In Italian Ciao means both Hello and Goodbye. It’s the perfect name for this movie.

The central character Mark has died in a car accident. His best friend Jeff is trying to cope with the grief caused by the accident, but also has the responsibility of looking after Mark’s affairs. It is whilst checking through emails that he discovers Mark had been having an online relationship with Andrea, a sexy Italian from Genoa. It turns out that Andrea is coming to USA to attend a wedding in New York and was going to then continue on and visit with Mark.

They both decide that he should not scrap his plans and come to visit anyway. The two strangers then meet and deal with the grief of Mark’s death together. Andrea knows things about Mark that Jeff doesn’t and vice versa, so it’s also a journey of discovery for both men.

The movie is quite sombre and Mark’s death hangs over the entire film like a dark heavy cloud. The performances are strong and Dante’s Cove’s Allesandro Calza is very good as Andrea. His character is heartbreaking – he comes from a small town in Italy and in his pursuit for love he meets men online, usually from abroad, and makes trips in the hope that love will blossom, something that no doubt many of us will be able to relate to in some way.

Will Jeff pick up from where Mark left off? Or will they just be strangers that spend a long weekend together?

Ciao screens as part of the Mardi Gras Film Festival on 23 February at Academy Twin and 28 February at Dendy Newtown. Click here for more information.

Check out Same Same’s Mardi Gras guide by clicking here.