Perfect Strangers ( ) is a 2016 Italian psychological comedy-drama film directed and co-written by Paolo Genovese. It was released in Italy on 11 February 2016.
The film was a critical and commercial success, winning the David di Donatello in the Best Film Category and grossing more than €16 million in Italy..
As of January 2024, the film was recognised as the most remade film by Guinness World Records, with productions in 24 different languages.
Plot On the evening of a total eclipse of the moon, which is said to make people more emotional, seven close friends gather for a dinner party. Early in the meal time, one of the friends, a relationship therapist named Eva, says that she is convinced that many couples would separate if they saw the messages on each other's phones. As the friends debate this contention, they agree - some of them reluctantly - to play a game. They will each place their phone on the table and they will share their messages and calls with the rest of the group.
At first, the game seems harmless; no one has anything to hide. Gradually, the calls and messages become more compromising. They reveal that one married woman is having an affair and that a man who has been pretending to have an absent girlfriend is not who he seems to be. As the calls continue, the network of lies and secrets become increasingly tangled. Almost no one at the table is spared. By the end of the night, the group's friendships, marriages, and romances have been shattered.
After the lunar eclipse ends, it turns out that the game Eva suggested never actually took place, since Rocco had refused to participate because he realized how dangerous it could be to play with one’s own secrets: The film thus showed what could have happened if the game had taken place.
Cast Giuseppe Battiston as Peppe Anna Foglietta as Carlotta Marco Giallini as Rocco Edoardo Leo as Cosimo Valerio Mastandrea as Lele Alba Rohrwacher as Bianca Kasia Smutniak as Eva Benedetta Porcaroli as Sofia
Reception Box office The film was number-one on its opening week in Italy, with . It grossed $31.6 million at the box office.
Critical response On Rotten Tomatoes, it has an approval rating of 77% based on reviews from 13 critics, and an average rating of 6.7/10.
Accolades Year Award/Festival Category Recipients Result2016David di DonatelloBest FilmPaolo GenoveseBest DirectorPaolo GenoveseBest ScriptPaolo Genovese, Filippo Bologna, Paolo Costella, Paola Mammini, Rolando RavelloBest ActressAnna FogliettaBest ActorMarco GialliniBest ActorValerio MastandreaBest Original SongPerfetti sconosciuti by Bungaro, Cesare Chiodo and Fiorella MannoiaBest EditingConsuelo CatucciBest SoundUmberto Montesanti2016Bari International Film FestivalTonino Guerra Award for Best ScriptmentPaolo Genovese2016Tribeca Film FestivalBest ScreenplayPaolo Genovese, Filippo Bologna, Paolo Costella, Paola Mammini, Rolando Ravello2017Vilnius International Film FestivalAudience's Favourite FilmPaolo Genovese
Remakes Country Original title English title Release date Note Greece Perfect Strangers 15 December 2016 Spain Perfect Strangers 1 December 2017 Directed by Álex de la Iglesia. Turkey 2 February 2018 France Nothing to Hide 17 October 2018 Directed by Fred Cavayé. South Korea Intimate Strangers 31 October 2018 Hungary 6 December 2018 Directed by Krisztina Goda. Mexico Perfect Strangers 25 December 2018 China 29 December 2018 Russia Loud Connection 14 February 2019 A sequel, Obratnaya svyaz, was released in 2020. Armenia 5 September 2019 Poland 16 September 2019 Germany 31 October 2019 Vietnam 23 October 2020 Japan 8 January 2021 Slovakia, Czech Republic 5 August 2021 Romania 24 September 2021 Netherlands 4 November 2021 Israel 11 November 2021 Directed by Lior Ashkenazi. Egypt, Lebanon, United Arab Emirates Perfect Strangers 20 January 2022 Released by Netflix. Norway 25 February 2022 Indonesia 20 October 2022 Released by Amazon Prime Video. Azerbaijan 28 December 2022 Iceland Wild Game 6 January 2023 Denmark, Iceland 26 October 2023 India Khel Khel Mein 15 August 2024 Finland 19 September 2025 Brazil 7 November 2025 Estonia 16 January 2026 Filmed simultaneously in Vilnius. Lithuania(ne)tobuli melagiaiPerfect Strangers25 September 2026 LatviaPerfektieThe Perfect Ones13 February 2026 Thailand Behind the Screens 23 July 2026 , remakes were underway in Qatar and Sweden.
In February 2017, The Weinstein Company acquired the rights to an English-language remake. In December 2019, Issa Rae was announced to write, star in, and produce the US remake with Spyglass Media Group, a subsidiary of Lantern Entertainment, which acquired the assets of The Weinstein Company after its bankruptcy. In December 2023, producer Tarak Ben Ammar revealed that his Eagle Pictures was working on the remake with Italian filmmaker Carlo Carlei set to direct the film. Rae was no longer attached to star.
Having been remade 24 times, the film was recognized as the most remade film in Guinness World Records. In 2025, Genovese said he had a "conflicting relationship" with the remakes, naming the Spanish remake as "the worst" and the Korean one as his favourite.
The Indian films Loudspeaker (2018), 1001 Nunakal (2022) and Ring Ring (2025) have been accused to have plagiarised Perfect Strangers. 12th Man (2022) was inspired by Perfect Strangers.
Stage adaptations A number of Spanish-language stage adaptations of Perfect Strangers have been produced. An Argentine adaptation directed by Guillermo Francella premiered in March 2018. A Spanish version adapted by David Serrano and Daniel Guzmán and directed by Guzmán premiered on 26 September 2018. A Uruguayan production premiered in April 2019. A Peruvian adaptation premiered on 9 October 2019. A Mexican production premiered in November 2019. A Colombian production premiered in March 2022.
An Israeli adaptation opened at the Habima Theatre on 22 November 2018. Two Slovene adaptations opened in 2019 and 2023, respectively.
An Italian adaptation, directed by Genovese himself, in his theatrical debut, premiered on 10 February 2023.
A Bosnian adaptation, directed by Lajla Kaikčija premiered in May 2024, in Sarajevos Kamerni teatar 55 (Chamber Theater 55).
An English-language adaptation written and directed by Robert O'Hara, titled Shit. Meet. Fan., premiered off-Broadway at MCC Theater on 10 October 2024.
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