Academy Award-nominated Luca Guadagnino brings his unique cinematic style to television for the first time with the eight-episode series WE ARE WHO WE ARE, debuting MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 14 (10:00-11:00 P.M. ET/PT), exclusively on HBO. A story about two American kids who live on a U.S. military base in Italy, the series explores friendship, first-love, identity, and immerses the audience in all the messy exhilaration and anguish of being a teenager – a story which could happen anywhere in the world, but in this case, happens in this little slice of America in Italy. The series was an official selection of the 2020 Cannes Film Festival Directors’ Fortnight and will be a special screening as an official selection of the 2020 San Sebastián International Film Festival.
WE ARE WHO WE ARE will be available on HBO and to stream on HBO Max.
Luca Guadagnino is a director, screenwriter and producer known for his visually arresting style and his affecting psychological portraits. His credits include the Academy Award, Golden Globe and BAFTA-nominated “I Am Love,” “A Bigger Splash,” the Academy Award and BAFTA-nominated box office hit “Call Me by Your Name” and, most recently, the cult film “Suspiria.”
The cast of WE ARE WHO WE ARE includes: Chloë Sevigny, Jack Dylan Grazer, Alice Braga, Jordan Kristine Seamón, Spence Moore II, Scott Mescudi, Faith Alabi, Francesca Scorsese, Ben Taylor, Corey Knight, Tom Mercier and Sebastiano Pigazzi.
Jack Dylan Grazer stars as shy and introverted fourteen-year-old Fraser, who moves from New York to a military base in Veneto with his mothers, Sarah (Chloë Sevigny) and Maggie (Alice Braga), who are both in the U.S. Army. Tom Mercier (Jonathan) plays Sarah’s assistant.
Jordan Kristine Seamón stars as the seemingly bold and confident Caitlin, who has lived with her family on the base for several years and speaks Italian. Compared to her older brother Danny (Spence Moore II), Caitlin has the closer relationship with their father, Richard (Mescudi), and does not communicate well with her mother Jenny (Faith Alabi).
Caitlin is the lynchpin of her group of friends, which includes Britney (Francesca Scorsese), an outspoken, witty, sexually uninhibited girl; the cheerful and good-natured Craig (Corey Knight), a soldier in his twenties; Sam (Ben Taylor), Caitlin’s possessive boyfriend, and Craig’s younger brother; Enrico (Sebastiano Pigazzi), a playful eighteen-year-old from Veneto, who has a weak spot for Britney; and Valentina (Beatrice Barichella), an Italian girl.
Episodes include:
Episode 1: “Right Here Right Now I”
Debut date: MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 14 (10:00-11:00 p.m. ET/PT)
When Sarah Wilson (Chloë Sevigny) is named the new commander of a difficult military unit in Chioggia, Italy, she uproots her wife Maggie (Alice Braga) and teenage son Fraser (Jack Dylan Grazer) from their lives in New York City to start a new chapter in this unfamiliar seaside town. While Sarah contends with her new position and Maggie resumes her work at the army’s clinic, Fraser longs for Mark, a friend he left behind in New York, and seems uninterested in connecting with the other teenagers on base – until he meets Caitlin (Jordan Kristine Seamón).
Written by Luca Guadagnino, Paolo Giordano, and Francesca Manieri; directed by Luca Guadagnino.
Episode 2: “Right Here Right Now II”
Debut date: MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 21 (10:00-11:00 p.m. ET/PT)
The arrival of Caitlin’s (Jordan Kristine Seamón) period accelerates her secret desire to experiment with her gender expression – and to flirt with girls, test boundaries with her boyfriend Sam (Ben Taylor), and spar with her father Richard (Scott Mescudi). As she and her brother Danny (Spence Moore II) continue to clash with their mother Jenny (Faith Alabi), Caitlin’s relationships with her both her dad and Danny’s best friend Craig (Corey Knight) deepen. Later, Fraser (Jack Dylan Grazer) discovers Caitlin’s secret, which forever changes the nature of their relationship.
Written by Luca Guadagnino, Paolo Giordano, and Francesca Manieri; directed by Luca Guadagnino.
Episode 3: “Right Here Right Now III”
Debut date: MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 28 (10:00-11:00 p.m. ET/PT)
A fracture begins to form within the friend group following Caitlin (Jordan Kristine Seamón) and Sam’s (Ben Taylor) breakup. While Sam turns to the open arms of Britney (Francesca Scorsese), Caitlin is judged for spending more time with Fraser (Jack Dylan Grazer). Later, Maggie (Alice Braga) attends the Chioggia Festival with the neighborhood women and finds an unexpected companion in Jenny (Faith Alabi). Meanwhile, the progress Colonel Wilson (Chloë Sevigny) has made in her new role is derailed when she decides to deploy her troops early – and her complex relationship with Fraser is rattled when his crush becomes her only ally.
Written by Luca Guadagnino, Paolo Giordano, and Francesca Manieri; directed by Luca Guadagnino.
Episode 4: “Right Here Right Now IV”
Debut date: MONDAY, OCTOBER 5 (10:00-11:00 p.m. ET/PT)
With his deployment timeline fast-tracked, Craig (Corey Knight) spontaneously proposes to his Italian girlfriend, Valentina (Beatrice Barichella). Determined to ship him off with a celebration he’ll never forget, his friends pool their resources for a Hawaiian-themed wedding that leads to an evening of debauchery.
Written by Luca Guadagnino, Paolo Giordano, and Francesca Manieri; directed by Luca Guadagnino.
An HBO-Sky co-production; showrunner, executive producer, writer, director Luca Guadagnino; executive produced by Lorenzo Mieli for The Apartment and Mario Gianani for Wildside, both Fremantle companies, with Small Forward, alongside Guadagnino, Elena Recchia, Nick Hall, Sean Conway, and Francesco Melzi d’Eril; Paolo Giordano and Francesca Manieri write alongside Guadagnino. International Distributor: Fremantle.