniele. Despite her dismissive attitude towards the matter, Marco can't shake it off. In an effort to reconcile, Andrea suggests going bowling like they did in their childhood. However, Marco confides in Andrea about his problems with Carola and talks to him about a mysterious girl he always chats with online. Andrea evades the topic, leaving Marco to speculate that his brother is keeping secrets from him.
Andrea reveals his secret to Nina by showing her his photos in women's clothing. To Nina's surprise, Andrea shares the (No_one_knows_me) like profile with her, while Daniele is still puzzled by the identity of the profile's owner. In the meantime, Marco's first swimming competition after his accident ends in disappointment as he finishes last despite all his hard work. Carola's presence adds to Marco's humiliation, especially as he has never finished behind Daniele before. However, Daniele is more concerned about the disappearance of (No_one_knows_me) like from his life. The Klan Bruxelles group prepares to launch their new music video online and organizes a party for the release, but things don't go according to plan.
Carola is consumed with guilt after betraying Marco with Daniele. She confides in her friend Nina who advises her to tell Marco the truth. Daniele, too, is wracked with guilt and cannot cope with the situation. When faced with a choice by Marika for either swimming or music, Daniele avoids the issue as he's not yet ready to make a decision. Vittorio offers Daniele an apology for asking Marco to alter the music video's edit and implores him not to quit the group. Meanwhile, Andrea spends a delightful day in Rome with Nina, finally liberated from life pressures in the small town of Latina.
Andrea and Nina head back to Latina, bidding goodbye to the world of make-believe. Carola fills Marco in on the happenings of the Klan Bruxelles' party, leaving him in despair. As Marco tells Andrea everything about Daniele and Carola, the tension between Marco and Daniele escalates, culminating in a fight. The situation worsens as the police intervene, seizing some hashish from the ground and taking both boys to the station. Daniele, lost in thought, can't get (No_one_knows_me)like out of his head.
After being pulled over by the police, Andrea's family no longer trusts him. He is confined to only leaving the house for school, so he helps out at the family factory in his free time. At school, Nina attempts to get his attention to no avail, as he remains distant. Meanwhile, Marco dedicates himself to improving his training each day. Daniele finally chooses between swimming and music and ultimately decides to pursue a singing career, but it may not be the best decision. Exhausted by his circumstances, Andrea opens up to his father about his gender fluidity, and his father's unexpected reaction convinces Andrea that it is time to come out in the open and he agrees to meet Daniele.
While most of the cast of “Prisma” is full of young actors, Lorenzo Zurzolo won’t be a surprise to many after his portrayal of Niccolo in the Italian series “Baby,” which has been quite popular on Netflix lately.
Thus, the cast for this first season of “Prisma” includes:
Before I decided to watch the series, I was a bit hesitant. I expected it to be like many other shows that sideline their female and LGBTQ+ characters, with them playing second fiddle. However, my assumptions were wrong; the female characters in this show were as present and significant as their male counterparts. They not only populated most scenes, but also played an integral part in advancing the storylines.
Mattia Carrano has truly earned every ounce of praise he receives for his performance in “Prisma.” Not only is he capable of seamlessly and believably switching between two characters, the twins Andrea and Marco, but he also brings such wonderful depth to the departure of those who transition gender or identity. He portrays Andrea with captivating honesty and sensitivity.
“Prisma” is an engaging and engrossing series that brings to light relevant topics such as gender identity. The plot heavily pivots on an understanding of gender and adds a layer of complexity. This layer adds intrigue; but also does justice to the topic by tackling it from various angles.
You’ll find yourself captivated throughout each episode as the characters slowly but surely come alive and reveal their rich stories.
Aside from this, each character has a distinct personality and arc: no two characters are exactly alike in their experience or growth. Although certain aspects may seem a bit superficial, “Prisma” is sure to keep you hooked until its unpredictable ending.
With infectious electro music playing in the background, the trailer for “Prisma” will take you on a mesmerizing ride to meet all the characters and learn their stories, sometimes ones they’re keeping secret.
(Sorry, Amazon didn’t release a trailer with English subtitles, but you will be excited to know that the series is available in many languages, including English, French, Portuguese, German, and so much more. The list of languages available can be found on the Prime Video page shared below.)
The first season of the eight-episode series is now available to stream on Amazon Prime Video. Here’s the link: primevideo.com/detail/Prisma.
While the series had made an astounding impact, and its cliffhanger ending left us yearning for more, the future of the show remained in suspense. We were left hanging on the edge, uncertain if the show would be renewed or, regrettably, canceled. However, the anticipation has finally ended for those who adore the show. Amazon has officially announced the renewal of the show for a second season. As per the press release, the upcoming season is set to pick up from where the first one ended, and you will be delighted to know that the same beloved cast is set to return.
Comments 2
The Italian studio has made no official announcement about season 2 but anyway I don't think there can be a second season without Amazon since they are co-producing the show. So we just have to wait and see...
The show was renewed by the Italian studio, no word id Amazon prime will pick it up.