In a first for Italy, young adult romantic drama “Fabbricante di Lacrime” (“The Tearsmith“) – a Netflix Italy original – has reached the No. 1 slot on the streamer’s global movie chart in the non-English-language category.
Based on the turgid eponymous Italian bestseller by a writer who goes by the pen name Erin Doom, “The Tearsmith” dropped globally on Netflix April 4 and rapidly climbed the streaming giant’s global charts. “The Tearsmith,” directed by Alessandro Genovesi, has now been ensconced in Netflix’s No. 1 non-English-language movie slot for two weeks.
Set in the U.S., “Tearsmith” follows two diametrically different orphans named Nica and Rigel who are adopted by the same family from the Sunnyside Orphanage, dubbed “the grave” by the children there. Nica is naive and innocent and Rigel – who was her nemesis at the abusive orphanage – is a violent bully. In their new home, the pseudo siblings fall in love, of course, amid all kinds of conflict. The lead roles are played newcomers Caterina Ferioli and Simone Baldasseroni.
“Tearsmith,” which was shot on a modest €6.5 million ($6.9 million) budget, is produced by Iginio Straffi and Alessandro Usai via the Rome-based Colorado Film, which is owned by Straffi’s Rainbow Group. Straffi is the creator of the six teenage fairies in the “Winx Club” TV franchise that bewitched millions of tween girls and spawned Netflix’s live-action “Fate: The Winx” saga.
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“First of all, I would like to thank the leaders of Netflix who once again believed in a story, spawned by Italian creativity, that is able to really cater to international audiences,” Straffi said in a statement. “This success, which follows others that we had already achieved on the same streaming service, is an important signal for all of Italian cinema and a testament to the talent and skill of people working in this sector in this country.”
Watch the trailer for “The Tearsmith” below.