Review of Far from Men (2015) by Harry W — 12 Aug 2015

As both a western movie and a film headlined by Viggo Mortensen, Far From Men captured my intrigue very easily.

Capturing my attention however was a different issue altogether. Far From Men is an innovative western movie which serves as a touching drama film with a simple premise to it, telling its storyu with a gentle movement. But however gentle the pace is, it is still slow. The slow pace in Far From Men is to be expected as it is both an arthouse film and a western which are both synonymous with slow pacing, and it certainly works to a fair extent in the film because it makes the experience of the film an easy one at times while also making the more climactic moments of the film all the more striking. But at the same time, it also stick viewers with the task of waiting around for a long time for anything to happen.

Far From Men has a very simple story about it with its subject matter and undertones being the source of more of the drama in the story. As a result, much of Far From Men simply depicts people walking around across the landscape as they journey from one place to the next. Much of the film is about the journey, but not all that much happens on it as the genuine quantity of plot dynamics in the narrative is very small. The narrative is mostly packed with images of the beautiful western landscape, and much of the time the imagery of all this is beautiful enough to distract the viewers while the peaceful mood of the film allows it to evoke a steady feeling. The cinematography that captures it all is beautiful, and the colour scheme that comes with the scenery is wonderful to look at. However, it is not always enough to keep the story going when there is really not that much of one. The slow pace in Far From Men is one of the most notable aspects of it, for better and for worse. While I admired the fact that it gave the story a more realistic sense of progression and did leave viewers more time to enjoy the sights forwarded to them by the scenery, it still wasn't enough to keep me sufficiently entertained all of the time. I honestly found myself drifting off at one or two points in the film, but when I had returned to a more alert state the only thing that had changed was the scenery. So as enjoyable as the story in Far From Men is, there is no denying that it is largely empty when it comes to general stimulation and it requires viewers to have a specific taste to find entertainment in it. As a fan of western films I enjoyed some of these elements while I found the scenery to be exquisite, but at the same time I felt like this was merely a distraction from a very simplistic narrative. There is clearly a blend of modern political issues woven into a story from a genre which is certainly dated by this point, but this integration is ultimately insufficient since the western mythology is not hit upon strong enough and instead plays second fiddly to the visual experience of the film. Frankly, there is clearly an artistic mind behind the visual style of director David Oelhoffen, but he needs to make some progress on crafting a story which is more consistently gripping and less reliant on style.

But I will admit that Far From Men has the strength to succeed as an emotionally powerful movie, largely thanks to the strong articulation of the musical score and skillful cast.

Viggo Mortensen's leading performance is beautiful. With a flawless tongue for the French language, Viggo Mortensen delivers all of his lines with instinctive ease. In capturing the humble nature of the character Daru, Viggo Mortensen naturally eases into his role and takes a step back so that the drama of the story comes to him as a surprise as much as it does to us. Because of that, his performance feels very natural and it therefore makes it easier to sympathise with the character. Whenever he speaks you can tell that he has gone through a period of deep thought to truly comprehend his words as the movement of his eyes say more than his mouth ever could. He easily depicts all kinds of feelings in the part, consistently buried beneath a sense of determination simply to be a good samaritin. The character is simple, yet through the addition of many little physical elements to the character, Viggo Mortensen is able to transcend the story and make himself the centre of attention with a dedicated yet subtle effort. Viggo Mortensen is a remarkable lead in Far From Men, and his dedication both in terms of emotional and physical are a notable contribution to the experience.

Reda Kateb also delivers a wonderful performance. Without ever having to say all that much, Reda Katen caters to audiences with a character who is largely mysterious yet sympathetic simply for being vulnerable. His genuine frailty is very touching, and the perplexed stare he gives to everything reinforces this kind of notion. The effort is almost a purely physical one, but Reda Kateb plays the part extremely well. And whenever he does have to actually speak, Reta Katen delivers his lines with the utmost ease. Reda Kateb engages with the universe of the story around him with a very realistic depiction of his emotional state while his chemistry with Viggo Mortensen boasts some of the most touching moments in the film.

So while the slow pace of Far From Men means that audiences have to spend a lot of time waiting around within the confines of a very simplistic story, the lush nature of the scenery and powerful cinematography render the experience memorable while the effective leading performance from Viggo Mortensen makes it touching.