Ernesto the debut movie by Italian couple  Alice De Luca and Giacomo Raffaelli makes too many demands on the viewer.  This experimental wee film shakily shot on a handheld camera and that contains long sections of silence,  and a muddled narrative, requires a great deal of patience to keep viewing until the final credits

It’s the story of teenager Ernesto (Frederico Russo) who wanders through the streets of Rome in search of ‘himself’.  Along the way he indulgently finds many potential friends/lovers to see if they are what he is looking for.  Most of the encounters end in hurt for both parties,  but somehow that doesn’t stop Ernesto keep on with his journey.

The filmmakers intended their film to be about juvenile bewilderment and to that end, they succeeded. However, along the way, they also managed to bewilder us which may have been acceptable if the main character was more engaging and dare we say, even likable.