Come Lucciole (As Fireflies), Giulia Badalassi’s 2026 short film, is a moving meditation on grief, memory, and the transition from adolescence into adulthood. Set on the last day of summer, the film follows four friends at the brink of adulthood, but its true subject is not coming of age in the conventional sense. Instead, it explores what happens when loss enters that journey, leaving those left behind emotionally stranded in a state where the world continues to move without them.
Twilight beaches, deserted amusement parks, and sunset conversations create an atmosphere that feels imbued with longing. The camera rarely observes from a distance. Instead, it drifts in front of and alongside the protagonists, searching with them for something that is already lost. This approach transforms ordinary locations into liminal spaces where the physical world seems to echo their emotional void. Fireflies themselves become a metaphor for fleeting moments of beauty and connection, brief illuminations that disappear almost as soon as they appear.
What makes Come Lucciole compelling is its refusal to provide easy explanations. While audiences often expect narratives that prioritise clarity and resolution, Badalassi trusts the audience to sit with uncertainty. Rather than presenting grief as a singular event, the film captures it as an ongoing state of suspension. It allows memories, gestures, and intimate conversations to carry grief’s emotional weight. In doing so, the audience experiences grief alongside the characters rather than simply observing it.
The characters’ wandering and intimate conversations are never sensationalised. They are quiet attempts to come to terms with an absence that cannot be repaired. Their grief is not performed but absorbed into their everyday existence, making the emotional impact all the more affecting.
This is not a film that seeks to tell viewers what to feel. Instead, it invites them into an emotional state where meaning is conveyed through atmosphere rather than plot. While its abstract narrative may not resonate with audiences seeking a more traditional story, those willing to surrender to its rhythm will find an intimate exploration of mourning.
Come Lucciole demonstrates confidence in both form and theme. Badalassi understands that cinema can communicate what words cannot, making the invisible weight of loss visible through image, silence, and light. The result is a delicate, contemplative work that balances light and dark, much like the glow of the fireflies that inspire its title.
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