Netflix’s ‘Deceitful Love’ is a romance drama that takes on the controversial dynamics of a relationship between an older woman and a younger man. The Italian miniseries follows a 60-year-old wealthy hotel owner, Gabriella, whose paths cross with the dreamy younger man, Elia, seemingly by accident.
As a result, the two find themselves hurled into a whirlwind romance that doesn’t come without its complications. Given Elia’s youth and Gabriella’s money, the latter’s family, including her oldest son, Stefano, instantly concludes the man’s nefarious intentions.
Even though Gabriella wants to trust in her new relationship, secrets from her partner’s past inevitably plague the couple, casting doubt on the validity of their partnership.
Directed by Pappi Corsicato, the piece explores the issue of an age gap and how the unexpected gender-based optics of certain partnerships influence people’s judgments from the outside.
As a result, as the story delves into the subject through a cultural prism specific to its setting, its foundation in truth remains a source of curiosity.
Is Deceitful Love Based On True Events?
‘Deceitful Love,’ also known as ‘Inganno,’ has no obvious parallels to real-life stories. Instead, it is a work of fiction based on the 2019 BBC One drama series ‘Gold Digger.’
The original work was developed by writer/director Marnie Dickens, who also based the story on a fabricated scenario. Nonetheless, she remained deliberate in her work, presenting an in-depth and nuanced representation of a romance between an older woman and a younger guy.
Dickens intended to show the difference in culture’s acceptance of age disparities based on traditional or atypical gender roles within the dynamic.
In an interview with the BBC, Dickens emphasized the similarities between a romantic engagement between an older man and a younger lady in fiction and reality. In comparison, she emphasized the double standard people perceive of such a connection when the gender dynamics are reversed.
Thus, in ‘Gold Digger,’ she aimed to investigate the same phenomena through the narrative and the characters continuously questioning the fundamental relationship.
He said: “By getting under the skin of each character, understanding why they either reject or accept the romance, hopefully, the audience will feel they’ve been shown multiple viewpoints and then reach their own conclusion (about the central relationship).”
Similarly, Deceitful Love raises the same issues in a different cultural context. Therefore, while it bases most of its characters on their counterparts in ‘Gold Digger,’ the Italian show uniquely tinkers with and refines their characteristics.
Thus, utilizing another fictitious show for inspiration, ‘Deceitful Love’ ultimately remains detached from real-life events.
What is Deceitful Love About?
Although ‘Deceitful Love’ concentrates on the fundamental age-gap romance, it also uses the same premise to investigate the concept of romantic fraud.
In real life, romantic scams are a prevalent cybercrime method in which thieves prey on their victims’ emotions to abuse them financially.
Typically, such a scam includes establishing an emotional connection before manipulating it for monetary gain. According to studies, romantic scams are a significant real-life issue, accounting for over $1.14 billion in losses in America in 2023.
Despite the prevalence of the scam, people frequently wrongly associate a specific demographic with the chance of falling victim to this crime. Middle-aged, uncommitted women are frequently assigned to this stereotype.
Becky Holmes, a renowned online personality who trolls fraudsters, emphasized this in an opinion piece for The Guardian, stating that anyone, regardless of identification, may and does fall victim to a romance scam.
As a result, while ‘Deceitful Love’ adds dimension to Gabriella and Elia’s relationship, portraying it in shades of gray, the program creates space for deeper, socially-driven commentary on the subject.
Naturally, this leads to a more dramatic and intense romance between the two, sparking discussions about love’s unpredictable and vulnerable nature. Through a few other characters and their interpersonal relationships, the show explores themes of sexuality and infidelity with a sympathetic and open-minded perspective.
This enables the story to present new and interesting explorations of topics that would otherwise be considered taboo. In this approach, the episode explores a specific element of reality.
Nonetheless, because no true real-life inspiration has been provided for the tale or the characters, ‘Deceitful Love’ retains a fictional basis.
About Deceitful Love
Deceitful Love (Italian: Inganno, lit. ‘Deceit’) is a 2024 Italian romantic drama television miniseries directed by Pappi Corsicato, based on the British miniseries Gold Digger. It was released on Netflix on 9 October 2024.
It Stars Monica Guerritore as Gabriella, a wealthy 60-year-old hotel owner, Giacomo Gianniotti as Elia, Emanuel Caserio as Stefano, Dharma Mangia Woods as Gabriella’s daughter and Francesco Del Gaudio.
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