Trick (2026): Cast, Story and Release Details

Prepared by Movies Dock Editorial

Trick follows Daniele Mallarico, a successful illustrator who travels to Naples to care for his four-year-old grandson. Confined to an apartment, the brief babysitting arrangement develops into a psychological confrontation with imagination, aging and the fear of losing one’s creative spirit.

Trick, also known by its original Italian title Scherzetto, centers on an accomplished illustrator whose temporary responsibility for his young grandson becomes unexpectedly disorienting. The film places the two characters together in a Naples apartment, where an ordinary family favor takes on a more psychologically charged form.

Directed by Mario Martone, the Italian drama stars Toni Servillo as Daniele Mallarico and Lorenzo Perrotta as Mario Mallarico. Its story draws on the relationship between a grandfather and grandson while examining creativity, age and the unsettling force of a child’s imagination.

Trick movie details

Story without spoilers

Daniele Mallarico is a successful illustrator who travels to Naples to look after his four-year-old grandson, Mario, while his daughter is away for several days. The arrangement initially appears straightforward, but being confined together in the apartment gradually changes the nature of the visit.

Mario’s vivid imagination begins to unsettle Daniele, turning the babysitting task into a subtle psychological duel. As the child’s behavior challenges his sense of control, Daniele is pushed to confront anxieties about growing older and about having lost the creativity that once defined him. The encounter may also open a path toward recovering a part of his imagination.

What to expect

Trick is a drama built around a close family relationship rather than a broad ensemble premise. Its central tension comes from the contrast between Daniele’s adult perspective and Mario’s uninhibited imagination, with the apartment setting creating a contained environment for their increasingly uneasy interaction.

The supplied premise points to a thoughtful, psychologically focused story about aging, artistic identity and the connection between imagination and creativity. The film is also based on a novel or book, and its grandfather-grandson relationship is a key part of the narrative.

Cast and creative team

Toni Servillo plays Daniele Mallarico, the illustrator at the center of the story, while Lorenzo Perrotta plays his four-year-old grandson, Mario Mallarico. The cast also includes Serena Rossi, Leonardo Lidi, Gianluca Di Gennaro and Giovanni Ludeno.

Mario Martone directs Trick and co-writes it with Ippolita Di Majo. Their screenplay is based on a novel or book, according to the supplied production information.

• Toni Servillo as Daniele Mallarico
• Lorenzo Perrotta as Mario Mallarico
• Serena Rossi
• Leonardo Lidi
• Gianluca Di Gennaro
• Giovanni Ludeno

Release and production context

Trick is an Italian drama with a listed release date of September 10, 2026. It is produced in Italy and spoken in Italian. The production companies are Mad Entertainment, Picomedia, RAI Cinema and EDI Effetti Digitali Italiani. No runtime is supplied.

Production companies: Mad Entertainment, Picomedia, RAI Cinema, EDI Effetti Digitali Italiani

Movies Dock view

With its compact family setup and focus on the emotional consequences of creative decline, Trick presents a contained story about an older artist confronted by a child’s imaginative world. The film’s central premise leaves room for both psychological tension and a reconsideration of what creativity can mean later in life.

Film data:
TMDB · IMDb