Tommaso is a semi-autobiographical film from director Abel Ferrara that stars Willem Dafoe in the titular role. Dafoe plays a version of Ferrara himself, an American artist and recovering addict who has moved to Rome with his young wife Nikki (Cristina Chiriac) and their young daughter Deedee (Anna Ferrara, Abel's real-life daughter).
The film focuses on Tommaso's struggles with addiction, his uneasy relationship with Nikki, and his attempts to balance his art career with his responsibilities as a husband and father. Shot in a self-reflective documentary style, the film blurs the line between reality and fiction, with many scenes feeling like raw, unfiltered glimpses of Ferrara's own life and experiences.
Despite its heavy subject matter, Tommaso is not a traditional narrative drama. Instead, it is a meandering, introspective character study that invites the audience to experience the world through Tommaso's eyes. The film was praised for its naturalistic performances, particularly Dafoe's nuanced portrayal of a man trying to stay sober and hold his family together in the face of deep-seated doubts and anxieties.
