Excellent

Rating: 8/10 (22 July 2001)

I would have never watched this film had it not been for a chance meeting with a friend who happened to have the movie with him at the time. I had heard of it but knew nothing about its content. Imagine my surprise when what I saw was some of the best filmmaking I had seen in quite a while.
What I really enjoyed about this film was its complete innovation. A film looking into the dark and deep depths of insanity is usually done through the outside world...through outside eyes looking in. This movie, however, was the complete reverse of that look. We look at insanity through the eyes of the insane looking outward. What we saw was disturbing, heart-wrenching, and brilliant.
Acting was tremendous in this film; there were very few speaking roles, but they were all done excellently. The music was a perfect addition to the film. It supported what we were seeing to a tee. The black and white just added crudeness, honesty, and mystery to what we were seeing. It almost made me think that Maximillian Cohen saw the world in black and white...with a lot of gray in between. A great way to show us his world, in other words. Cinematography was brilliant, and the screenplay was very well written. All come together to make quite a memorable film.
Mark Margolis gave one of the best supporting performances I have seen. I question Sol's motive in this film. Was he the voice of sanity? Reason? Was he himself insane? Whatever the case, he brought at least what seemed like a little more sanity to Maximillian's life.
Another memorable performance (or scene, if one can look at it that way) is that of Stephen Pearlman. Playing Rabbi Cohen (Notice that this is the same last name as Maximillian.), the scene can be remembered for its sheer acting talent and for the message it brought. Is religion in itself insanity? What was the religion's main goal here? To know the name of God no matter what? How far would they go? Would they care that something happens to whoever was in the way? This scene basically shows what Maximillian was seeing...the world was after him, after his knowledge.
Contrast that to his personality: He saw society as constantly "chasing him" and unacceptable. So what were we seeing throughout the film? The world coming after him? Or what appeared to be the world coming after him?
This brings the bigger question...what did we see which was sane? Insane? That is the real beauty of this film. It makes you think on a basic level about insanity. Can we really draw a line between it? What causes his insanity? His quest for more knowledge? Or is that his mode of medication?
A lot of questions are presented in this film, but that was the intent. Our job is to think about it, and after seeing this film, it has consumed my mind. Perhaps as consumed as Maximillian's mind was. Hmm...
8/10