Dario Argento | 1987 | Italy | 107 minutes
Presented in the original Italian audio with English subtitles.
OPERA is screening at FOMO Secret Cinema as part of our "Banned Films Festival" presenting films from across the globe that have been subject to censorship.
OPERA met censorship cuts in several countries. Germany and the United Kingdom edited scenes involving graphic violence. Some territories banned the uncut version from cinemas entirely, releasing only modified tapes or discs later. These restrictions helped the film gain a reputation as one of Argento’s most challenged works.
The story follows Betty, a young understudy who takes over the lead role in a modern production of Macbeth after the star is injured. Her debut is interrupted by a masked killer who becomes obsessed with her. Argento builds tension through elaborate set pieces, mirror imagery, backstage rivalries, and a steady rise in threat. The opera house itself becomes part of the plot, shifting between glamour and danger as Betty tries to understand why she has been targeted.
OPERA is Argento in a mature and controlled period of his career. The film blends horror, mystery, and psychological tension with impressive craft. It remains one of the standout Italian thrillers of the late 1980s and a key work for anyone exploring European genre cinema or the Giallo form he helped popularise.
Location: FOMO Secret Cinema, Bazari Orbeliani, Tbilisi. A five-minute walk from Liberty Square metro.
How to find FOMO: Enter the Bazari via Atoneli St, above Carrefour, and take the stairs immediately on your left behind the jewellery stand. The cinema entrance is one flight up in the stairwell.
FOMO Secret Cinema • Bazari Orbeliani, 0105 Tbilisi, Georgia
