# Perfect Strangers (2016 film)

Perfect Strangers (Italian: Perfetti sconosciuti) is a 2016 Italian 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. It has been remade more than 20 times.

## Plot

On the evening of a total eclipse of the moon, seven close friends gather for a dinner party. Early in the meal, 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. As the calls continue, the network of lies and secrets becomes 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.
As the guests leave the apartment, they behave as if nothing has happened. Each of their relationships are exactly as they were at the start of the evening. The game never happened, and everybody goes back to their own lives.

## 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 US$3.7 million. 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 | Result |
| 2016 | David di Donatello | Best Film | Paolo Genovese | Won |
| 2016 | David di Donatello | Best Director | Paolo Genovese | Nominated |
| 2016 | David di Donatello | Best Script | Paolo Genovese, Filippo Bologna, Paolo Costella, Paola Mammini, Rolando Ravello | Won |
| 2016 | David di Donatello | Best Actress | Anna Foglietta | Nominated |
| 2016 | David di Donatello | Best Actor | Marco Giallini | Nominated |
| 2016 | David di Donatello | Best Actor | Valerio Mastandrea | Nominated |
| 2016 | David di Donatello | Best Original Song | Perfetti sconosciuti by Bungaro, Cesare Chiodo and Fiorella Mannoia | Nominated |
| 2016 | David di Donatello | Best Editing | Consuelo Catucci | Nominated |
| 2016 | David di Donatello | Best Sound | Umberto Montesanti | Nominated |
| 2016 | Bari International Film Festival | Tonino Guerra Award for Best Scriptment | Paolo Genovese | Won |
| 2016 | Tribeca Film Festival | Best Screenplay | Paolo Genovese, Filippo Bologna, Paolo Costella, Paola Mammini, Rolando Ravello | Won |
| 2017 | Vilnius International Film Festival | Audience's Favourite Film | Paolo Genovese | Won |

## Remakes

| Country | Original title | English title | Release date | Note |
| Greece | Τέλειοι Ξένοι | Perfect Strangers | 15 December 2016 | |
| Spain | Perfectos desconocidos | Perfect Strangers | 1 December 2017 | Directed by Álex de la Iglesia. |
| Turkey | Cebimdeki Yabancı | Stranger in My Pocket  [tr] | 2 February 2018 | |
| France | Le Jeu | Nothing to Hide | 17 October 2018 | Directed by Fred Cavayé. |
| South Korea | 완벽한 타인 | Intimate Strangers | 31 October 2018 | |
| Hungary | BÚÉK | Happy New Year  [hu] | 6 December 2018 | Directed by Krisztina Goda. |
| Mexico | Perfectos desconocidos | Perfect Strangers | 25 December 2018 | |
| China | 来电狂响 | Kill Mobile  [zh] | 29 December 2018 | |
| Russia | Громкая связь | Loud Connection | 14 February 2019 | A sequel, Obratnaya svyaz, was released in 2020. |
| Armenia | Անհայտ բաժանորդ | Unknown Subscriber  [hy] | 5 September 2019 | |
| Poland | (Nie)znajomi | | 16 September 2019 | |
| Germany | Das perfekte Geheimnis | | 31 October 2019 | |
| Vietnam | Tiệc trăng máu | Blood Moon Party  [vi] | 23 October 2020 | |
| Japan | おとなの事情 スマホをのぞいたら | | 8 January 2021 | |
| Slovakia, Czech Republic | Známi neznámi | | 5 August 2021 | |
| Romania | Complet necunoscuți | Perfect Strangers  [ro] | 24 September 2021 | |
| Netherlands | Alles op tafel | Perfect Strangers  [nl] | 4 November 2021 | |
| Israel | זרים מושלמים | Perfect Strangers  [he] | 11 November 2021 | Directed by Lior Ashkenazi. |
| Egypt, Lebanon, United Arab Emirates | أصحاب ...ولا أعزّ | Perfect Strangers | 20 January 2022 | Released by Netflix. |
| Norway | Full dekning  [no] | | 25 February 2022 | |
| Indonesia | Perfect Strangers  [id] | Perfect Strangers  [id] | 20 October 2022 | Released by Amazon Prime Video. |
| Azerbaijan | Geri dönənlər | | 28 December 2022 | |
| Iceland | Villibráð | Wild Game | 6 January 2023 | |
| Denmark, Iceland | Hygge! | | 26 October 2023 | |
| India | Khel Khel Mein | | 15 August 2024 | |
As of December 2017, 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.
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.