Tommaso

Easy on the eyes, heavy on the heart. Well worth my time, this story continues to give well after viewing and brings up interesting questions in oneself.

This movie felt like life. Everything's so natural and yet so complicated, even delirious, painful. I loved the sensuality of the shooting, the music is magnificent. Dafoe acting is magnetic, you forget that you're watching a movie. There are some brilliant moments, naturalistic parts, like when he yell at the drunk or when he's about to sleep with the blond woman he met at the AA. And ultimately it allowed me to visit Rome again, it brought me beautiful and painful memories.

If you dig a bit you find this is a semi-autobiographical film of the writer-director's life. In fact the young wife and young daughter are actually his real life wife and daughter. I really looked forward to seeing this as it has Willem Dafoe in the title role as Tommaso. And he in fact does justice to the role. The problem is the movie in total is not that interesting. It contains lots of stilted language and long monologues but basically is a story of a man, an actor and writer, living in Rome and working to overcome his addictions and balance life with a much younger wife that seems to be losing interest in him. I suspect this is the kind of movie that film students and critics love but most viewers of mainstream movies will not warm up to. I managed to find it on the Kanopy streaming movies site via my public library's subscription.

Interestingly I note that in most of the reviews here, reviewers didn't get that this movie is an autobiography of Ferrara, written and directed by himself, having his good friend Defoe playing his own role, his wife and daughter acting themselves. Ferrara and Defoe have been living in Rome for years, in the same area in the historical centre ('esquilino') where it happens I live one block away from him! I often seen him in the street with or without wife and kids, and he actually goes to the shops and bars you see in the movie (caffé Merulana 81, small organic grocery store, etc...) where you see the actual owners acting themselves. I have never talked to him, but I have always been wondering about his life here and away from here. So I was delighted to see this movie. I found the acting of Defoe stunning, he absolutely hold the movie and its tension, and I am sure his great friendship with Ferrara make it even more transcendent. I found it the very intimate story of a man exposing his sins and weaknesses, embracing them, in the later period of his life. Photography is minimalistic, probably taken with a very reduced team and preparation. It still serves well the intended pace and ambient of the story. So to me a very good, original, autobiographical movie, destinated for an informed and prepared audience.

Staggering. I think Ferrara shines brightest when he's working with a small scale with a singular viewpoint. This is such a wonderfully intimate and character-driven film that feels self-critical without having an obnoxious mentality. The direction and written is so spectacularly utilized with the structure. Willem Dafoe is phenomenal as always and has such a naturalist approach while still remaining cinematic. It's such a off thing to describe Tommaso but I can unequivocally say it's worth a watch; hopefully I can revisit soon.

Like another reviewer said, there is no character development,. It seems rather pretentious. What do the disjointed "metaphysical" scenes have to do with anything. Are they suppose to imply that the protaganist,is experiencing some kind of divine madness? I was not convinced.

Very lively and dynamic with an amazing natural atmosphere. The movie just flow, Dafoe carries it with a superb performance. This movie is art. To me it felt like it's kind of a character study, but it doesn't feel like you're out of the picture (atmosphere) and feels like you're there watching them act.

I'm familiar with the work of Abel Ferrara, I watched most of his movies, even the infamous 'Driller Killer'. And I consider it a privélège I was able to see Tommaso, not on a fancy artsy fartsy bourgeois filmfestival like Cannes but during a screening on the Brussels International Film Festival. Tommaso fits perfectly in Ferrara's ongoing struggle for redemption in a tumultuous and savage society. Although one could argue the work of any author, even when labeled as fictitious is always embedded in reality, Tommaso takes it to a near autobiographical level or at least this is the suggestion because of the main character and the setting. Willem Dafoe is Tommaso, a man living in Italy (like Ferrara), with a gorgeous younger wife (like Ferrara at the time), struggling with addiction (like Ferrara) and with a temper (like Ferrara). Tommaso explores the anxiety of the main character: the fear to be abandoned, the craving to be loved, becoming of age and seeking the elixir of youth by hooking up with much younger women who at the same time he accuses to lack maturity. The main character is in constant turmoil struggling to accept that he himself is the source of his agony. The underlying theme thoughout the movie is the link to the way Buddhism analyses the human condition: the main character is suffering, not so much because of the actions of others, but the way he distorts reality and clamps on to illusion. This is a complex, very personal and multilayered movie and requires an intelligent audience. The pace is slow building to a devastating finale. I would personally rank it amongst Ferrara's best work next to the 'The Bad Lieutenant' which I would easily rank in the top 50 best movies ever made.

"Tommaso" is far from being one of Abel Ferrara's best films, but thankfully the seasoned filmmaker casted one of the industry's best character actors to keep this film alive; Willem Dafoe. In this drama, an American living in Italy with his young wife and toddler struggles to find purpose while overcoming addiction and self doubt. Beautifully shot but a little too slow paced and artsy, "Tommaso" tries hard to be this seminal film for filmmaker Abel Ferrara but never quite gets there. Willem Dafoe is the saviour of this film, making it a worthwhile watch. Dafoe is no stranger to Ferrara as they've worked together countless times, especially in the last five years. "Tommaso" is a troubled film but you could still understand the message the filmmaker is trying to make even if it takes some pondering afterwards. Follow @snobmedia for more reviews!