Ciao

This film is not just unique it is also very unusual in that it simply does not live up to the preconceived hype associated with films in this genre. First of all, the director's style is fantastic because unlike every director on the planet he does not move the camera. Each shot is like a still life. This probably will drive some people crazy, but I loved it. Then there is the story. You just never know what is going to happen and eventually you realize nothing does happen. In this day and age when every scene in a movie is supposed to move the story forward, this film absolutely stands still so that combined with the non moving camera the film is like a series of still photos which in itself is quite abstract and surreal. The two leads are both very handsome and very charming and engaging. But the lack of action combined with the still-life photography really gives the two leads a great deal of character and depth that you just do not see in today's films.

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.

I was skeptical at first when I read the synopsis before watching this movie. I thought it would be something just like other atypical movie that tried so hard to be different that everything fell apart. Instead, this movie has seen so much emotion that I found to be very emphatic, at least to me. Every scene has detailed emotions that I would be doing the same thing if I am going to be in that situation. About meeting internet friends, I have done that for several times, a thousands of miles away from home, and I have welcomed several net friends to my place, and therefore, the experience of this movie was trying to portray is pretty much the same what I have had before, but minus the romance. The feeling when we were parted indescribable. I was about to cry myself when I left my friend in the airport.After all, it is all the same. This movie really had moved me in some ways, because some of my experiences were on screen. The only gripe, maybe the movement of the movie is a little bit slow at times, but I really appreciate the emotion and character brought into this movie. If you are still hesitate to watch this movie, just give it a try. Hasta luegos.

Mark and Jeff are the best of friends. Jeff would have liked their friendship to go beyond their close but platonic relationship. Unfortunately they never seem to click on that level, possibly because Jeff isn't Marks "type." Or possibly because the nature of their bond might be jeopardized by sex.

Mark has "met" Andrea, an Italian, online and they have talked a few times by phone. Since Andrea will be in New York for a wedding, they plan for him to come to Dallas for a couple of days so they can finally meet in person.

Mark is killed in a road accident and Jeff assists the family in sorting out his things. He goes through Mark's emails, in part to know who might need to be notified about the death, but clearly he wants to know a bit more about his friend and discovers that Mark revealed more about himself to Andrea than he ever shared with Jeff.

When he receives an email sent to Mark by Andrea detailing his anticipated trip to Dallas, Jeff replies informing Andrea of the death and suggesting that he cancel the trip. Soon after he has second thoughts and suggests Andrea come to Dallas as planned and spend those few days as his guest.

Most of the film is devoted to conversation between Jeff and Andrea as they share their thoughts about Mark and learn more about each other.

The most striking thing about the movie was the intelligent scripting of the dialogue between them, sometimes reflecting their impressions of Mark, sometimes asking ridiculous things about each other, sometimes lighthearted and apparently superficial, sometimes poignantly revealing. Surely it was scripted, but it seemed totally natural and spontaneous.

It could easily have been maudlin or gone over-the-top emotionally but, aside from one emotional release, it was subtle and low- keyed. In some respects it was mysterious because you were never sure where it was all heading.

My only complaint was that Andrea, though very fluent in English, occasionally, naturally stumbled over some American idiom, but at other times Jeff used Americanisms that Andrea could not have understood, but Andrea doesn't bat an eye.

Different forms of grieving and attempts to deal with loss have certainly been explored to death in films, so in that sense there is nothing remarkable about the story concept. The scripting, the acting, the directing and the photography do lift this above what might have been another overly sentimental tear-jerker though.

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.