Series Spotlight: Amore Déjà Vu

Sergio has been patient for a very long time. He is at his limit. His behavior reads as pathetic even to him, and he is still a hair away from exploding. He does everything he can, subconsciously, to get his partner to leave. He still believes in her. He loves deeply. That is what makes it devastating.

Filippo Ruggieri wrote, directed, composed the score, and produced Amore Déjà Vu, a series built around the idea of romantic patterns: the way certain dynamics keep returning in different shapes, with different people, and you don’t always recognize them. The title changed during production. The original was more hopeful. Then the relationship that had partly inspired the project ended while he was still shooting. Keeping the original title felt false, he says. Changing it was a must.

Goldoni and Collodi Without Trying

The series’ Italian-ness lives mostly in the dialogue. Ruggieri re-read early drafts and felt like he was looking at a Goldoni play. The more emotional moments carried traces of Collodi. He wasn’t drawing from either consciously. It’s the reality he draws from that carries it, he says, “the seemingly forgotten culture of this country that I love.”

Why It Became a Series

The format came later. Ruggieri realized the material he had, combined with years of prior work alongside some of the actors, called for episodes rather than a feature. The peak was the final bonus episode: a return to Sergio’s origins, the family roots of his trauma. “I could never have gone that deep in a feature film,” he says.

The First Scene He Shot

Before committing to the full production, Ruggieri shot one scene to test whether what he was making was what he thought it was. Salvo, played by Matteo, tests his vertigo with a timer. He looks like he might jump. Ruggieri edited it, watched it back, and understood: “That’s when I realized I wasn’t just filming your typical Italian romance, but that there was a strong, distinct artistic voice behind it.”

The Cast He Built

Patrizio and Pietro are veterans of the Roman scene who Ruggieri has known for years. Matteo is not an actor by training but consistently earns unanimous audience praise. Anna Clelia and Tania were cast specifically for this project. He describes them as “two completely different entities who required two totally different approaches.” Valerio Bisogno appears briefly in what Ruggieri calls “brief but deep and cynical” appearances.

What to Know Before You Press Play

“I want the viewers to strip away their guards when faced with dynamics that, like it or not, hit close to home, and to have the courage to laugh at themselves without judgment,” Ruggieri says. Beneath the romantic structure is a harder question: what kind of unfinished business do you have with yourself, and what does it actually take to see it?

Drama

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Streaming now on Relay.