Poco più di un anno fa

I saw this film at the screening in Berlin Film Festival. It could be described as quite a long commercial of it's director/leading actor. 70 % of the film was the almost naked body, fake blonde hair and shiny lips of the actor/director blown up to full screen. It's story lacked the depth of even the cheesiest Brasilian TV series. What astonished me most is how such a bad film could be screened in one of the most prestigious festivals of the world.

This film has a lot of ideas and messages, and also contains a love story. This is the story of two brothers who fall in love with each other (not in an incestuous way) but in the way of two people, who learn to accept each other, despite their different perspectives on life.

I think the introduction for the film, where you find Riki at a photo shoot, initially puts people off. You think you are just going to watch a bad porno film, full of close ups of Marco Filiberti (which isn't such a bad thing). Once you get beyond the opening, the film takes on a quiet, reflective nature. I was surprised to find a plot that did keep me engaged in the film.

Filiberti (who wrote, directed and starred in the movie) does a good job of presenting Riki as someone who is vulnerable and sad, because he doesn't have love in his life. Once he reunites with his brother, Frederico, (the fantastic Urbano Barberini) he meets his polar opposite. Suddenly Riki has to account for, defend himself, and is forced to own up to the reality of what he does for a living. And once Frederico reunites with Riki, he has to own up to the fact that he doesn't know his brother, their father was a crook, and the life he is leading is a lie. Both brothers were perfect foils for each other, because after meeting and spending time with each other, they began to let go of values that were holding them back and of no use to themselves, and began to embrace a fuller way of living.

The comments on class and what is means to be acceptable in society, which are sprinkled throughout the film are interesting, particularly for a viewer who is American. One has to wonder would Riki be more acceptable as a gay man to his family, if he were educated and did something else for a living.

The supporting characters are interesting also. We have Claudio (the restorer/porn star) who persistently tries to restore love to Riki's life. You also have "Luna" who is the female version of Riki, a person who alienates love, and wraps herself in skin tight clothing, which seems to alienate her from physical contact. She states she is unable to accept pleasure. Luna is very affected by Riki and considers him an accomplice in their way of living "life without pleasure." However, Luna, after sensing Riki's release from that way of living his life, his growth and his acceptance of love (from Frederico, Claudio, Plapla) feels abandoned and decides to leave. Julie seems to be a woman of clarity. She hatches a plan to save the family estate and is the one who seems to realize Riki is gay upon first meeting him, but embraces him anyway, without judgment. Plapla is the character the pulls Riki out of his ego, and is the person Riki is willing to make a sacrifice for.

This film does have some flaws. You have to wonder how Plapla's grandparents didn't know Riki was gay and why they never asked him what he did for a living or at least check out his background. I was willing to forgive this fact, because the grandmother is fantastic in her scene where she condemns Riki for his lifestyle and not being truthful with them. But this may be the point about Riki, he is who others need him to be at times, he is an illusion at times.

The film does a great job of spoofing porno films (the silly plot lines, the costumes)and those moments were actually funny and probably makes the audience at ease with what they are seeing on film. I liked the film's use of Debussy's music (the recurring "Ballade") during the serious moments and flashback scenes.

The use of Pietro/Plapla was good throughout the film. It was very touching to hear the character refer to Riki as "Papa." This character added some intrigue to the plot. The little talk between Plapla and Riki regarding Riki being gay, and his grandparents intolerance is touching. The kid that played little Plapla was great! All in all the ending is sad and foreshadowed a lot throughout the film. I thought the film had comedy, drama, love, and tragedy-the total package.

I saw this film at "Outfest," the Los Angeles Gay & Lesbian film festival. Yes, the writer/director/star DOES seem to give his face and body a fair amount of screen time. But he plays a porn star! Hello?? Like Mel Brooks might say, "If you got it, flaunt it." The film has some very moving moments, great dialogue, artful performances. All in all, of the half-dozen or so pictures I saw at "Outfest," this one was the best.

This was evidently a labor of love (if you'll excuse the expression) for Filiberti who seems to have been involved in all phases of the planning and production. Too bad! It just doesn't come together very well, in large part because the star does not convey in his person or his acting much that is interesting about the life of a porn star. There is some amusement as we watch the reactions of his family when they learn how the son and brother they threw out of the ancestral home in France has earned his living. And it is pleasing to see how he is reconciled with his brother. I found the extras on the DVD more interesting than anything in the film, particularly how simulated sex is filmed to look real. But basically, I'd call this a boring show.

ADORED (or "Poco piu di un anno fa") is a superb film that smacks of brilliance on every level. The fact that this is the writing, directing AND acting debut of Marco Filiberti should alert the cinema world that a major talent has arrived. This is a film about a very lovable young man who just happens to be a gay porn star and how that choice of career affects his life, his family, his philosophy, and his impact on all those around him.

The film opens with some odd commentators who we find are being utilized for a documentary in the year 2014 on the life of Riki Kandinsky (Marco Filiberti) who died in 2002. The men making the film are steered by one 'Pietro'. We discover that Riki was born in France to a wealthy, stuffy family, but fled to Rome when his mother died, leaving his brother Federico (Urbano Barberini) and his father behind. In Rome Riki Soldani becomes Riki Kandinsky, the most sought after male porn star in Italy, lusted after for his muscular good looks, his infamously grand sexual equipment, and his scintillating sexuality. Riki is not a hustler, though he does frequent bars and bathhouses for his gratification. His friends include a fellow porn star Claudio (Claudio Vanni) and a loopy female named Luna ((Rosalinda Celentano). He lives in a splendid home, is obviously making a lot of money, and yet he is not partnered: Riki believes relationships, even with men, are too transient and are doomed from the start.

Riki's father dies, he returns to France to his home, where his family cannot accept his lifestyle. He returns to Rome, convinced he is alone in the world except for his extended family in the porn industry. Soon Federico visits him in Rome to implore the wealthy Riki to help resolve the fact that their father's death left mountains of debt, the family mansion being the only viable asset. Federico confronts Riki about his disgusting life, but to Riki's credit he brings Federico to a point where Federico is not only accepting, but embracing Riki's friends and occupational life!

When Riki observes an auto accident that kills a Lesbian mother, leaving her young son an orphan, Riki is at last touched by a 'fellow-traveler': young 'Plapla' (his real name is Pietro) understands the gay world despite his young years and longs to have Riki as his foster parent, much to the chagrin of his grandparents who barely know this son of a lesbian daughter. Federico assists Riki in his efforts to obtain guardianship, but the attempt is unsuccessful. Decimated, Riki flies to France, to the Gay Olympics and the adulation of being a champion soccer player as a means to amend his inability to gain a 'son'. The film's conclusion is sad: a life comes to an end and this end is the raison d'etre for the documentary we observed at the beginning of the movie. And you must see this magical film for yourself to tie all the threads together!

Though many will find aspects of the film bordering on the surreal or pushing credibility over the edge, Marco Filiberti has produced so much food for thought, tender discussions about acceptance of who we are, our need for connection, and a 'fabulous' look into the gay porn industry, that those who are not moved by this film will be few. The cinematography, costumes, set decor, music, and above all, the acting is all of the very highest caliber. Filiberti has a unique method of storytelling that gives notice of a true creative mind on his initial venture. Not only is he a fine writer and a very fine director, he is a feast for the eyes and an actor whose magnetism in front of the camera is impossible to ignore.

By all means this is a film to see and purchase, as it is one of the 'sleeper giants' of the year.