20 sigarette

The story of how a young, fairly inexperienced man ends up largely by accident as a civilian in Iraq for a short time (the time to smoke 20 cigarettes), and gets caught up in events there which lead to him coming home to Rome a very different person. The transformation in his life is told with warmth and humour, and without any moralising or politicising.

The film is engaging from the start, and moves through a number of different phases and moods with great dexterity. It can be lighthearted, but is genuinely disturbing at times, and viewers should be prepared for some shocks, but in a way which is never gratuitous. The direction tries to convey the main character's experiences from various viewpoints, and we build up a sympathetic relationship with him in a convincing way. This makes the first-person sequences during the war scenes remarkably effective, and utterly riveting to watch. The later scenes back in Italy are also well-managed, and we are led to reflect on the impact on his life in many different ways, some of them profoundly moving.

Vinicio Marchioni is excellent in the main role, but there are a lot of good performances elsewhere too.

Not easy viewing, but well worth watching.

It's a autobiographical film about the experience of the director himself, as a debut feature, I'm glad to watch it while the director was visiting Shanghai and had a screen at Tongji University. The film won CONTROCAMPO ITALIANO prize in the Venice festival this year.

The film combines comedic element with all the tragic incident during the war of Iraq. The close-ups of smoking cigarette is hovering round the film and renders proficiently sober impact on the audience, meanwhile, highlights the motif, a farce full of ridicule, sarcasm which a war could bring forth.

The DV-styled photography carries deep turbulence on viewer's organs of senses, mainly optically though, it bizarrely diffuses persuasively into a self-tortured experience after the bloody bomb and shooting scene, then our protagonist's gory appearance could be daringly disturbing; on the other hand, one can sense the ambition of the director to face the true grit and mockery and the same time.

The acting in the film is compelling with a humorous undertone, Vinicio Marchioni gives the protagonist a libertine quality and easily could appeal to the audience.

So, 20 Cigarettes is a comparatively mature debut for novice director Aureliano Amadei, who has a potential to swing swiftly between drama and comedy, I'm eager to wait to see his next move and hope his skills will be honed to a higher level.

Really great movie. It's placed in Iraque, during the peace mission in 2003 year. Film director and his asisstance went on Iraque to make some film. Camera is a good show details after the bomb attack of the peace camp . I forgot to mention the excellent soundtrack in this movie.

A remarkable first film, made by Amadei from his own real life experience of going to Iraq in 2003 to be an assistant director on a film, and almost winding up dead.

The war sequences are terrific and powerful in execution; harrowing, cinematic, real and yet stylized, largely seen from a subjective camera.

The film is quite moving in the end, and Amadei is willing to let himself (played very well by Vincio Marchioni) come off as a flawed, real human being. Re-examining one's self and one's traumatic experience with a sense of clarity, but without losing emotion would be a challenge for any artist, but as a first feature it is very special.

I also liked that the film wasn't afraid to be a very disturbing film about the realities of war, but still have a comedic edge at time. Life is both tragic and funny, but rare is the film that can walk both sides of that street.

Once in a while the style gets a bit overdone, to the point of breaking a sense of reality, but that's a small fly in a very rich ointment.

I hope Amadei's immense talent can translate to telling stories other than his own.

This movie is based on an autobiography of Aureliano Amadei. He has a deep love for filmmaking. That's why he can't refuse an offer to be an assistant director, even when the movie will be made in Iraq. It's a big stepping stone for him. But when he got there, he finally finds out that he was actually "deceived" and his decision leads him to a grievous reality.

I never really like watching movie about war. I love history, but every time I watch a movie war related, it's more often than not to include bombing and shooting with a great damage to the human body, in this case soldiers or civilians. It's really painful to see. You can see blood, flesh and bone and sometimes it makes me wanna puke and begin to question myself again, why war?

This movie really shows that horror I really fear to watch. And it was so genuine. The scene was taken from Amadei's still rolling camera, so it feels so real. Like I was really there with them. I wanted to skip this part but I might lose something important, so I kept watching.

Besides its frightening bombing scene, it deals with a bittersweet romance between Amadei, his best friend and his real boyfriend. The uniqueness of his parents and their beautiful relationship also adds solace to this movie. But the truth that there will always be someone who tries to be in the "spotlight" after this terrifying attack is so odious.