Luca: Why He Betrayed Alberto | Screen Rant
Warning: Spoilers ahead for Pixar’s Luca!
Luca betrayed Alberto, but why? Friendship has long been at the core of many Pixar animated films. It all began with Toy Story, with Woody and Buzz’s relationship being the cornerstone of the film and its sequels. The studio has since gone on to introduce a plethora of other friendships — Mike and Sulley from Monsters Inc., Inside Out’s Sadness and Joy, and Up’s Russell and Carl. In Luca, directed by Enrico Casarosa, it isn’t all smooth sailing for the titular character and best friend Alberto.
Luca (Jacob Tremblay) and Alberto (Jack Dylan Grazer) are both sea creatures who can become human when they’re on land. When Luca meets Alberto, the two immediately hit off and form a bond, partially because they both have a deep love for Vespas and because their parents aren’t exactly there for them in the way they want them to be. Luca is running away from his mom while Alberto is hiding the truth about his dad. After befriending Giulia in the town of Portorosso, Luca dreams of remaining there and learning. But when Alberto tries to prove that humans will never like them because they’re sea monsters, Luca turns on his friend when he transforms back to his original form, a move that shocks and hurts Alberto deeply.
While the betrayal is a major turning point in their friendship, Luca turns his back on his friend instead of coming clean to the locals because he wants to stay on land without being seen as a threat. With Alberto revealing that he’s a sea creature to Giulia, Luca panicked because he didn’t want to do the same. By this point in the film, Luca has come to learn so much about the world. He’s made new friends and enjoys the freedom that comes with being away from his parents where he can do what he wants and explore the world without fear. Luca wasn’t ready for people to know the truth despite Alberto, who was becoming a bit jealous of Luca’s closeness with Giulia, understanding what the townspeople would do if they found out the truth. Luca probably thought if the townspeople were to go after Alberto, they'd leave him alone and he could continue living there unbothered.
Luca’s betrayal was rough to watch because he encouraged the townspeople to go after Alberto while he stayed behind safely ashore. Luca later apologized to his friend, but it was a gut wrenching moment for the duo precisely because of the depth of Luca’s treachery. It certainly caused a rift in their relationship for a while and Luca’s actions ultimately stemmed from his fear of losing something he had come to love. Despite not being a human, Luca felt a sense of belonging among the people of Portorosso.
In the end though, he realized that the fear holding him back from revealing his true identity was also responsible for hurting his first real friend. At its heart, Luca is about the friendship between him and Alberto, which is why the betrayal worked so well as a devastating and emotional twist. But at least Luca discovered the error of his ways and came to the defense of Alberto, even if that meant finally revealing the secret he had hoped to keep hidden.