Again, it’s not homophobia because it’s made clear that all the Catholics, including the so-assumed priests and friars, in this story have no problem with the protagonist being gay. If it’s not homophobia, then one has to wonder what the central conflict is in this movie about a gay man who is deciding to make a life for himself working in the Catholic Church.
Perhaps, if Caruso had decided to set his feature in the 1990’s as Sapienza set his novel, that forgiveness theme could be a consideration, but Caruso sets his feature in the present and doesn’t make homophobia an issue at all, so there’s nothing to “forgive” in this movie. Forgiveness, however it’s rendered in Sapienza’s book, is not the driving force or any kind of force here. Ditching the title makes sense though, given that Caruso’s film isn’t about forgiveness at all. “Seventy Times Seven” comes from an exchange between Jesus and Peter about forgiveness. Caruso’s feature debut is an adaptation of Salvatore Sapienza’s 2013 novel Seventy Times Seven, a more obscure title unless you’re very familiar with the Bible, specifically Matthew 18:22.
