Adventure, charm and good story telling

Rating: 7/10 (19 March 2014)

Never having seen a Wes Anderson film before allowed me to witness a distinctive way to tell and present story. The way Gustave (Ralph Fiennes) charms everyone in this film and how loyally professional Zero (Tony Revolori) is makes these two a wonderful duo. I can't think of a film that tells an adventurous story whilst also exploring a mentor/protégé relationship so effectively. In fact it left me yearning for a mentor of my own that I have sought and failed to encounter in my own life.
Telling a tale in a fictional country that draws upon the culture and history of several countries was very clever Mr Anderson. It is a great device to enable a slightly unbelievable, slightly magical, slightly silly and overall enjoyable story to unfold without us criticising historical accuracy. Yet still the film is presented in a serious enough manner for us not to dismiss everything a stupid. The achieve such a solid balance takes great talent.
I only have two complaints with this film:
Firstly, the ending is rather abrupt where very major events occur in Zero's life off screen. Why? It prevents us from sympathising and valuing Zero's story to the maximum possible capacity. I can think of multiple reasons but nevertheless it lessened my enjoyment of the film.
Secondly, casting F. Murray Abraham as an older Zero is a terrible choice; not because of acting ability but rather his likeness to Tony Revolori. It is hard to believe someone of Guatemalan descent will transform into someone of Syrian descent in later life!