Seven Year Itch

Rating: Null/10 (28 September 2017)

Thrown into a prisoner-of-war camp at the outbreak of World War II, an Austrian mountain climber escapes and eventually finds a new purpose in life as a mentor to the Dalai Lama in this historical drama based on actual events. Brad Pitt has some excellent, quiet moments as the conflicted main character who gradually progresses from arrogant and resentful to humble and compassionate, however, his attempt at an Austrain accent makes it a hard performance to sit through whenever he opens his mouth. There is, however, a lot to like about Pitt's character and the way he comes to see the Dalai Lama (still a boy upon meeting him) as a surrogate son. The friendship and camaraderie between the pair is very sweet and easily the highlight of the film with the Dalai Lama's intelligent questions and Pitt's thoughtful responses. The two do not meet until around halfway in though, and amusing as David Thewlis often is as a fellow POW who escapes with Pitt, the first half the film does not quite have the zest of the second half. This is a technically well accomplished movie either way though with the atmospheric Golden Globe nominated music of John Williams and all the majestic, vast natural landscapes rendering the tale quite immersive. It is hard not to wonder what may have been though with a more compact run-time - and no fake accent.