Netflix Unveils Intimate Portrait of Rock Enigma Damiano David in ‘Born with a Broken Heart’
Los Angeles, October 3, 2025 – In a move that’s sending shockwaves through the music world, Netflix has dropped the first tantalizing glimpse into the chaotic, electrifying life of Damiano David, the brooding frontman of Italy’s breakout rock sensation Måneskin. The streaming giant’s upcoming documentary, *Born with a Broken Heart*, promises an unfiltered dive into the 26-year-old’s odyssey from a rebellious Roman teenager to a global icon whose raw charisma has captivated millions. With a trailer that clocks in at just under two minutes but packs the emotional punch of a full set at Madison Square Garden, Netflix is pulling back the curtain on a story brimming with passion, heartbreak, and unapologetic defiance.
The announcement comes hot on the heels of David’s solo album *Funny Little Fears*, released in May, which debuted at No. 1 on the Italian charts and cracked the Billboard 200. Titled after his haunting 2024 single that explores the scars of love and vulnerability, the documentary – directed by acclaimed Italian filmmaker Luca Guadagnino (*Call Me by Your Name*) – arrives globally on Netflix this November. It’s not just a rock ‘n’ roll biopic; it’s a visceral confession booth, blending archival footage, candid interviews, and never-before-seen home videos to chronicle David’s fearless ascent.
Damiano David isn’t your typical pop prince. Born in Rome on January 8, 1999, to a family of artists – his father a set designer, his mother a makeup artist – young Damiano was weaned on David Bowie records and the gritty underbelly of Italian cinema. By age 13, he was fronting garage bands in dingy basements, his voice a gravelly howl that echoed the ghosts of Kurt Cobain and Mick Jagger. “I was always the kid screaming into a hairbrush, pretending it was a mic,” David recalls in the trailer, his signature tousled curls framing eyes that have seen too much too soon. High school sweethearts turned bandmates – bassist Victoria De Angelis, guitarist Thomas Raggi, and drummer Ethan Torchio – coalesced into Måneskin in 2016, named after the Danish word for “moonlight.” Their street performances in Rome’s Talents for Survival contest caught fire, but it was the 2021 Eurovision Song Contest victory with “Zitti e Buoni” that catapulted them into the stratosphere.
That win, however, was no fairy tale. Mere days before the grand final in Rotterdam, David found himself at the center of a firestorm when a video surfaced appearing to show him snorting cocaine off a table. The EBU ordered a drug test – he passed with flying colors – but the scandal tested his mettle. “They wanted to crucify me for a lie,” he says in the film, footage intercut with teary press conferences and defiant stage struts. *Born with a Broken Heart* doesn’t shy away from these crucibles. It dissects the Eurovision triumph as a double-edged sword: instant fame brought sold-out arenas from London to Tokyo, but it also amplified the band’s internal fractures and David’s personal demons.
The trailer’s rawest moments peel back layers on David’s emotional architecture. We see him at 18, scribbling lyrics in a sun-drenched Roman apartment, the city sprawl a metaphor for his restless soul. Fast-forward to 2023, and there’s heartbreak etched in high definition: the end of his six-year relationship with model Giorgia Soleri, a split that fueled tabloid frenzy and the cathartic fury of his solo pivot. “Love broke me open, but it made me sing louder,” David intones, strumming an acoustic guitar in a dimly lit studio. The doc weaves in Soleri’s perspective – a poised interview where she reflects on their “beautiful chaos” – humanizing the headlines. It’s this unflinching honesty that sets *Born with a Broken Heart* apart from glossy music docs like *Amy* or *Whitney*. Guadagnino’s lens captures not just the glamour – red-carpet struts at the Grammys, where Måneskin snagged Best New Artist nods – but the grind: sleepless nights battling imposter syndrome, the pressure of carrying a band’s dreams, and the terror of going solo.
David’s solo era, launched with the brooding “Silverlines” in 2024, marks a seismic shift. *Funny Little Fears* is a sonic departure – less stadium anthems, more introspective ballads laced with electronica and R&B edges. Collaborations with heavyweights like Mark Ronson and Dove Cameron (rumored to be more than professional) hint at a man shedding his rock rebel skin for something vulnerably pop. The trailer teases explosive live clips from his ongoing world tour, where he croons “Born with a Broken Heart” to 20,000 fans, sweat-soaked and transcendent. “This isn’t about fame; it’s about surviving it,” he tells the camera, a tattoo of a shattered heart peeking from his sleeve – a nod to the film’s title and his own fractured path.
Critics are already buzzing. Early screenings at the Venice Film Festival elicited standing ovations, with *Variety* calling it “a punk-rock therapy session that feels like eavesdropping on your coolest friend’s diary.” For Måneskin die-hards, it’s bittersweet: the band, on hiatus while members pursue side hustles, looms large but isn’t the star. David addresses the elephant – or lion, given the band’s mane motif – head-on: “Måneskin is family, but I had to find my own voice in the silence.”
As Netflix’s music slate heats up post-*Squid Game 2*, *Born with a Broken Heart* positions David as the anti-hero we crave in 2025’s authenticity-starved landscape. In an era of filtered facades, his story – raw truths amid the glitz – feels like a lifeline. “I rose from the ashes because I had no choice,” he smirks in the trailer’s closer, cigarette in hand, Rome’s Colosseum glowing behind him. Whether you’re a longtime Valkyrie (fan shorthand for his devoted legion) or a casual Spotify skipper, this doc is a front-row seat to rock ‘n’ roll resurrection.
Streaming November 15, *Born with a Broken Heart* isn’t just Damiano David’s origin story; it’s a manifesto for the fearless. In his words: “Break my heart, but don’t break my fire.” Netflix, in unveiling this rebel’s soul, ensures that flame burns brighter than ever.
