Calico Skies

"Calico Skies" is a very difficult film to describe and it is, by the end, a rather depressing film. But it's also a pretty amazing movie for its star, Tom Sizemore…and he pretty much carries the film on the force of his excellent acting. You probably haven't heard of Sizemore… which is odd as he has over 200 credits and was a often featured on the television show "China Beach" near the beginning of his career. But he mostly plays quiet roles…roles involving guys who look a lot like anyone else…and he has done it quite well….and has, in his own way, slipped under the Hollywood radar…mostly by choosing to play in smaller and independent films.

When the story begins, you see that the severely depressed Phoenix (Sizemore) lives a life best described as simply existing. His days mostly consist of drinking coffee, taking meds for his psychological problems, exercising, drinking, taking drugs and avoiding making contact with others. This isn't hard, as he lives in a tiny town in Nevada…in the Mojave Desert. Slowly, very slowly, you learn more about the man…where much of his depression and self-hate comes from as well as why he lives this existence…and why his feet are covered in tattoos! The answers are interesting…and, ultimately, rather depressing. But I won't say more, as I don't want to spoil the film for you.

The film was written and directed by Valerio Esposito and he is a guy with only limited experience directing and writing. This excited me because it was very well done…especially for a man relatively new to the field. While the film is depressing and left me feeling a bit sad, I appreciated how so much of his story is original. I've probably seen more films than anyone you know…and yet several times I was surprised as I watched…reason enough to recommend it. Sizemore's acting, certainly, is another.

In the first film in the states, Italian director Valerio exhibited at the center with this well-cast and well-cast independent film that sees Tom Sizemore as good character as usual; His acting is calibrated, in his movements, in his strangeness; to mention in the cast also Vincent Pastore and Robert La Sardo who however appear in two small roles; in other roles we find actress Christina Bennett Lind, Kiowa Gordon, Charlotte De Bruyne, Marco Khan, and Italian actors since the film is an Italian-American co-production; the real protagonist of the film is however the desert, with its spectacular landscapes; in short is a beautiful independent movie to see, surely better than many other high budget movies, a gem! Calico Skies win!

Calico Skies was very poetic. There were beautifully composed shots and calculated edits. It stood out and reverberated emotionally. The socially awkward Phoenix was perfection. I loved the sequence of shots after he yells at his neighbors. Where he's sitting on his couch, hitting himself, the way the camera gets so close that its his eye and the surface of the couch. We're right there with him in his dread. The way his van is yellow, echoes his yellow belly coward self. Those small touches spoke volumes. This film is arguably Tom Seizmore's best film in his entire career. It revitalizes him not just as an artist but as a flesh and blood man. He's the Everyman of the 21st Century, closed off, plagued with regret, and blossoming with love. Valerie Esposito paints a simple narrative with complex emotions, breathtaking shots, and a true sense of what it is to be a person in this ever judging desert that encapsulates us all. Not a film to be missed!

Poetic, riveting, outstanding! Valerio Esposito's attentive eye managed to recount a very touching story, outstandingly directed.

Tom Sizemore's performance is impeccable at every shot and brings to the movie a sense or lightness and charisma only he could have pulled.

Calico Skies is a gem that has to be discovered from all the cinephiles around the world. An important movie that came at the right time, raising up the standards for what we know to be GOOD CINEMA!

What a great film this was and as others have stated very depressing. Sizemore was a revelation. That small part of everyone's brain that tells us were worthless as we try to hold on to someone or something.