In the new film Disco Boy, we experience the parallel stories of two young men who have taken up arms, but whose true hearts lie elsewhere.
First, we meet Aleksei, a lonely Belarusian refugee who endures a gruelling journey west to join the French Foreign legion in an attempt to secure his future in Europe. Then we meet Jomo, a charismatic fighter who is trying to end the exploitation of his homeland in the oil-rich Niger Delta.
The intertwining of their lives lies at the heart of this work.
This debut feature from Italian filmmaker Giacomo Abbruzzese, Disco Boy features German stars Franz Rogowski in the role of Aleksei and draws on all the nuance and stark physicality he has brought to his work with renowned auteurs like Michael Haneke and Terence Malick.
In recent times, he has been filming Bird with Andrea Arnold, co-starring our own Barry Keoghan. And just last year Franz starred in Ira Sachs' Passages, a film which was on many a Top Ten List for 2023. He talks to Sean Rocks for RTÉ Arena above.
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