‘The male nudity in our raunchy rom-com adds to the absurdity’

‘We have no interest in hiding our emotions.’ This is filmmaker Michael Angelo Corvino’s frank statement when discussing his and co-writer Kyle Marvin’s tearful reaction to the eight-minute standing ovation their movie received at Cannes.

We’re speaking the night after Splitsville’s premiere on the French Riviera in May 2025, which was the ultimate goal for both Corvino and Marvin: to get their next film to Cannes after their first one, The Climb, debuted there in 2019.

But Corvino’s statement could also easily be applied to their latest movie, which has finally hit British cinemas and in which they act alongside Hollywood star Dakota Johnson and Hit Man actress Adria Arjona.

They play two couples who end up testing their relationships and friendships to the limit when a divorce prompts the revelation of an open marriage.

Splitsville is messy, raunchy and hilarious in parts – and right from the off, when Marvin’s Carey and Arjona’s Ashley have their roadside sex session interrupted by a car crash.

The movie also features a fair amount of nudity, but more so for its male actors than its female ones.

‘I think there’s something inherently funny about the way we try to use nudity in this film,’ says Corvino. ‘We’re not trying to sexualize anyone – not that we’re against sexualization in films, there’s a place for nudity to be used in a very provocative, sexual way that’s really interesting and compelling – but this movie didn’t really need that or have it.

‘Certainly with the male nudity, it’s more just to add to the sort of absurdity of what we’re experiencing, and playing a bit for comedy and discomfort and awkwardness.’

A perfect example of this is when Marvin’s Carey is abruptly joined by friends in the shower, when he clearly wants to be left alone and unbothered. 

We have no interest in hiding our emotions

‘My character is vulnerable and he is naked in this movie, both physically and emotionally,’ says Marvin. ‘And for us, it’s a great way to put it out there. Because it’s everyone’s fear, right? That you’re standing in the theatre full of people naked, so I think you immediately empathise with that character.’

It’s still quite unusual to see two men team up to write a rom-com or romantic ‘dramedy’ like Splitsville together, although Marvin and Corvino say it’s never struck them as such, citing Richard Curtis as ‘one of the greatest romantic comedy writers of all time’ alongside Nora Ephron.

‘We never think about things in terms of that because we have emotion, and we just write characters that we understand. So it’s really just about, who is this character? Do I understand them? Male, female, whatever – that is secondary to the idea of, is this a character that I know, recognise and want to explore, and is interesting, feels human and a character that other people will recognise?’ shares Corvino. 

‘And honest emotions, or trying to hide your emotions and then letting them come out later, that’s all real human things, so that’s the stuff we’re interested in pursuing. And I think the secondary step is then we put the movie out there, and people experience it how they experience it and maybe it feels novel.’

He adds: ‘Anyone who’s dealt with any sort of these experiences knows that it’s not novel to feel betrayal, jealousy, sadness, vulnerability, those are very real emotions, be they for men or women – and anyone who says otherwise is just lying to themselves.’

Male, female, whatever – that’s secondary to the idea of, is this a character that I know, recognise and want to explore?

Materialists star Johnson is also a producer on Splitsville under her banner Tea Time Productions, and was on board to work with Corvino and Marvin all the way from initially reading the script as she ‘really understood what we were trying to do’. 

‘I couldn’t speak more highly about the experience of collaborating on it because there was so much trust and collaboration in all directions, from all parties,’ shares Corvino. ‘Obviously when you’re writing, directing and acting in a movie, we’re shouldering a lot of the burden, just based on the closeness and our history of collaborating as filmmakers, but to bring in really talented artists who can elevate the film and add to it was really special for this film.’

Splitsville features a dramatically funny, shocking and somewhat naff fistfight between Corvino and Marvin’s characters that starts out as pathetic cheek slaps before descending into a chaotic all-out brawl.

It was the ‘starting place’ for the movie, the duo explains, wondering how a husband would respond to the revelation that their best friend just slept with their wife – even though they claim to be in a happily open marriage with her and have it ‘all figured out’.

‘We’re testing that [scenario] immediately and in the most intense way. And the answer to that is just the most absurd, off the wall response you can imagine, but grounded in deep pain and emotion and vulnerability and friendship,’ shares Corvino.

‘And so once we had discovered that concept, that became the moment we decided we absolutely have to write and make this movie, because there’s something really fun to explore. I felt it would feel like a different version of this sort of conversation and stories like this.’

It’s also delightfully screwball in sections in the best way, harking back to and updating the likes of Katharine Hepburn and Spencer Tracy and Cary Grant’s various fisticuffs in 1930s and ‘40s movies.

‘You can really catch people off guard, because you see violence and physical altercation and you feel it – especially because we did it ourselves,’ adds Marvin. ‘So the chance to add some physical gag is just so much fun to perform and so much fun to watch.’

Corvino and Marvin were tested as filmmakers while producing Splitsville without big studio resources or budgets, calling it ‘challenging, but in all the right ways’. 

Their big climactic fight involved weeks of nightly rehearsals in a climbing gym where they would ‘throw each other around on big mats’, says Corvino, working out all the logistical issues and emotional beats.

The final struggle sees them crash through a real glass window and fall into a swimming pool, which was filmed in one ‘brutal’ take.

‘We hit the mats at the bottom and rolled over to give our thumbs up to the stunt person,’ recalls Marvin. ‘I look over at Mike, and there’s just blood all over his head. We climb off and the medics are coming over, patching everyone up. And our stunt coordinator comes up and goes, “Best case scenario!”  And I was like, “Best case scenario? Our clothes are shredded with glass and we’re all banged up!” And he repeated, “Best case scenario, this”, because one of us hadn’t been gashed violently! It was fun but pretty wild.’

Splitsville is in UK cinemas now.

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