Hey Joe by Claudio Giovannesi is a film about the consequences of war and about the American- Italian relationship told through the encounter of a father and a son.
Dean Barry (James Franco) is an American veteran who had a relationship with a Neapolitan girl during WWII. When the Allied Forces entered Naples in 1943, they found a city starved and destroyed by bombs, on the point of tipping into a giant brothel. To avoid frequenting prostitutes, many soldiers chose relationships with poor local girls. The relationship between the Allied soldier and the Neapolitan women was based on hunger and sometimes this need would lead to feelings. This is the case of the main character, who carries the weight of historical guilt.
Early Seventies. When Dean returns to Naples to find his son, hoping to make up for 25 years of absence, he finds a man who grew up in the underworld. His son (Francesco Di Napoli) was adopted by a smuggling boss and has no interest in his American father.
Filming began in Naples, where the historic centre between via Foria and Borgo Sant’Antonio was transformed into an area frequented by American sailors, then moved to Acquamorta, a small beach in one of the inlets of Monte di Procida. Locations also included Taranto and Calabria: Sila di Catanzaro, the former Grande Albergo delle Fate in Villaggio Mancuso, and Pizzo Calabro.
Presented at the 2024 Rome Film Fest in the Gran Public section, Hey Joe is a Palomar, Vision Distribution production. The cast includes: James Franco, Francesco Di Napoli, Giulia Ercolini, Aniello Arena. The photography is by Daniele Ciprì.
Hey Joe by Claudio Giovannesi is a film about the consequences of war and about the American- Italian relationship told through the encounter of a father and a son.
Dean Barry (James Franco) is an American veteran who had a relationship with a Neapolitan girl during WWII. When the Allied Forces entered Naples in 1943, they found a city starved and destroyed by bombs, on the point of tipping into a giant brothel. To avoid frequenting prostitutes, many soldiers chose relationships with poor local girls. The relationship between the Allied soldier and the Neapolitan women was based on hunger and sometimes this need would lead to feelings. This is the case of the main character, who carries the weight of historical guilt.
Early Seventies. When Dean returns to Naples to find his son, hoping to make up for 25 years of absence, he finds a man who grew up in the underworld. His son (Francesco Di Napoli) was adopted by a smuggling boss and has no interest in his American father.
Filming began in Naples, where the historic centre between via Foria and Borgo Sant’Antonio was transformed into an area frequented by American sailors, then moved to Acquamorta, a small beach in one of the inlets of Monte di Procida. Locations also included Taranto and Calabria: Sila di Catanzaro, the former Grande Albergo delle Fate in Villaggio Mancuso, and Pizzo Calabro.
Presented at the 2024 Rome Film Fest in the Gran Public section, Hey Joe is a Palomar, Vision Distribution production. The cast includes: James Franco, Francesco Di Napoli, Giulia Ercolini, Aniello Arena. The photography is by Daniele Ciprì.
New Jersey, United States. Dean Barry, an American WWII veteran, returns to Naples in the early Seventies to meet the son born of his wartime relationship with a Neapolitan girl. Dean wants to make up for 25 years of absence, but his son is now a man who grew up in the underworld, was adopted by a smuggling boss and has no interest in his American father.
