Tony

This beautifully made film encapsulates a time and place brilliantly while poignantly capturing themes which currently resonate. It's hard to believe this is the debut film for lead actor / director Hugo Diego Garcia. With beauty, action, excellent performances by Garcia and a killer ensemble cast, and a throbbing score by MALO, we feel as if we're in the hands of a veteran here. Watch this film and remember it. Hugo Diego Garcia will be a household name.

"Senseless violence is a prerogative of youth, which has much energy but little talent for the constructive." - Anthony Burgess

Burgess' quote seems fittingly applied by filmmaker Hugo Diego Garcia in his film "Tony," which follows a young Spaniard immigrant who joins a gang of thuggish racially persecuted immigrants in 1980's France.

There are times where the narrative of this period gangster film meanders, yet the acting, specifically Hugo Diego Garcia, who also plays the lead character Tony, makes up for any story flaws. Garcia's understated performance lingers, seeping through your veins like a slow intravenous drip. Through the smallest, most subtle reactions, Garcia plays a likable, empathetic rogue, delivering a complex character, struggling with layers of internal conflict, whose emotional frailty manifests in a paralytic moral split.

As a director, Hugo Diego Garcia has a visually arresting sensibility. Stylistically, "Tony" reminded me of Scorsese's "Mean Streets" and Kubrick's "A Clockwork Orange." Garcia's directorial debut is far from perfect, but there is no doubt that he delivers a vivid, indelible, emotive performance.

Came across this short and felt compelled to write about it, as I was very impressed with the authenticity and the performances of the cast. Considering the specifics of the period and style, this short succeeded where a lot of bigger production have failed. Incredible! A heart breaking story of violence being perpetuated. Hugo Diego Garcia is one to watch! Not only as a very talented performer but also as a filmmaker, being the writer/director of this painfully personal story. Can't wait to see more of him.

Had the chance to watch this in BH in 2019 and was blown away by the level of this short. The director nailed the tone and we actually feel like we are in the 80s. The music, outstanding, helps creating this world and establish this particular time. Ensemble is great, the main character Tony kills it and although the arc is quite simple, it's anchored in truth and executed well. Stylized yet realistic, violent yet beautiful, Tony is at cool as it gets when it comes to shorts. Looking forward to see what's next...

Tony is an effective and brillant movie. The 80s vibe is like a time machine and we are sucked into the story. The cast, the wardrobe, the locations, everything in this movie is mind blowing. I'm already excited for the new spectators who are going to discover this movie for the first time.