Review of This Must Be the Place (2011) by Shane D — 17 Aug 2013

I may perhaps be in the minority with This Must Be the Place, but I did not get it. I don't know what I was supposed to really take away from the film as I watched the nearly 2 hour film and felt little from it which is odd as it is the story of a son (Sean Penn - Milk) returning to his "home" to discover what his father had been all about during the years of their estrangement.

I tend to like psychological character studies; but I found this to be more of a mess than anything. Penn goes over the top with his soft-spoken, uncomfortable 50-year-old Goth-child and I couldn't relate to him .

.. which is unusual for the very gifted actor. The film rambles and meanders and I oftentimes wondered where it was headed. The film has gotten some pretty solid reviews and raves and so I am assuming I must be the one missing something but I was so put-off by the blandness of the film that I am not even sure I would want to give it another chance.

It may be me who is missing out this time around ... I often stress how patient people need to be to appreciate a great work of film. Perhaps one of these days I will revisit this ... it took me a decade to go back and rewatch The Sweet Hereafter a film I loathed upon first viewing.

After giving it a second shot a decade later, I caught so much in it that I had previously missed and now believe it to be a great piece of film. So I guess there is some hope for This Must Be the Place and me .

.. ten years down the road.