Okay…Wow!
And I mean wow in both a good and disturbing way.
I went into this movie with an open mind even though the description on the dvd tried its best to skew me in another direction altogether.
Really, who writes those things?
I am convinced most of the people just look at the stars and make something up that sounds sellable.
I was prepared for a mild mind bender but see above “Wow”.
For some reason, little Leolo has gotten it into his mind he is Italian.
He is not, of course, but that doesn’t stop our hero from correcting his family when he is called by his given name and not his self-appointed Italian name.
Leolo lives in a world that becomes increasingly dependent on his imagination and he does have a doozy.
I found at times I had trouble telling the difference between what he was imagining and what was real…much like I think he begins to feel.
This movies chronicles his young life and also introduces him to sex.
Along the way, we mix in a healthy dose on mental illness, fetishes, violence, and also a scene that makes me look at tomatoes in a completely different light.
The whole movie has not stayed with me but certain scenes are difficult to forget.
The whole thing where his brother is being bullied and then he turns into this muscle-bound hulk, bound and determined to not let that happen again, was making me wonder if Leolo was actually imagining his brother getting bigger or if he actually was.
The fight scene with the bully near the end was surprising and done in a non-hollywood way.
It was hard to watch, but well done.
I guess thats where I am headed with this review.
The is VERY hard to watch in some parts…but also very well done.
There is a scene where Leolo, after determining his Grandfather is the cause of most of the mental illness that haunts a good part of his family, must rid the world of his existence, therefore saving his family.
The sheer determination that Leolo goes through to execute his grandfather is amazing.
It reminded me of the hayfort mazes we used to build in the barn.
Dad would always say” You know, you boys complain about bailing hay but then you spend 3 times the energy and effort restacking, tunneling, and building God knows what, just for fun.
Leolo makes this contraption to do away with his Grandfather…almost succeeds but ends up injured himself and under mental evaluation.
There is a scene near the end where they are shocking Leolo not with electricity, but in a large tub, suspended by straps, in cold ice water.
He is just left there for what we assume is all night.
Good Lord, did treatments like that really happen?
His childhood memeries of his mother and father are very exact.
Maybe not the nicest, but the most vivid.
He describes feeling safe in between his mothers breasts as he she hugs him almost with the same pleasure as he describes his fathers overly round face.
I guess its funny the way you remember things.
Even if you are a closet Italian.
I almost turned this off a couple of times just because I wasn’t in the mood for some of the darkness.
But then I found myself lost a little whenever Leolo would go to his imagination and that took me with him.
This a very hard movie to watch in some parts.
But it is well fleshed out and I really enjoyed how true the characters were to themselves throughout the movie.
But I will NEVER ask my wife or girlfriend to bite my toenails off….I mean, have you seen my feet?
3 Mulligans 