Review of This Must Be the Place (2011) by Justin V — 27 Jan 2013

On the surface, this didn't look appealing. Outside of the opportunity to see Sean Penn dressed to look like The Cure's Robert Smith, the trailer looked like it would be a typical fish out of water story. In some ways, it is, but This Must Be The Place is a bit more complex. It is a film about self-discovery, redemption, regret, contentment and even revenge. It's about relationships, maybe more so damaged ones, and how people react to being in one. It's a tale that's tough to fully explain, but it's somehow held together by Penn.

TMBTP really rode along the edge of the track and flirted with disaster, especially early on. Characters weren't fully established (or explored), editing seemed tricky, and dialogue wasn't clearly understood. And even though it never quite pulled itself completely back on course, it manages to win over viewers in certain stretches. Cheyenne (Penn) travels from Ireland to America, then travels cross-country in pursuit of his father's tormentor in Auschwitz. Along the way, the viewer is able to see a quiet, reluctant man, living under the guise of misguided youth, evolve into a man with budding strength and conviction. That transformation only works because of Penn and if nothing else it's worth seeing to believe.

For the rest of this feature, it's still a bit of a mess. But in this case, the journey is more rewarding than the destination, and based on the cinematography it is certainly a pretty journey. JV.