Customer Reviews

Ciao

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

After a two year wait the movie that became a darling on the film festival circuit back in 2008 is finally available on DVD, Ciao. Ciao is latest work by Dallas filmmaker Yen Tan and begins with Jeff (Adam Neil Smith) informing an out of town stranger that their mutual friend, Mark, has passed away. The strangers, Andrea (Alessandro Calza), travel plans to visit Mark are subsequently cut short upon the dreadful news. It is here, in most circumstances that the door to such a story would have closed. Instead Ciao opens a door of possibilities and delves into a narrative about a loss and a find.

Amid Mark's absence and his posthumous role as the catalyst that brings Jeff and Andrea together it'll be easy for the audience to presume what path this new relationship is headed toward, but fortunately Ciao is not that predictable. The assumption of how this story turns out is largely due to the obvious attraction between Andrea and Jeff. Do they fall for each other? Do they remain the strangers that they really are? Not sure if you will come away with an answer to either of those questions but without a doubt you will fall for both Andrea and Jeff. Their sympathetic characterization and their genuine chemistry make it difficult to not be fond of them both and the film overall.

Yen Tan nicely relies on, if not to a fault, the mise-en scene to convey the somber nuance in Ciao. The music, the one too many scenes void of dialogue and the alluring cinematography all do just as much of a job in conveying the various tones in the film as the actual performances from the actors.

There is nothing grandiose or extravagant about this little film and it didn't need to be. Ciao never tried to be more than it was is and demonstrates that less definitely can be more. However, if the dreary nature of Ciao fails to keep your attention, the intriguing dynamics between Jeff and Andrea will stir your curiosity enough to keep you seated. Ciao avoids the obligatory rush of a romp in the sack and in the process one of the best depictions of same sex sensuality, not sex, is illustrated on screen. Ciao is intelligent, effortlessly sexy, touching, and will be worth your time to view!

Due to some repetitious scenery, small cast, and small setting Ciao struck me more as a 90 minute film short. Before you know it the film starts to wrap up leaving you wanting to know more. A heightened curiosity of what continues in any movie once the movie says "ciao" is always a good sign that something was done right and with Ciao Yen Tan certainly has. Too often the only chance to see an indie film is at a film festival. This a rare second chance to see a wonderfully written and crafted film that's not a cookie cutter of a Hollywood production...take advantage of it.

This was a wonderfully subtle film. Although primarily focusing on Jeff and Andrea, there was always a powerful third character present- the overwhelming and mind-numbing grief both men felt for Mark.

That grief was practically tangible throughout the entire film and I think those that enjoyed the film recognize that. And to those that say that the film felt disjointed and stilted, I say that it was a perfect expression of that intense grief.

I liked the fact the fact that they (Andrea and Jeff) became intimate the way they did, it was sensual and plausible and more meaningful than any sort of a trope hookup. The minimalist music was fantastic and again, the stretches of absolute silence in the film added to the sensation of grief and loss. The ending worked for me as well, giving both men the reminder that there is a future without Mark, and that just maybe that future could include each other.

Well, after responding to the first post that offended my respect of this nuanced, thoughtful movie, I kept scrolling down to see how many people slammed it and thought I'd balance things out a bit by giving hope to the few people who are looking for a film experience and not beefcake idiocy.

This film DOES move slowly. Its about dealing with the aftermath of major loss. If you've experienced this in your personal life at all, in any form, you know the void that sets in. You can barely function and the days are blurry and mundane. This film boldly attempts to recreate that in every way, not just through dialogue or over-acted, Kleenex-filed emotional monologues. The lighting, pacing, music, stillness of shots it all adds up to create the nuanced mood that I thought was a major triumph for the film.

The unique nature of some of the shots ARE off-setting at times, but they always happen in moments in the film when we SHOULD feel awkward--dinner w/ a stranger, cleaning out the deceased's home, walking into the bedroom with a hottie you don't know/shouldn't be attracted to. B-R-I-L-L-I-A-N-T!!!! Kudos to the filmmakers for believing in viewers; that we actually want to think for ourselves at times. Especially in an age when everyone wants to "make it big" and knows the formula to do it, I loved that this was SO far from what I expected. The scene everyone quoted as terrible with the actors moving out of focus was my favorite cinema moment of the past few years. The shot stays on the doorway, which frames the bed, as they continue around the corner with mundane, awkward convo, but the visual focus is what's on everyone's mind: the source of the sexual tension. Will they? Wont they? Should they even think about it? Why not? The dialogue becomes a background noise and in this moment the viewer is part of the film. We've all had this moment.

While the actors are beautiful, this film has a brain. There's no flamboyant friend to make you laugh or gal-pal to tell you what's going on (thankfully the Chinese stepsister gets little screen time-she's TERRIBLE!). There's no shirtless bar scenes are beefcake galore. The characters happen to be gay and it is a story many in our community can relate to, but this is not a traditional "gay movie" of late. And thank the Almighty for it!

See this. Be open. Be moved.

Made on the cheap with a no-name cast, this intentionally intimate 2008 drama focuses on the aftermath of an auto accident which killed a young man named Mark, in particular, the impact of his unexpected death on two men - one is his best friend and roommate Jeff, and the other is Andrea, a Genoese Italian with whom Mark has been corresponding online. Mark is shown in a brief silent bit at the very beginning and later in flashback episodes and videotape. Director Yen Tan keeps the story economical by then segueing into a series of e-mails between Jeff and Andrea, at which point we find out Mark died just as Andrea was coming to visit him. Touched by Andrea's sincerity, Jeff invites him to come anyway.

What occurs from that point is not a predictable romance in typical queer cinema fashion but more the escalation of an unwieldy relationship that forms between the two survivors, neither of whom can quite accept Mark's death. It becomes clear that Jeff, a genuine mensch leading an unremarkable life, has unresolved feelings for Mark, and although he's out (thanks to Mark's influence), Jeff cannot liberate himself from the unrequited love he appears to covet. As you would expect, Andrea is serious eye candy with a conscience, a catch by most cinematic conventions, yet the filmmaker focuses on the tentative nature of their burgeoning relationship as an expression of both men's grief.

The only other character in the movie is Jeff's acerbic Asian-American stepsister Lauren, played efficiently by Ethel Lung, but she seems to enter and exit merely to comment on the obvious. The pacing is absurdly slow with lots of close-ups and long takes with little action. As Jeff, Adam Neal Smith is sincere but overly bland, just not compelling enough to maintain the film's emotional pivot point. On the other hand, Alessandro Calza brings sensitivity to the somewhat idealized role of Andrea, perhaps not a coincidence since he is the co-screenwriter (with Tan). The movie slips by unobtrusively in a subdued, almost hushed tone, but despite some awkward moments, including an inevitable scene late in the film, the emotional honesty makes this worth seeing. The 2010 DVD includes a comprehensive if not altogether informative commentary track from Tan and Calza plus the original theatrical trailer.

The film is tediously slow. Shots are held to the point where you're going "well"? There's a kind of dull numbness to the whole thing, relieved only occasionally by a light bit of humor. Sadly, the lead hasn't got the screen presence to carry the film.

There cinematography is sometimes pretty, but the framing is sometimes weird. There's a shot through a doorway and the two leads walk out of view as seen through it, but the camera lingers on the empty door for-ever. Some scenes feel like they were done with only two setups, and there's no additional coverage, so we go from a one shot to a another one shot and back to the first. The dinner scene, for instance, where we never see the food...even when one of them supposedly takes a bite.

I wanted to like it, but it felt like a short film that was stretched out to five times its ideal length.

The story is compelling, the actors are attractive, and I really expected to like this movie. But almost every scene exemplifies the term "talking heads" - there's excessive dialogue (mostly contrived and awkwardly improbable) and the lead actor (Adam Neal Smith) is rigid and monotonous. You can tell he's *trying* to convey inner turmoil, but it's never convincing in any of his just-read-the-lines interaction with other characters. I can appreciate a "strong silent type" angle, but his delivery is unmotivated and unbelievable as someone who just lost his best friend. When he breaks down in tears near the end, it's a powerful moment where his acting is finally fitting for the story - but then the movie cuts to the next scene where he's jarringly just as dry and stiff as before.

Basically, the story is interesting and the actors are attractive, but the dialogue and the delivery are really lacking. This could have been a great movie if the main actor loosened up and they pared down the dialogue. I know the script was trying to cover a lot of ground, but we don't need *that* much character background.

The Italian actor (Alessandro Calza) in contrast, is much more natural and believable with his part. I hope to see him in more movies in the future.

Story: B
Script: C
Acting: C
Eye Candy: A-

Here's a great example of the awkward dialogue:

Jeff: Here, put some of this on your chicken.
Andrea: Mmm, what is it?
Jeff: It's peach juice mixed with yogurt and mustard.
Andrea: Wow. Your own recipe?
Jeff: Well, it was an accidental discovery at a buffet. See, my sister and I, we had a dare that we'll try anything we put together. So she did a jello and green bean casserole mix, and it was terrible. So I did a sauce with, um, orange juice, mustard, and vanilla ice cream. And it actually wasn't bad, but I thought, you know, this may taste better if I substitute the orange with peach and the ice cream with yogurt. Then I added a dash of nutmeg for balance. Voila.

Um, yeah.

And as another reviewer mentioned, there are a couple of camera shots that are really sort of strange. A notable example comes during a conversation between the two main characters. As they are in a bedroom discussing a painting, the shot suddenly changes to the doorway of the bedroom, from outside looking in. The conversation continues but neither man is in the frame, nor is anything else of interest. After a good 10 seconds, they walk into frame. There was no apparent reason for such a weird shot.

Ciao is definitely a different kind of love story. Read the other reviews for plot details, but i'll mention moments that really struck me. 1) The viewing of a video tape left behind by the deceased central character. 2) The big kissing scene near the end, which is less about sex and more about sympathy.
3) The crying scene involving the Italian visitor just before he gets on a plane for home. All are great moments in a film that uses a lot of silence and unconnected moments to create an emotional impact on the viewer.
I'd recommend watching this one alone, so you can absorb it.

Anyone who enjoys movies as an art form clearly has some favorites that would be easily put up as mentions when asked for thier top XXX movies.This one made it into my rental que frankly as a whim, I enjoyed the cover art and the short title. Who knew I would be so deeply impacted by the power of this quiet,nuanced,thoughtful storytelling? It has now become the movie I share as a favorite with a person of interest or friends who typically ask, "what's new, what have you seen?"

So many previous reviews here have covered the gist of the story but I would like to thank director Yen Tan for guiding Adam Neal Smith and Allessandro Calza through a beauitifully crafted story of loss, compassion,love, and caring. When Jeff loses his best friend Mark in an accident, we are taken on a quiet journey of picking up the pieces while attempting to close up his affairs. Along this journey and weeks later he discovers that Mark had an overseas,online friend who was scheduled to visit and meet on a trip to the states.After telling this overseas friend Andreas of the demise of Mark, the visit was cancelled until Jeff reconsiders and invites Andreas anyhow. From thier first meeting at the airport, there was a curious vibe between them as they both knew the same 'friend' but from very different places.I loved the delicate interplay as Jeff and Andreas share thier intimate knowledge of Mark. Jeff as the lifetime best friend, Andreas as the once future love interest.While they share stories,one can see that Jeff once had more intimate feelings for his lost buddy Mark and the powerful impact of being told by Andreas that Mark had told him he knew but never felt the same love in return.By now, the two characters are in a deep,emotional groove and one can feel the deep pain, it never fails to move me to tears. Equally as strong was a later scene where the best man on man intimacy was filmed and it didn't require full on nudity. Happily, the ending wasn't ruined by going 'hollywood' and like the storytelling in the movie, left me quietly contemplative and wanting for more.

I really enjoyed this movie. While it was subtly sexy, I also felt the loss both characters felt was shown in a realistic manner and the movie left me glad to have seen it.

First, I just need to say this is a great film. The story is great, and the acting is pretty good. I was moved to tears, and felt happiness thought the film. It's a very touching movie, and I would recommend it to all my friends and family to watch. It's a movie that leaves you thinking at the end, and I love how it does that, this way you decide what happens, etc. I've watched it multiple times, and like it more and more each time I see it.