21/11/2024 - Edgardo Pistone’s debut film is a thrilling dark tale which speaks of love and desperation in Naples’ criminal underworld

We’re in the Rione Traiano neighbourhood in Naples. Forced to repay the debts accumulated by his father (an astonishing Luciano Pistone, the director’s own father) vis-a-vis loan shark Vittorio (Pasquale Esposito), seventeen-year-old Attilio (Marco Adamo) ends up protecting a young Ukrainian sex worker called Anastasia (Anastasia Kaletchuk), who’s a few years older than him and in the pay of slimy pimp Martinelli (Salvatore Pelliccia). It’s this criminal underworld of the Campanian capital which forms the backdrop to Edgardo Pistone’s debut feature film and dark tale Ciao bambino [+see also:
trailer
interview: Edgardo Pistone
film profile].

The film was presented in an international premiere in the Tallinn Black Nights Festival’s First Feature Competition, after winning Best First Film in Rome Film Fest last month, and after passing under the radar of the press, whether film-focused or otherwise.

The decision to shoot the movie exclusively in black and white is particularly effective. Despite the story being rooted in the modern-day with clear references to the war in Ukraine and contemporary Naples, the director’s stylistic choice amplifies the universality and intensity of the story, creating a suspension of disbelief which keeps viewers captive. This proves especially helpful in several dialogue-free scenes, where the soundtrack takes centre stage without ever sounding flat.

The two young lead actors fully prove their talent, aided by their perfectly suited physiques which extol the candour and coarse nature of children who are forced to grow up too quickly. Attilio soon develops strong feelings for Anastasia: he’s a boy, a man and a child all at once, displaying courage as well as naivety. Predictably, Anastasia struggles to talk about her life. Devastated by her present-day reality, she has fled from her war-torn country and is now far from her family.

More generally speaking, the cast is one of the film’s greatest strengths, with every single actor perfectly suited to their roles. In this sense, they open a merciless yet credible window onto a community where children are forced to pay for their parents’ debts and sins, trapped in miserable existences from which there’s really no escape.

With great courage and authority – which is relatively rare in a first work, especially in the recent Italian film landscape – Pistone tells a story set in a world which has been much explored on the big and small screen, but he offers a unique vision without ever sliding into sentimentalism or stereotypes and he develops conflicts and characters with incredible depth.

Ciao bambino is an unaffected and memorable film, buoyed by an impeccable technical crew. The narrative isn’t particularly original, but the film provides an emotionally intense and thrilling experience which leaves its mark. Ultimately, we can guess what’s going to happen without too much difficulty, but we don’t know how or when.

Ciao bambino is an Italian production by Anemone Film, Bronx Film, Minerva Pictures and Mosaicon Film. Minerva Pictures are also managing international sales.

(Translated from Italian)