Review of The Night Clerk (2020) by Mauro_Lanari — 07 Nov 2021

(Mauro Lanari).

Almost a century ago, in 1928, Propp had already taxonomized the possible narrative structures. Since then, writers and screenwriters racked their brains to devise some new paradigm. Cristofer is one of those who have aligned themselves with the tendency to adopt the perspective of a neuropsychopathology, perhaps passing it off as a case study, like the seminal Nolan brothers of "Memento" for anterograde amnesia and the recently awarded with two Oscars "The Father" for senile dementia. Waiting for this fashion to end, as a thriller the film does not work: no scene of the murder is shown, the protagonist goes to the barber, gets a different haircut, then magically returns to have it as before, the supporting players (Helen Hunt, Ana de Armas, John Leguizamo) are humiliated for their use as simple character actors.