Review of "Close Friends" (DVD)

First, a warning. This is not a horror movie! This movie is being reviewed because it stars horror goddess Asia Argento in one of her early non-Dario roles. She appeared in this film (alternately called "Close Friends", "Friends of the Heart", and in Italy "Le Amiche Del Cuore") three years after "The Church" and one year before "Dario Argento's Trauma". This movie is being reviewed as a service to those horror fans who have an interest in Asia and her early career outside of films directed by her legendary father.

"Close Friends" starts out by introducing us to the three main female characters - Simona (Asia Argento), Claudia (Claudia Pandolfi), and Morena (Carlotta Natoli). Simona is isolated, Claudia wants to be an actress, and Morena is trying to become a nurse. The movie progresses through the problems of each girl and follows  their friendship with each other and how it helps them deal with these problems - sort of. They are teenage girls (Asia was sixteen when she made this film) and as such, not always as concerned as they should be about the well being of the others in their circle of friends.

While each of the girls has her own issues to deal with, Asia (Simona) is the star of the film (so much so that some of the plot threads revolving around the other girls seem forgotten by the end of the movie.) Simona lives with her overprotective father in a small apartment in Rome. In his loneliness since his wife left, her father doesn't want Simona to get a job or to spend too much time with her friends. Basically, he doesn't want her to leave his side. But there is more to it than that. Simona has a dark secret that she hasn't shared with her friends or her mother.

Enter Lucio (Enrico Lo Verso), the honest son of a policeman who befriends Simona and begins to fall in love with her. Will she share her secret with her new love? Will he be able to help her deal with her problems or will he leave her because of them? Will this big secret destroy her or will it cause her to lash out at those around her? Will she decide to keep it all inside as she has for so many years? New Year's Day is getting close and everything in Simona's life (and in the movie itself) seems to be coming to a climax.

If you're thinking that this is all starting to sound like one of those after school specials that you watched as a kid, you wouldn't be far off. "Close Friends" touches on a lot of supposedly controversial topics including abortion, rape, drug addiction, and child abuse. Each girl is given her own set of issues to deal with, and we follow them through their "coming of age" as they face the challenges. Overall it comes off as pretty contrived and formula. The movie was released in 1992 and maybe it would have seemed a little more fresh then (at least the fashion wouldn't have looked so dated), but maybe not. If you're going to do a movie about "teen issues" that have been covered a million times before, you better be able to add something new.

"Close Friends" doesn't have much new to add to these age-old issues, other than Asia Argento herself. Asia's acting is as good as you would expect from her at that age. It's in line with what we were going to see from her starring roll in "Trauma" the next year. She goes from being a sheltered little girl whose overprotective father won't let her leave the house to someone who has a job and who comes out of her shell somewhat, without doing one of those Nerd-To-Super-Babe transitions that eighties American movies seemed to love so much. She's pretty believable in this roll and her facial expressions and interaction with the other characters is fine. Some of her lines and some of the writing throughout is a little corny, but it's one of those type of movies.

I cannot really recommend this movie unless you are an Asia Argento fan who is interested in her early career, or a fan of the Lifetime TV Network. It should also be avoided by anyone who can't handle adult themes, even though they are done in the most harmless way possible. On a scale of one to ten I'll be generous and give "Close Friends" a four mostly because Asia's early starring role.