Review of The Four Times (2010) by Mike M — 29 May 2011
It's an odd hybrid, this: part circle of life treatise, part Jacques Tati comedy. Frammartino's achievement lies in how he holds these diverse elements in equilibrium. "Le Quattro Volte" manages to be funny and quietly profound at the same time, getting us to both laugh at and ponder the nature and character of the things around us.
.. I don't think "Le Quattro Volte" quite reaches the extraordinary heights of "Uncle Boonmee...", which really did seem to me like the universe in a strip of celluloid, but it's a film full of minor miracles, not least the precision turns the director gets from his notionally uncontrollable, non-human performers.
Clearly the dogs and goats are destined for the lion's share of the plaudits, but those ants also prove a well-drilled unit, and look out for the small but telling contribution from a potful of mountain snails, enjoying what's easily the species' most prominent billing since the days of Peter Greenaway: as previously untapped screen talent goes, you might just call them all naturals.
This review of The Four Times (2010) was written by Mike M on 29 May 2011.
The Four Times has generally received positive reviews.
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