Rediscovering TV Man (Te L(e)o Comando) — Leonardo Valenti’s 90s Comedy That Still Feels Fresh Today
Sometimes films from the past resurface and feel like hidden treasures waiting to be discovered. That was exactly my experience with TV Man (Te L(e)o Comando), a short comedy directed by Italian filmmaker Leonardo Valenti. What makes this one so special is not only its originality but also its history — it was shot way back in 1997, on a shoestring budget, with nothing more than a single S-VHS camera, two video recorders, and a few locations. Then, for nearly three decades, it disappeared. Forgotten. Lost in time. Until, suddenly, it resurfaced in January 2025, and the world finally had the chance to see what Valenti and his friends created as young dreamers in the 90s.
And let me tell you — it was worth the wait!
From the very first frames, you know you’re about to watch something special. The film begins with Marco at a classic old Italian phone booth, dialing a number, captured with beautiful 90s-style shots that instantly set the tone. It feels like a throwback to the golden age of indie cinema, when filmmakers like Richard Linklater, Robert Rodriguez, and Kevin Smith were proving you didn’t need a big budget to tell a great story. TV Man is very much in that spirit — raw, fearless, and dripping with personality.
The premise itself is absurd in the best way possible: Marco (played with charisma and perfect comedic timing by Marco Marianucci) is just trying to get ready for a date with the girl of his dreams. But out of nowhere, a man inside the television starts talking to him. That man — played by Fabio Fieri — is mysterious, strange, and yet oddly captivating. From that moment on, reality and imagination start colliding, and Marco finds himself pulled into a hilarious and surreal situation.
The supporting cast also deserves a lot of credit. Silvia Niri as Michi brings warmth and presence, while Giulia Romana Calvino as Azzurra adds her own charm and depth. Each actor plays their part with sincerity, and together they create a natural rhythm that makes the comedy land perfectly. For a film made with “no resources,” the performances feel genuine, and that authenticity is what makes the humor so effective.
Technically, TV Man (Te L(e)o Comando) blew me away. The editing is sharp and incredibly well put together — you’d expect a project from the 90s, made with limited tools, to feel rough around the edges, but instead it flows seamlessly. The transitions are clean, the pacing is lively, and at no point did I feel lost or disconnected. The sound design is another highlight. It carries that retro 90s vibe, with mixes that feel raw yet intentional, adding to the film’s nostalgic energy. And even the little glitches that come with old VHS tape only make the experience more immersive, grounding us in that era and reminding us of how films used to look and sound before the digital revolution.
What stands out most is Leonardo Valenti’s vision. Even back then, you can see his talent as a storyteller and director. He knew how to cover a scene, how to place the camera, how to capture enough material to give his editor (himself) something powerful to shape. That’s no small thing, especially when you’re just starting out and don’t have a safety net. Watching this film today, you realize how ahead of his time he really was.
For me, as a filmmaker, the experience of watching TV Man was pure joy. It’s been a long time since a short film made me laugh this much in such a natural, independent, and unpolished way. There’s an energy in it — a kind of fearless creativity — that is hard to find in modern cinema. It’s not trying to be perfect, and that’s exactly what makes it perfect.
In just 28 minutes, TV Man manages to capture the essence of what indie filmmaking is all about: making the most out of what you have, trusting your friends, and letting your imagination lead the way. The result is a unique, funny, and surprisingly polished short that has survived time itself. After nearly three decades in the dark, Valenti has given us a gift by bringing this project back to life. And in doing so, he’s reminded all of us in the independent film world that passion, vision, and creativity will always outshine budget.
If you’re a filmmaker or just someone who loves cinema, TV Man is a must-watch. It’s more than just a short film — it’s a time capsule, a love letter to the art of creating with nothing but willpower and a dream. And to me, that makes it timeless.
Director Biography — Leonardo Valenti
Born in 1975, Leonardo Valenti is a story editor and screenwriter for television, cinema, and comics.
For television, he has edited, co-created, and written numerous series, many of which achieved record viewership, including “Distretto di Polizia,” “RIS — Delitti Imperfetti,” and “Romanzo Criminale — La Serie,” as well as miniseries such as “Il Mostro di Firenze” and “Il Clan dei Camorristi.”
His recent works include “Il Silenzio dell’Acqua,” which aired for two seasons on Canale 5 in 2019–2020 and on France 3 from 2020–2022; “La Voce Che Hai Dentro,” marking Massimo Ranieri’s return to television in 2023; and “Buongiorno, Mamma!,” a major audience success on Canale 5 in 2021 and 2023. Upcoming on Canale 5 is a procedural crime comedy titled “Alex Bravo, poliziotto a modo suo.”
In cinema, he co-wrote “Mozzarella Stories,” Edoardo De Angelis’s directorial debut, and “A.C.A.B — All Cops Are Bastard,” directed by Stefano Sollima.
In 2011, he won the best screenwriter award at the Roma Fiction Fest for “Romanzo Criminale — La Serie.” More recently, in 2021, he won the COCO-I prize from the Centre National de Cinématographie with “Versus,” recognized as the best co-production project, a success confirmed in 2023 with an award for best pilot script.
Valenti is also active in publishing. He co-authored the plot for a spin-off novel based on “Il Silenzio dell’Acqua,” published by Mondadori (“Il Silenzio dell’Acqua: il prezzo da pagare”). He has written several graphic novels, including “Il Massacro del Circeo” for Edizioni BeccoGiallo, “Zero — Troppo Giovane per Morire” for Editoriale Aurea, and “Cassandra,” a comic adaptation of a story by Giancarlo De Cataldo, published by Tunué in 2012 and in France in 2015.
Alongside his writing, Valenti works as a teacher and consultant. Since 2012, he has lived in Brittany, France.
He served as a consultant and trainer at Le Groupe Ouest, where he created and led the first sessions of an annual serial development workshop titled “Bâtir un concept de série.”
He was a writing consultant and story editor for the Swiss series “Helvetica,” broadcast on RTS in 2019 and awarded Best Foreign Francophone Series at the Festival de la Fiction in La Rochelle.
Since 2020, he has been teaching screenwriting at the Scuola Internazionale di Comics in Rome, conducting a course dedicated to adaptations.
Connect with Leonardo Valenti:
📽️ IMDb: Leonardo Valenti
📸 Instagram: @leonardovalentiwriteshits
Disclaimer: This review is a personal commentary written by Rodartin S.L. for Medium.com. All rights, images, and intellectual property related to TV Man (Te L(e)o Comando) belong fully to its director Leonardo Valenti and the respective production team.
Film Review: TV Man By Darwin Reina
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