Review of Tetro (2009) by Fredrick R — 29 Jun 2010
A good and interesting Coppola, a strong dramatic story - but definitely not on the same level as the Godfather - it explores family relationships as he often does, but with an approach reminiscent of both Almodovar and Fellini, from a narrative and visual standpoint. A refreshing film that is unfortunately not well distributed in the UK. But will not be everyone's cup of tea.
Visually stunning, alternating beautiful black and white and colour scenes, the script is powerful but doesn't elicit all the emotional response it should, because it sometimes lack a strong narrative and some scenes are too long.
There are very memorable moments, among them a surreal tango scene with beautiful choreography, and an equally surreal Patagonia festival which made me think of scenes from Fellini's La Dolce Vita. Almost like in film noirs, the city and the night scenes are particularly striking. To some extent, Tetro is a film noir that takes the two major characters down an inexorable path.
The music plays a subtle but important role and the tango slowly weaves through in the background, to the point where it stays long after the film and I now feel compelled to listen to some Astor Piazzolla...
Some themes touch on Almodovar's favourites of dysfunctional families, but with a different touch.
Performances are very strong overall, especially from Maribel Verdu and Klaus Maria Brandauer.
This review of Tetro (2009) was written by Fredrick R on 29 Jun 2010.
Tetro has generally received positive reviews.
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