Review of Youth Without Youth (2007) by Stanleykubrick — 01 Aug 2016

This is a unique film, even in Francis Coppola's diverse body of work, because it's his first surrealist film. Coppola was always interested in other film styles than the realism of his best-known work "The Godfather".

In "Rumble Fish" he tried for example German Expressionism. In "Apocalyse Now" he already flirted with surrealism, but didn't go as far as he does in "Youth without Youth", which is a fully realized and genuinely surrealist film in many ways.

The surrealist tradition of André Breton, Salvador Dali, Luis Bunuel wanted to achieve a dream-like state in the arts, a kind of 'dreaming with open eyes' where you couldn't tell anymore what was 'reality', imagination, fantasy or madness.

Surrealism didn't care for coherence, a consistent narrative or 'making sense'. It wanted to destroy the very notion of common sense, identity, reality, ordinary norms and values. Surrealist art works through association and individual imagination, not through conventional logic.

"Youth without Youth" tried to do in cinema, what Mircea Eliade's novella did in literature: It's a surrealist work of art, that can't be defined or classified, because it doesn't play by the rules.

Coppola himself said, that he was inspired by "Last Year in Marienbad".and it definitely is similar to Alain Resnais' brand of surrealism. I find it impossible to judge this film as 'entertainment', because it tries to be an abstract work of art.

Shot mostly in Romania, it's beautiful to watch and the digital cinematography by Mihai Malaimare Jr. is gorgeous. The 'story' is sometimes moving, sometimes funny, sometimes thrilling, but always weird, surprising and unpredictable.

It's a rich and strange film, maybe not without flaws, but it goes to places few people have been before. Watch it with an open mind and try to read about surrealism first, then this movie might make more 'sense' to you.

If not, it's certainly an experience.