Review of This Must Be the Place (2011) by Patrick D — 08 Jun 2013

This Must Be the Place tells the story of an aging Robert Smith-type character, whom after quitting the music business and living in privacy for many years, takes a trip across U.S. to visit his dying father and track down a former Nazi officer who humiliated his father in his youth.

One thing's for sure about this film: it's not your usual type of film-going experience. 10 or 15 minutes into it began to wonder what it was that was going to be so engaging about it. I had heard good things, but none of them were present enough for me to fall into it.

And then Sean Penn captivated me without knowing it. You can't talk about the film without talking about the music, which comes from a variety of sources, mostly from David Byrne. I wouldn't call it eclectic, but it's not altogether diverse either.

It's mainly soothing rock tunes set against a very odd story. The performances are very good and the cinematography is beautiful, as well. I'm sure some will find it boring, but I found it rich enough with character to keep my interest alive in it.

A lot of it is Sean Penn's performance, which is all its own thing. Sean Penn usually delivers a terrific performance, and with a solid director at the helm, the film helped me appreciate both Penn and the story even more.