There’s no doubt that after watching Luca Guadagnino’s Call Me By Your Name—once we finished crying, of course—we all dreamed of picturesque summer days cycling around the Italian countryside.
And while international travel remain a future fairy tale, Guadagnino has brought us yet another visually stunning Italian masterpiece to tie us over.
Streaming on HBO, We Are Who We Are is a tale of an American teenager living in Italy who discovers love, new friendships and a different direction in life, and has been coined as somewhat of a perfect mix between HBO’s Euphoria and Guadagnino’s Oscar-winning film.
Need we say more? Keep reading for everything you need to know about the show, from the plot to the cast and when you can watch it in Australia.
What Is the Plot of We Are Who We Are?
The eight-part series follows Fraser and Caitlin, two American teenagers who are living on a U.S. military base outside of Venice, Italy. According to Deadline: “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.”
Caitlin, who speaks Italian and has resided on the base for years before Fraser’s arrival.
Created by Luca Guadagnino, most famous for creating Call Me By Your Name, his new show may have similar themes of sexuality and location, but the director insists that he doesn’t want the two to be connected.
“I will never complain about people’s laziness, but that sounds very lazy,” Guadagnino told Variety when asked about comparisons between the projects.
“Call Me By Your Name is about the past seen through the prism of a cinematic narrative and this is about the here and now. This is about the bodies and souls of now. I think they are so different,” he explained.
As for the timeline of We Are Who We Are, Guadagnino admitted that he intentionally set the show during the 2016 U.S. presidential election.
“The effects of the 2016 election are still being felt right here, right now,” he explained to Variety. “The seismic shift throughout America and the world of what it meant that Obama’s presidency was followed by Trump’s presidency and how people did not see it coming, are still being grappled with. It has to be said, that just as [Silvio] Berlusconi was the autobiography of Italy, Trump can also be seen as a sad chapter in the autobiography of the United States.”
Interested? Check out the trailer below to see for yourself.
WATCH BELOW: We Are Who We Are Trailer
Who Is In The Cast Of We Are Who We Are?
Along with its rich storyline, We Are Who We Are also boasts an incredibly, star-studded line up. Leading the show is Jack Dylan Grazer (It, Beautiful Boy) as “shy, introverted teen” Fraser and Jordan Kristine Seamón in her first-ever acting role as the “bold and confident” Caitlin.
Joining the two are Chloë Sevigny (American Psycho) and Alice Braga (I Am Legend) as Fraser’s mothers Sarah and Maggie. Playing the two teens friend group are Francesca Scorsese (Hugo) as opinionated pal Britney, Corey Knight as the positive soldier Craig, Ben Taylor as Caitlin’s territorial boyfriend Sam, Sebastiano Pigazzi as the playful Enrico, and Beatrice Barichella as Valentina.
Where To Watch We Are Who We Are In Australia
Looking to add it to your must-watch list? You can catch the first season of We Are Who We Are on HBO Max from September 14.
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