The 2005 film Melissa P. remains one of the most provocative and debated coming-of-age dramas of the early 2000s. Directed by Luca Guadagnino—who later achieved mainstream global acclaim with Call Me by Your Name and Challengers —the movie is an adaptation of the controversial autobiographical novel 100 Strokes of the Brush Before Bed ( Cento colpi di spazzola prima di andare a dormire ) by Italian author Melissa Panarello.