D'Agostino (2012) Poster

(2012)

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4/10
poorly done
myonge-7211915 March 2020
I struggled to even give this move a 4. The basic story is intriguing, thought provoking and interesting, I will grant you that. But the movie was so poorly done!! the plot was completely disjointed as was the acting. Endless (it seemed) dead scenes of sites around Santorini etc. beautiful as it must be. The main character finds a filthy naked man in his grandmother's apartment. After the initial shock and shower then just goes back to bed and sleep. Like seriously? He easily finds out the origin of the naked man on the internet???? what on Google? He then just treats the man like a pet dog He doesn't seem to be the least bit concerned as to how diago got there behind the locked oak door. The whole move movie as it 'developed' was too bizarre. I have to say I was disappointed. The plot and story premise had such potential. the whole social, ethical question around human cloning, owning another human as a pet, the issue of cruelty/sadism but I think it failed.
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4/10
I'm sorry what?
ForSciFan23422 May 2020
This made no sense to me. I couldn't make head over tails what was happening and it left me utterly confused from start to finish. Leave it off next time!
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10/10
D'AGOSTINO. A Greek Tragedy Re-imagined
erebrown-641678 February 2021
This is a re-imagining of a Greek tragedy from the amazing perspective of provocative filmmaker Jorge Ameer. Once a beautiful young god was so spoiled and arrogant, he was sent to Earth by his grandfather Zeus thinking that perhaps, living with the mortals, he might learn a lesson in humility and other good character traits. Alas, London, where the young god, who now calls himself corporate executive Allan Dawson, was cast out, was not a good fit. He became more arrogant, calling people he passed by on the streets fat and ugly. Allan also has an Oedipus complex, finding a fiancée who was very attractive but looks old enough to be his mother. And, oh, he became so bored out of his mind! Watching from the heavens, Zeus and the other Olympian gods were disheartened and decided maybe a change of scenery would help.

Allan Dawson was sent by the gods to Santorini, Greece, under the guise that he inherited a beautiful beachfront property from his grandmother, probably Hera. To help him navigate this new stunning world and watch over him, the gods sent a minor deity Niko. The gods also sent another minor deity, who resembles Allan, who is also egocentric like his uncle Narcissus. What better ploy for Allan to learn about himself and return to Olympus, a changed, better god, right? Wrong! Instead, Allan treats this demi-god cloned to his image, like a dog, keeping him on a leash, humiliating him, and basically making him his "b-tch"! Well, Zeus and the gods have had it! They cast the fierceness of their wrath on him! The punishment was twisted and completely shocking, but sometimes, to teach a lesson, you have to scare the living sh-t out of that pr-ck! Do you think Allan learned his lesson? Only time will tell.

D'Agostino. From the very provocative mind of Jorge Ameer. Superbly and unabashedly acted by Keith Roenke, Michael Andricopoulos, Torie Tyson, and Jorge Ameer himself. Stunning cinematography by Zach Voytas.
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9/10
A Very Strange Engrossing Film
alassenamos29 May 2012
"D'Agostino" A Very Strange Engrossing Film Amos Lassen I had just finished watching Jorge Ameer's newest film and honestly I did not know what to think about it except that it had totally pulled me in. So I played in a second time and found myself completely absorbed by it. It is quite basically a tale of horror which later becomes something else altogether so I suppose I have to say it is macabre to a point but it is so much more than that. Allen Dawson inherited an apartment in Santorini, Greece. He learned that his grandmother willed it to him but he had to go to Greece to take care of the property transfer. He discovers a human clone in the apartment and decides that it or D'Agostino (who he nicknames Diablo) is to become his new best friend even though the only human quality that the clone possesses is his appearance.

We learn that the clone had been on a transatlantic voyage from Italy to America when there was a crash and he had been left for dead. He had been commissioned by men with wealth and was to be used for organ transplants but he had been abandoned. In the meantime, Dawson learns of his inheritance and leaves his home which he had been sharing with his girlfriend and goes to Santorini where he finds the abandoned clone. Through Diablo, Dawson comes to learn more about himself as he decides to make the clone his best friend. Dawson also realizes that his relationship with his fiancée is a sham and that it is going nowhere and he is bored with and upset that he gets nothing out of it. He realizes that he is trapped in a sedentary existence and that his prospects for future happiness do not look good so when he receives news of the inheritance he knows that he has a chance to get away from his him-drum life and travels to Greece alone. He understands that his life has been little more than an obstruction but he is also not quite ready to deal with what he finds. He quickly sees that with his new property his outlook on life changes and then changes once again when he meets D'Agostino.

At first Dawson s befuddled by the clone and has no idea of how to deal with him but as the two interact we see that his state of mind becomes quite strange and he becomes both ruthless and cruel but as he gets to know the clone, we watch him become victim to his own moral perversion which later creates a reaction that causes him to fall victim to his actions. How and what that is will be something for you to discover when you see the film and regardless of what I say, there is no way to prepare the viewer for what he sees.

The version I was an unedited screener but I could still tell that the cinematography was beautiful and Greece of course leads itself to creating beauty on the screen. Yet when the film is dark, it is very dark. Hats off to the actors who play Dawson and the clone and to Ameer himself in his performance as the man who has been watching the property. I cannot say that this is a film I enjoyed but I can say that it is well done. Enjoy just does not seem the right word to describe it. If you get the chance to see this film, do not hesitate.
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9/10
The Strange World of D'AGOSTINO
gradyharp1 July 2012
Writer/director Jorge Ameer continues to make fascinating little films that dare to go where few others even contemplate. Asked to review the Unedited Proof of a film is both exciting and frustrating: exciting because the viewer gets to see all the ideas in their various forms before being edited into a final product, frustrating because the film comes in bit and pieces that dilutes the impact of the story. But there is enough here to see that once finished this strange, somewhat macabre story should have appeal with audiences.

Allan Dawson (Keith Roenke) is in a seemingly flatline relationship with live-n girlfriend Sylvia (Torie Tyson, better known for her singing than her acting skills): something is missing (other than the apparent age mismatch between the young Roenke and the more mature Tyson), a fact that becomes apparent when Allan is notified that his grandmother has bequeathed him land on the Greek Island of Santorini. Allan departs to investigate the surprise, thinking he will immediately sell the property to better his financial status. But once he arrives in Santorini he is mesmerized by the beauty of the island and is introduced to the inherited home by an agent Niko (Jorge Ameer). As Allan settles in he hears strange sounds and discovers they come form a locked closet containing a human clone - filthy and whimpering. The naked male is named D'Agostino (Michael Angels): apparently heading on a transatlantic voyage at sea from an Italian lab to America, D'Agostino is a human clone left for dead at the shores of Santorini. This lost cargo, commissioned by wealthy individuals for organ transplants, is abandoned as the freight cannot be recovered.

Allan cleans the clone, feeds him, keeps him on a leash like a pet animal, an slowly becomes attached to D'Agostino. When D'Agostino goes missing Allan is frantic and searches for his lost treasure along the shores of the island - the place where the lost D'Agostino sits in reverie. Through a series of dream sequences we watch as Sylvia becomes less important and D'Agostino becomes the extension of Allan he has always longed to discover. There is a surprise ending the will take the audience off guard and Jorge Ameer handles this neo- science fiction ending very well.

As is usually the case with Ameer's films, the visuals are of utmost importance. Here cinematographer Zach Voytas captures the flora and fauna and the generally breathtaking beauty of Santorini to great effect. The musical score, the reason for this release of a memento of the film, is a mixed bag, too often covering the dialogue of the film, but the ingredients are there and hold great promise. It is bizarre, challenging, and in line with Jorge Ameer's fresh take on cinema.

Grady Harp
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10/10
disturbing. very disturbing.
cadelgado-616-50930923 February 2013
I saw this film in New York City last November and was impressed and the beautiful scenes from Santorini. The story was very dark and disturbing. Allan Dawson (Keith Roenke) is a top executive, rich beyond avarice with a beautiful lover named Sylvia (Torie Tyson). With wealth and power. Outwardly you would think that he'd be one happy man, but he finds none of it to be satisfying. Bored and detached. The opportunity to get away from it all comes quite unexpectedly when his grandmother passes and he is left with a small island estate in picturesque Greece. With the pretense of heading off to investigate his inheritance — leaving Sylvia behind (he's got to figure out a way to get out of that relationship) — he packs up and jets off to his hoped- to-be island paradise (filmed in around Santorini).The path that the filmmaker takes us down is totally unexpected. Once Allan arrives at the estate, he discovers a naked, perhaps even feral man cowering in a locked room. It is a mystery how he got there, but it is D'Agostino (Michael Angels) of the film's title The film get dark and very weird from there.

Don't want to give away too much, but all I have to say is that you must see this to believe it. I personally loved it. its intriguing and fresh. Its has a horror sci fi ending that is very satistfying. recommended.
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10/10
Exceptional quality for a "gay interest" movie.
mortie-853-77617930 March 2015
The "gay interest" movie genre basically falls into two sub- categories.

On the one hand, there are movies which altogether lack any pretence of artistic merit: they are badly acted, badly staged, badly costumed, and badly filmed, with a screen-play completely devoid of any literary quality. Their only redeeming feature is that they usually have a cast of hot young men, who show plenty of flesh.

On the other hand, there are the "art house" gay movies, which absolutely reek of production values. These tend either to be cast with older, fatter, and/or uglier actors; or, if a pretty boy finds his way on to the set, he resolutely keeps his pants on.

D'Agostino is a rare exception to this dichotomy. The two stars – Michael Gordon Andricopoulos (aka Michael Angels) and Keith Roenke – are both exceptionally handsome: indeed, more handsome, in my humble opinion, than the smooth-skinned and pumped twinkie-boys who populate most of the gay soft-core porn movies.

And there is no shortage of flesh on show. Andricopoulos/Angels is naked in virtually every scene in which he appears. Whilst Roenke keeps his clothes on for much of the film, he obviously has no inhibitions about shedding them when the script calls for him to do so. There is only limited overt sexual interaction between these stars, but the entire plot throbs with implicit homoeroticism.

The acting, costuming, sets and cinematography are all first-rate. But what is most surprising is that this movie has a plot which is as competently crafted as it is intriguing. It is one of the few "gay interest" movies which I would bother with just for the story. Perhaps the plot-line is not entirely original, as it could be described as a gay version of the ancient story of Pygmalion and Galatea, from Ovid's narrative poem Metamorphoses, in which a sculptor falls in love with a statue which he has carved. But even that derivative theme is handled with startling originality.

Allan Dawson (Keith Roenke) is a city-based business executive, in a loveless de facto relationship with an older woman. He has recently inherited his grandmother's estate on the Greek island of Santorini, and takes the opportunity to abandon both his professional and his domestic complications by relocating to this island paradise.

Meanwhile, D'Agostino (Andricopoulos/Angels) was washed up on the shore of Santorini and taken refuge in Dawson's recently-acquired property. D'Agostino, it emerges, is the result of a cloning experiment, commissioned by men of wealth solely for the purpose of harvesting organs for transplantation. Lost overboard in a maritime accident en route from Europe to the United States, he has been left for dead.

When Dawson first discovers D'Agostino, he is apparently bereft of human qualities. Locked in a cupboard and covered in his own excrement, D'Agostino walks on all fours like a dog, and seems incapable of rational thought or intelligent communication. But the relationship between Dawson and D'Agostino gradually mutates, from that of master and hound (or master and slave), to one of mutual support and affection. I will not spoil the final twist, but it is quite unexpected.

Movies this good do not come along very often. It should be savoured.
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8/10
Looking for WTF? Look no further!
gregoodsell23 September 2013
The films of Jorge Ameer always entertain. They're not always good, but they always entertain. His early feature THE SINGING FOREST (2003)was notable for a reincarnation plot involving Nazi concentration camp victims, featuring well-fed prisoners and very uneven, hand-drawn Swastikas on armbands. In the supernatural drama THE HOUSE OF ADAM (2006), the characters freak out if a front door unexpectedly swings open but remain calm and collected when encountering a man tied to a chair for torture.

In D'AGOSTINO, Ameer raises the bar very high. Dissatisfied American yuppie Allan Dawson (Keith Roenke) lives with his fiancé Sylvia (Torie Tyson) in London. She is quite a bit older than he, which may explain his sudden outburst heard at the film's beginning – "What do fat and ugly people think they look like?" Things are mundane and boring until Sylvia says, "Your grandmother left you some property." Did his grandmother die? She doesn't say. "Your grandmother left you some property in Greece." So Allan jets over to Greece. The "property" is a very nice candle-lit apartment. Allan takes some time to sight-see, and then returns to the apartment that night. Looking behind a heavy oaken door, Alan discovers a disgusting human male (Michael Angels) covered in feces tied up in a tiled room. Slamming the door behind him, Allan takes a hot shower … goes back to sleep … wakes up the next day … does some more sight-seeing … has some lunch … Yes, none of it makes any sense, but perhaps it's not supposed to. Allan doesn't TELL anyone about the horror lurking in his apartment, in what amounts to a twisted agenda. Later that night, Allan showers his new-found friend off, notes a dog collar that lists his name as D'Agostino and checks his trusty laptop. "I see that you're a secret clone bred for organ harvesting," the smug Allan says – as if this would be posted online – from a dog tag that has no URL address. The barking, yelping D'Agostino has the mentality of a newborn baby trapped in the body of a young man, and Allan seizes the opportunity to put him on a leash and teach him a few, uh, "tricks." It's exactly what you think it is.

Very little, other than nonstop mental and sexual degradation of the title character continues for the rest of D'AGOSTINO's two-plus hour running time. Other than a pushy landlord (played by director Ameer himself) seems to interrupt the two mens' sadistic idyll. The viewer continues to watch the film as if to ask themselves, "why am I watching this?" Why ineptly told, D'AGOSTINO hammers home a classic fable of all the horrible things that happen when a human being considers another human being as being less than such.

It falls apart at the end when D'Agostino symbolically eats from "the tree of knowledge," i.e. Allan's laptop for an ending straight out of an EC horror comic book. Allan gets his comeuppance, but its not what the ending COULD have been.

D'AGOSTINO calls to mind such favorites as SALO: 120 DAYS OF SODOM (1975). It also recalls, with its minimal cast, single setting, Greek locale and sadomasochistic games the cult favorite SINGAPORE SLING (1991) and art house favorite DOGTOOTH (2009). In either case, D'AGOSTINO is the rare kind of movie that I wholeheartedly recommend to everyone – knowing full well that lots of them will ABSOLUTELY hate it. See it – it's not a good film, but remains a highly unique viewing experience.
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10/10
Unique and spellbinding
cesardefuentes17 July 2016
This movie grabs you and transports you to a world like no other. First of all, the cinematography is spectacular with Santorini acting as backdrop to a tale of dysfunctional obsession and codependency between a handsome executive who inherits a property on the island and the human clone hidden in one of the rooms. An unexpected relationship of control and macabre attachment ensues, culminating in a surprising and disturbing chapter where the tables are turned and characters reveal hidden facets. The deliberate slow pace and dark mood draw you in and keep you glued to your seat until the end. Ameer is a very interesting, unconventional director and one that never ceases to amaze.
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10/10
Witness a strange and awe inspiring relationship
greg-shorter29 June 2012
Adam Dawson lives in London with his girlfriend, Sylvia; and he is employed as an executive at a Fortune 500 company. On the surface he seems content, but he is dissatisfied. His life unexpectedly changes when he finds that his grandmother has bequeathed him a property on the Greek isle of Santorini. He travels to Greece to settle the estate and temporarily leaves behind his girlfriend and job. There he encounters a strange wild man identified with a dog tag as D'Agostino. Adam discovers that D'Agostino is a clone of a human being created in Italy. His purpose in life is to have his organs donated to wealthy clients. D'Agostino escaped this fate though when he ended up lost and shipwrecked on Santorini. Adam forms a relationship with D'Agostino who ultimately rocks his world. London and the beautiful Greek isle offer captivating scenes. The film is novel and definitely worth seeing as it will leave the viewer in a state of utter suspense. The interplay between the actors is brilliant.
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9/10
you reap what you sow
jennifer_anderson198923 April 2013
Jorge Ameer is a polarizing filmmaker. No doubt about that. It is obvious in the score above. Either way, he is one filmmaker filled with some very interesting ideas worthy of attention. As for D'Agostino, .I've never seen anything like this film before and I watch a lot of movies. However, in my personal opinion, to discover D'Agostino, you really have to pay attention to the details. The clue to unraveling this drama, thriller, sci fi is to study the characters actions as they engage. As they say "the proof is in the pudding." This is one of those films that either you get it or your don't. I notice the score for the film is low, yet when I looked at the demographic, it seems like men respond better to this film. Maybe I'm male inside, who knows (lol)... but I liked it. Getting this film, means paying close attention. There is a lot going on here. There is the obvious, then the stuff beneath the surface that is eating away at the main character. Allan Dawson, a very hot and handsome Keith Roenke, is a man on the edge. On the edge to a break down as people have driven him to his wits ends. His home life isn't any better. Fertility problems and a nagging fiancé is the perfect formula to shove Allan to the breaking point with disastrous consequences. Then comes an outlet, Allan must go to Greece to take possession of property left by his grandmother.

He arrives and realizes, he's by himself and a new sense of freedom takes over him. Enters D'agostino into his self-discovery and things now seem to go his way. Figuring he's been pushed around for a long time, he sees D'Agostino as an outlet to mold his new clone friend and return the wrongs done to him. The film unfolds in a progressively dark manner until things get really ugly. On one hand you wonder how a man has been driven to the brink of madness in such a way he would choose to do the things he does with D'Agostino (don't worry I won't give it away). The answer is when life and society has been too overwhelming for him, it't time to take action. Time to settle the score. That is the underbelly of this film. It's got many things rooting for it and one of them are the many hidden messages...It's a if the filmmaker were trying to tell us many things at once right beneath the obvious. It's a film which merits at least one more watch.

The Allan character has been put to together with such detail that once he meets D'Agostino, he seems to have found his automatic pilot where all the awful things he does seem to come naturally to him.

This is a multi genre film with many messages both good and bad. It question personal morals as well as values. D'Agostino seeks to defy the commonality of normalcy. It is a condemnation of how people live and how they treat other, specially our valuable possessions may it be human or not. It is a case study worthy of much debate. The story also seems to take place in some futuristic version of reality. It could very well take place ten to twenty years from now, yet the situations in the film remain relevant to today's happenings. It's about the results of what we choose to do and D'Agostino is a clear example of what happens when you are so lost in your own world that you loose focus of what's appropriate and what crosses the line. There is no morality in D'Agostino. At least not with the Allan character. He seems to live in his head, and for him, there is no line. His actions does keep you thinking about the many things he could have done differently had he conformed to society's expectations. For one, I would have called the cops to report this "missing person". But again, if you did, there would be not story, or at least not the way it is set up for interpretation. There are many profound messages regarding our reason to be, how we treat each other, and where we are headed as people having to deal with each other in a changing world. There is also cause & effect happening here...lots of it. Yet, by the end of the film and its shocking conclusion it becomes clear... if you mess with nature, nature messes back and will always wins. While I was watching the film, you can't help to wonder if we are the victims of what we know to be true, a trait learned from our forefathers, or the culprits for what we instill onto our future generations and/or our young. After thinking about this film long after watching it, I couldn't help to wonder about filmmaker Jorge Ameer's intention... was to dragged us through this very strange multi-layered odyssey through the dark bowels of human nature or show us how screwed up we have become as a society or maybe how our priorities have become progressively skewed by greed and the need for personal fulfillment. For those reasons, I am still thinking about D'Agostino. I give the film a 8.7/10 for it's complexity of story, originality and for its breathtakingly beautiful scenery.
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