MovieChat Forums > Ciao (2008) Discussion > Who is Jeff talking to on the phone?

Who is Jeff talking to on the phone?

posted 15 years ago by ilsensine69
2 replies | jump to latest

In the scene after Jeff has his skin tag removed, he sits up out of bed to inspect the wound left behind and then makes a phone call in which he says;

"Hey, it's me... I dropped some stuff off at your parents' - they seem OK. So yeah, just wanted to let you know."

In terms of taking the words at face value, his words logically have to be directed at Mark... since he has just taken things to Mark's parents. However, the film seems otherwise unconfused about Mark being dead... so do we have to assume that Jeff is just pretending to talk to Mark as a coping mechanism of some sort?

Is Mark definitely dead? Am I missing something? I guess I just struggle to understand the inclusion of the phone call, since it doesn't otherwise seem to me to fit Jeff's state of mind to be pretending to talk to his dead mate on the phone... it seems out of place and rather unanswered for...

Any opinion or help on this one?

[–] cuchelo1 15 years ago

No, there's no doubt that Mark is dead, and Jeff is leaving a message for him.

In my opinion- Jeff's insomnia is directly related to not being able to accept Mark's death. Jeff told Andrea that when Mark first went to the hospital he was conscious, and Jeff wished that he had been able to make it back in time. There was no closure for him.

I think it totally fits Jeff's frame of mind that he would make a phone call to hear Mark's voice on the outgoing message, and still feel the urge to leave a message as if Mark would be able to receive it. If you notice, the entire film they speak of Mark almost always in the present tense- not past- except for one moment when Jeff says, "He would have really liked you if he'd have met you. I think you guys could've hit it off." Up until then, they were both sort of in denial.

[–] supafox 14 years ago

It's just a way to keep him alive. Many people react the same way when a loved one passes away. Calling them, emailing them, writing letters, etc.