(no subject)
My review my my college's film review program:
Francis Ford Coppola’s directorial return, Youth Without Youth, is based on the work of Mircea Eliade, a scholar of Eastern religion, whose works of fiction draw on surrealist traditions, German Romanticism, and questions of psychological philosophy. The film follows Romanian Dominic Matei (played by Tim Roth) whose life work has focused upon locating the origin of language and human consciousness. He searches endlessly for this transformative point- from his years as a student at university to those spent as professor. As he approaches the end of his life, growing more and more hunched and hopeless, Dominic seems no closer to answers.
He takes a trip to Paris, which seems less of a holiday than desperate attempt to escape his own desperation and dejection. Crossing the street in a painfully cold and windy storm, he is struck by lightening and is powerfully transformed. In a turn of events reminiscent of so many modern myths, he develops supersensory powers, his body renewed and his mind expanding more than ever seemingly possible. Taking on a new identity, he vigorously resumes his journey to the center of human creation.
The uneven narrative simultaneously lingers and lurches forward, dropping some threads while stretching others past their breaking point. Utilizing seemingly languorous temporal ellipses, it moves through decades of Dominic's new existence, following him as he attempts to reach new understanding. His unbelievable medical history make him an international curiosity and a figure much desired by scientists, scholars, and, as it is during wartime, by members of the Nazi party. Finally he discovers hope, finding a new way to regress thousands of years, reaching far beyond the knowledge of modern man. The answers, however, must come at great cost. Despite his lifetime of devotion, Dominic reaches an impasse, his ultimate decision having a great bearing on his life and the advancement of man.
While the narrative here may seem contrite in summary, its surrealistic imagery and approach remove it from the confines of throwaway kitsch. Visually stunning, the film is nevertheless unable to overcome the awkwardness of its translation from literature to screen. What may be a striking, experimental form in print here seems somehow unprofound. At the center of the film's story lie questions about the nature of consciousness- how it began, the means through which it moves, and ultimately how it is seen- but. while provocative and original, Youth Without Youth’s attempt to confront so many possibilities, questions, times, and paradigms traces a path that in the end leads nowhere.
Francis Ford Coppola’s directorial return, Youth Without Youth, is based on the work of Mircea Eliade, a scholar of Eastern religion, whose works of fiction draw on surrealist traditions, German Romanticism, and questions of psychological philosophy. The film follows Romanian Dominic Matei (played by Tim Roth) whose life work has focused upon locating the origin of language and human consciousness. He searches endlessly for this transformative point- from his years as a student at university to those spent as professor. As he approaches the end of his life, growing more and more hunched and hopeless, Dominic seems no closer to answers.
He takes a trip to Paris, which seems less of a holiday than desperate attempt to escape his own desperation and dejection. Crossing the street in a painfully cold and windy storm, he is struck by lightening and is powerfully transformed. In a turn of events reminiscent of so many modern myths, he develops supersensory powers, his body renewed and his mind expanding more than ever seemingly possible. Taking on a new identity, he vigorously resumes his journey to the center of human creation.
The uneven narrative simultaneously lingers and lurches forward, dropping some threads while stretching others past their breaking point. Utilizing seemingly languorous temporal ellipses, it moves through decades of Dominic's new existence, following him as he attempts to reach new understanding. His unbelievable medical history make him an international curiosity and a figure much desired by scientists, scholars, and, as it is during wartime, by members of the Nazi party. Finally he discovers hope, finding a new way to regress thousands of years, reaching far beyond the knowledge of modern man. The answers, however, must come at great cost. Despite his lifetime of devotion, Dominic reaches an impasse, his ultimate decision having a great bearing on his life and the advancement of man.
While the narrative here may seem contrite in summary, its surrealistic imagery and approach remove it from the confines of throwaway kitsch. Visually stunning, the film is nevertheless unable to overcome the awkwardness of its translation from literature to screen. What may be a striking, experimental form in print here seems somehow unprofound. At the center of the film's story lie questions about the nature of consciousness- how it began, the means through which it moves, and ultimately how it is seen- but. while provocative and original, Youth Without Youth’s attempt to confront so many possibilities, questions, times, and paradigms traces a path that in the end leads nowhere.