Ciao bambino

This is a multi layered story. On the surface it's quite simple. A love narrative about a street thug named Bambino and a Ukrainian refugee. But while the story unfolds you learn about Italian life in a poor provincial city, complex family relationships, doings of a criminal underworld. Every single thread of it is extremely convincing and well developed.

What I loved the most is the visual language. It's reminiscent of the good old masters like Antonioni or De Sica yet with its own flair. It's breathtaking. The deliberate choice of black and white color works extremely well. It adds sophistication and nostalgia.

Whole film is dynamic and extremely engaging, I was glued from the first shot until the very end. The ending is shocking (don't want to spoil anything) and perfectly wraps up the movie.

I've seen it in Tallinn on POFF 2024 and it's one of the few films that really stayed with me weeks after screening.

It's a must see if you get a chance. Highly recommended and I wish great luck to the new rising star of Italian cinema - Edgardo Pistone.

It is the first screening of the series of new directors' debuts.

It's nice that director feels like making a film that captures a complex of emotions deep in rather than telling a thrilling, cheesy story. I have seen too many of those in the festival this year and frowned too much.

This piece of work shot in monochrome on films is beautiful to eyes, but unfortunately the underpinning emotions are somewhat sparse thus making this film a little bit pale. The entire film is immersed in a slow pace and proceeds without tension until the climax in the end.

Slow films are quite demanding in emotions, failing to meet which would result in a dull one. It's the deep flow that distinguish still water from a stagnant one.

The basic story line here has been told many times before (e.g., Cities on the Plain, by C. McCarthy): boy falls in love with prostitute, an impossible and somewhat one-sided romance ensues that's destined for tragedy.

Still, this film is wonderfully shot and takes its time to let its characters develop and drama slowly build. It's a coming of age tale with the main protagonist, Attilio, aptly called "kid" by his newfound girlfriend, torn between the carefree, goofy banter of his teenage buddies and more complex entanglements and cruelty of the adult world. The bridge that catapults him from one into the other is two-fold: a sympathetic love for a prostitute whose humanity his naïve affection uncovers and an attempt to save his unsavory father from dangerous mafia debts.

Emotions here run deep but unfold so delicately that the story avoid pathos. Scenes are beautifully shot with an understated musical score, giving us time to savor southern Italian life. In typical adolescent fashion, Atti sees the world in black and white and eventually revolts against the shadowy world that surrounds him.

While the older characters are more resigned, Attilio takes a stand and eventually makes rash choices that are both lovely with heroic innocence and yet helplessly tragic.

It's a sympathetic, delicate film that merits greater exposure. The only caveat here is the Neapolitan dialect is challenging. As an expat having lived in central Italy for 10 years, I understood most, but not all, the dialogue. Still, that did not stop me from enjoying this excellent film.