From France, Hugo Diego Garcia’s Tony is the story of a third-generation Spaniard immigrant. It’s a French/Spanish take on the beginning of a young up-and-coming mobster, Vincent ‘Tony’ Medina (Hugo Diego Garcia). Tony is a complex character. He’s young, handsome, and tough. In fact, his good looks make him stand out, which makes him the perfect up-and-comer as part of a small-town mafia. He’s also an outsider being the immigrant.
Tony is sent on a job to hunt down and interrogate “The Accountant” with other members of the gang. The job is intense, but Tony shows signs of moral conflict. He can’t quite finish off a man, who can no longer defend himself. He’s annoyed by his colleague’s angry outburst. He’s also loyal to the boss.
“…his good looks make him stand out, which makes him the perfect up-and-comer…”
The short itself jumps around a lot through Tony’s life progressing the story here and a little flashback there. One bit of history that stands out is his home life and his abusive father. In the end, Tony struggles to define what “family” means to him.
Tony is a fantastic tale of a young, conflicted man. Hugo Diego Garcia takes full control as the writer/director/star, and he excels as all three. His story feels real, and the violence is authentic, never becoming Godfather-like extreme action. Garcia also uses flash-back and -forward devices effectively in storytelling.
While Tony is a complex character, the story is a relatively simple one about his rise to prominence. His backstory then offers a sympathetic reason for choosing this life of crime and violence as a way to belonging somewhere. Hopeful yet tragic.
"…Garcia takes full control as the writer/director/star, and he excels as all three."
