Perfect Strangers

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 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.

Remakes

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. 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.