Intriguing film, problematic, but intriguing

Rating: 7/10 (31 May 2007)

I'd been very interested in this film from the time it began production. It's Aronofsky. He's no Scorsese, but I was excited. Pi is a great film and Requiem is problematic, but a good film nonetheless. Also the knowledge that it had taken him nearly six years to finish this film intrigued me. That said, the film is totally misrepresented by the trailer. It's not nearly as 'sci-fi' as they want you to think it's going to be. (Though not everyone will agree, I think it's a good thing). The film is beautifully shot, incredible landscapes and color washes. Jackman gives a solid performance. But Weisz's character is the stock, moderately eccentric woman that seems to be popping up more and more in American 'independent' cinema. She was Kate Winslet in Eternal Sunshine, was Julianne Moore in Children of Men, was Nora Zehtner in Brick. The story exists in three separate settings, 1500 CE Spain, present-day America, and an undefined futuristic sequence (which may or may not be nothing more than Hugh Jackman's character trying to deal with his life). These settings have nothing to do with time- travel or anything sci-fi at all, they are logical extensions of the psyche of these complex characters. It's high concept and interesting, well shot, and never really crosses any dangerous thresholds, into the realms of laborious exercises in cinematic experiments, but it's, nonetheless, problematic. So what do I think? See it. The whip shot motif is beautiful, good cinematography and an interesting screenplay, but I wouldn't go so far as to say that anyone would actually fall in love with the film.