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Eventually, Alberto assures Luca that it will only work if they ride it together “or the whole thing falls apart.” Alberto’s vision of freedom requires not only Luca but also that Luca be following behind him—more on this later.
After Alberto has convinced Luca to ride behind him, their Vespa does indeed stay together, but as they fly off their ramp toward the water, a boulder in their path requires Luca to make a decision, which is reflective of the tensions to come.
These character arcs are only able to exist because of Luca and Alberto’s unique relationship, which is further framed with romantic affection.
Alongside the explicit romantic framing and the directive decisions the movie makes in depicting Luca and Alberto’s relationship, the themes and character development most important to the film are staked in this relationship, giving it an additional weight that is unusual for traditional friendship in media.
On the other hand, having been abandoned by his father and given too much independence, Alberto has abandonment issues that are channeled through his overprotectiveness and jealousy, as well as his insistence on taking charge.
“Letting Go With Love” — Luca’s Ending & The Power Of Queer-Coded Character Growth
Each character’s shortcomings exacerbate the other’s, and these shortcomings create friction in Luca and Alberto’s relationship as reflected in the way they ride the Vespa together.
When Luca realizes that Alberto is staying behind, Luca asks:
“But how am I gonna know you’re okay?”
Casarosa, Enrico. However, it deserves audience’s attention for its tender depiction of a gay relationship and commitment to queer ideas and struggles. His mother decides that, in order to keep Luca safe, he is to live with his Uncle Ugo in “the Deep” for the rest of the summer, where he will be completely isolated and, critically, prevented from undergoing the change on the surface.This villainization drives the violence that humans enact on sea monsters without question, a core piece of Portorosso’s culture. “Vespa is Freedom” is written on a poster in Alberto’s tower, and it inspires the boys to crave both that freedom and the motorcycle that can supposedly deliver it.
No face is left untwisted by revulsion and fear when Luca or Alberto transforms. “Introduction: Exoticism, Cosmopolitanism, and Ficion’s Aesthetics of Diversity.” Eighteenth-Century Fiction, vol. As he turns away from Portorosso, Luca hangs off the side of the train and opens himself to his unknowable yet exciting future — and he does so as a sea monster.
Certainly, the idea of having to hide one’s identity for access to opportunity is one with which many marginalized communities empathize, but the film suggests a deeper meaning surrounding fluidity and transcendence by showing Luca learning to embrace himself not with two separate sides—sea monster and human — but as one being who is both at the same time.
This rejection of rigidity in identity distinguishes Luca as truly queer as opposed to simply containing a gay-coded friendship.
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Is Luca a Gay Metaphor?
Set against the backdrop of a beautiful Italian summer, ‘Luca’ is a coming-of-age film that follows the titular character, who is a young boy but also a sea monster. Even as recently as Gravity Falls, we have seen Disney shy away from queerness in its productions, but more and more that has been chipped away to reveal a welcome approach to diversity which, despite clear capitalist intentions, is still something we can find value in.
As great as it is to see Luca bask in the glory of queer canon years later, I can’t help but think of how valuable this would have been upon the film’s release, or wonder if any intention was held back by corporate meddling.
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I grew up in a media landscape where the LGBTQ+ rep was primarily gleaned from subtext as you overlooked harmful stereotypes.
Giulia herself is skeptical of their existence until Alberto reveals the truth. This is a major emotional and plot beat in the story, and the film treats it with the same gravity as betrayal in any other Disney romance.
Again, one needn’t look hard to find more examples of these visual depictions of romance (look no further than the last five minutes); Luca and Alberto’s romance is depicted in even more subtle yet provocative ways.
“Actions Speak Louder Than Words” — How Themes & Character Development Build A Romance
Luca‘s central themes and character arcs are inextricably tied to the relationship between Luca and Alberto, signifying a weight and emotional depth usually, or at least often, reserved for romance.
Freedom lies at the core of the film and its characters, and the complexities of what it truly means are explored through the characters.
2021.
They embrace, teary-eyed, and Alberto replies:
“You got me off the island Luca. While any academic subject would have served the purpose of the theme, the idea that Luca’s decision to embrace transformation allowed him to pursue a wider understanding of the universe and his place in it is almost on-the-nose in terms of queer theory.
As queer theory rejects stability and points to the beauty of an unknowable future,2 Luca’s fascination with infinity and what lies beyond knowledge encourages expansion and amorphism.
