Portrait Of A Sadist As An Old Man

Rating: 5/10 (5 November 2018)

This movie was built upon the myth of an abusive encounter that led to the creation of a supreme musician, an extension of the idea all artists need to suffered for their art.
The movie then treats up to a series of disturbing scenes to underpin this idea in the hands of a frustrated university professor trying to find his genius. This pathological psychopath is nothing more than a sadist and bully who gets off on torturing and humiliating young vulnerable men.
The movie is less than convincing as musicians are usually so driven they need to be told to practice less and be persuaded that perfection is unobtainable. Not to mention that musical progression occurs naturally in a supportive and collaborative environment.
Whilst there were convincing performances the movie was an ugly mishmash of conflicting vestigial thoughts.
The music was good as was the editing but the direction of this soulless material let to little character separation.
Only near the end did the story try to justify the movies focus on brutality by trying to catch and fire this vile professor from his job at the university.
Overall this movie left a nasty taste in the mouth with little or no resolution or redemption