A Lyrical and Intimate Portrait of an
Italian Couple’s Alternative Sexual Lifestyle
Opens Theatrically August 12 for International Swingers Day
“A sweet documentary portrait of two people testing the limits of sexual desire… the way they get there is well worth the trip.”
– Dmitry Samarov, CHICAGO READER
“There is an undertone of existential melancholy that comes out in Russo Rouge’s lyrical shooting style and impressionistic editing: in the end, this is a film that is more emotionally than sexually voyeuristic.”
– Lee Marshall, SCREEN INTERNATIONAL
Kino Lorber announced that it has acquired all North American distribution rights to Mauro Russo Rouge’s intimate documentary Bloom Up: A Swinger Couple Story. Kino Lorber is planning a theatrical release on August 12, ahead of International Swingers Day (August 13).
Bloom Up made its World Premiere at the 2021 Hot Docs Documentary Film Festival. The film is directed and shot by Mauro Russo Rouge, who spent a year immersed in the swinger lifestyle of his subjects, and was produced by Annunziato Gentiluomo.
Pet shop owners by day and swingers by night, Italian couple Hermes and Betta are, in most ways, regular people. In this honest, sex-positive look at the swinger lifestyle, director and cinematographer Mauro Russo Rouge is invited into their lives with no moment off-limits, crafting a portrait of a relationship that gives equal weight to the mundane yet strangely fascinating logistics of organizing sex parties as it does to the act itself. Shot in a rich visual style that is deeply sensual without ever feeling vulgar or exploitative, Bloom Up is an intimate exploration of the deep love and complex challenges one polyamorous couple shares.
The deal for Bloom Up was negotiated by Kino Lorber Senior Vice President Wendy Lidell and Marco Urizzi, Head of Sales for Wide Management.
“With this candid, vulnerable, and tender portrait of a relationship, Mauro has captured how there is so much more to the swinger lifestyle than just sex,” said Kino Lorber SVP Wendy Lidell. “Though he shows us many intimate moments between his subjects, it’s the emotional nakedness on display that stays with the viewer. We’re so pleased to share this documentary with North American audiences.”
“I’m excited about Kino Lorber’s acquisition of the film. In the last few years, they have distributed films by Abel Ferrara, Gianfranco Rosi, Yuri Ancarani, Pietro Marcello, and Bruno Dumont, and it's a great privilege for me to be in this company. I am sure that Bloom Up will attract not only the so-called "horizontal" audience, but also the more "vertical" ordinary viewers”, added director Mauro Russo Rouge.
About Mauro Russo Rouge
Mauro Russo Rouge was born on September 24, 1979 in Castel San Giorgio (Salerno). In 2014 he made his first feature film “CENSURADO: Ode to Love”, selected in several international festivals: Sanford (USA), San Antonio (USA), Veracruz (Mexico) and Rome (Italy). His second feature film “ABERRANT” premiered in March 2017, taking part in many international festivals and winning the Best Film award at the Texas Independent Film Festival and the Sutter Creek International Film Festival. The third feature film "IRA", presented at the 42nd Denver Film Festival, was released in Italian theatres in November 2019, distributed by Mescalito Film. His fourth feature film, “C.L.A.B.”, has the tones of the action movie and is completely devoid of dialogue. It was bought for the North American market by Osiris/Paragon.
“Bloom Up”, his fifth film, represents the director’s debut in the documentary genre. It has been sold in France, Germany, South Korea, Sweden, Norway, Finland, Denmark, Poland, Spain, Taiwan, and the United States and it was selected at Hot Docs Toronto 2021, Biografilm 2021 and Atlantida Mallorca FilmFest 2021.
In 2022, his new docufilm RADIOPORNOPANDA about the world of sex workers will be released. The film is being presented at Biografilm in Bologna in the Special Events section in mid-June. RADIOPORNOPANDA is his second documentary on eroticism and has been acquired by Italian distributor I Wonder Pictures. He is currently about to begin filming a new docufilm on 70-year-old Italian gigolo Maurizio Candidi.