This Must Be the Place

Plot synopsis:
Cheyenne is a wealthy former rock star, now bored and jaded in his 20-year retirement in Dublin. He retired after two of his teenaged fans committed suicide. He travels to New York to reconcile with his estranged father during his final hours, only to arrive too late. The reason he gives for not communicating with his father for 30 years was that his father rejected him when he put on goth make-up at the age of 15. He reads his father's diary and learns about his father's persecution in Auschwitz at the hands of former SS officer Alois Lange. He visits a professional Nazi hunter named Mordecai Midler who tells him that Lange is small fry.
Cheyenne begins a journey across the United States to track down Lange. Cheyenne finds the wife of Lange, Lange's granddaughter and a businessman. He buys a large gun. At the gun shop, a bystander delivers a soliloquy about a certain type of pistol that allows people to "kill with impunity," and given that ability, "if we’re licensed to be monsters we end up having just one desire – to truly be monsters."
When Cheyenne eventually tracks Lange down with the aid of Mordecai, Lange, now blind, says that he received hate mail from Cheyenne's father for decades. Lange recounts the incident that led to Cheyenne's father's obsession with Lange, in which Cheyenne's father peed his pants from fear; Lange describes this as a "minor incident" in comparison to the true horrors of Auschwitz, but mentions that he came to admire the man's single-minded determination to dedicate his life to making his own miserable. Cheyenne takes a photo of Lange and whispers that it was an injustice for his father to die before Lange did. Cheyenne forces the old blind man to walk out into the salt flats naked, like a Holocaust victim; skin and bones and numb with fear. Cheyenne and Mordecai drive away soon afterwards, leaving him still standing in the flats.
Cheyenne travels home via airplane (something he had previously had a strong phobia of), cuts his rockstar hair and stops wearing his goth make-up, jewelry and outfits.

Tags: revenge, psychedelic, romantic, flashback

Review:
In Italian director Paolo Sorrentino's English-language debut following his 2008 Cannes hit 'Il Divo', the two-time Academy Award winner takes on an unlikely comedic role as an over-the-hill pop star named Cheyenne and pulls it off with aplomb.
As is typical of such characters, Cheyenne suffers from depression, and besides doing the groceries while his fireman of a wife (Frances McDormand) is off at work, spends most of his time in the day hanging out with a spunky teen Mary (Eve Hewson) at a café in a shopping mall.Purpose is what is lacking in his life- haunted by the suicide of two brothers who said they were inspired by his lyrics, Cheyenne has not been able to return to his music since.
For the first half hour, Sorrentino familiarises his audience with the idiosyncrasies of his lead character as well as his marriage with his wife Jane, and thanks to an empathetic performance by Penn, your heart will go out to this lost soul searching for that elusive thing called meaning.
It is testament to Penn's flawless performance that you'll still feel the warmth and heart behind his character's eccentricities.Cheyenne awakens from his stupor when he gets news that his father is dying and promptly makes the travel by cruise- because of his fear of flying- to New York.
So when his cousin Richard (Liron Levo) informs him that his dad was obsessed with tracking down a Nazi war criminal at Auschwitz named Aloise Lange (Heinz Lieven), Cheyenne takes it upon himself to complete his father's mission.And so begins a road trip across the United States, each pit-stop in Michigan, New Mexico and finally Utah offering memorable encounters with locals that in their own way serve to give him closure and reconciliation.
Less patient viewers will probably be frustrated, but those willing to accept the laid-back tone of the film will find Cheyenne's journey a rather therapeutic one- especially in its closing lesson on the importance of learning to let go of the past.Sorrentino, who co-wrote the script with Umberto Contrarello, also lightens the mood of the film with some well-placed deadpan humour, delivered with panache by Penn.
Among his co-stars, McDormand shines in her role as Cheyenne's wife, and a sequence where she is practising tai-chi in her lawn while distracted by her husband in the upper window one of the best moments in the film.For rock fans, the participation of David Bryne is no doubt a highlight in itself, and Sorrentino pleases his fans with an extended concert scene that has the rock star performing the title song of the film while a woman in a room that reflects a period setting floats above the crowd.
It tells the story of Cheyenne, a middle-aged, diverge and somewhat bored former rock star who lives a quiet life with his spirited wife Jane in a large house in Dublin, Ireland.
Cheyenne hangs out with his friend Jeffery who goes on and on about his many lovers, has a close relationship with a young girl from his neighborhood named Mary and is trying his luck as a stockbroker, but when he learns that his father whom he has not seen for thirty years is dying, he leaves to make peace with him.This French, Irish and Italian co-production which was initiated by Paolo Sorrentino's interest in Nazi war criminals, is a humorous, rhythmic and efficiently edited drama, a gracefully narrated and well-paced story about family relations, identity, interpersonal relations, reconciliation, war, vengeance and love and a rare study of character which draws an intriguing portrayal of a distinguished man who sets out on a journey of discovery that leads him towards a greater understanding of himself and his estranged relationship with a father he barely knew.Paolo Sorrentino's directing is distinct and the cinematography by his frequent collaborator Luca Bigazzi is eminent in this character-driven and plot-driven road-movie which is impelled and reinforced by its quick-witted dialog and the detailed and excellent acting performance by Sean Penn who is accompanied by Frances McDormand, Judd Hirsch and Kerry Condon's great supporting acting performances.
I had to keep reminding myself that this was Sean Penn and these continued reminders simply made his performance all the more brilliant.In the manner of an 'old Master',Paolo Sorrentino places layer after layer of subtle strokes to compose a mesmerizing work.
Its very slow paced road trip, but Penn carries that overwhelmingly with his outstanding performance of the character, who reminds of course of Robert Smith, but in a superb way.
This must be the slowest movie I've ever seen, and I was completely fascinated: slowly moving things on screen, a slowly moving camera, a main character who walks and talks slowly, and last but not least, a slowly developing story.
In a time when everything has to go faster and faster, this film just takes its time.Cheyenne as a character could have been created by Tim Burton: a weird, lovable outsider who doesn't seem to belong to this world.About Sean Penn's mumbling: English is not my first language, but I didn't think it was that bad.
I understood from the plot that it was about an aging rocker, I understood that it was about finding his fathers executioner an ex-Nazi war criminal who is a refugee in the US.Sean Penn mumbled, whispering thru out the entire movie just made it difficult and frustrating to try to understand what he was saying most of the time.Penns interaction with other characters was unbelievable and completely wooden.
Three weeks ago I see the trailer for THIS MUST BE THE PLACE and thought "This looks like a pretty good film I have to see it" I was not disappointed THIS MUST BE THE PLACE was all I thought it was going to be and much more it was a stunning captivating film as a aging rock star Cheyenne (Sean Penn) in a Oscar worthy performance seeks revenge for the sadistic Nazi concentration camp guard that may still be alive who was especially hard on his just deceased father.
This one on the other hand tries to be more artsy than it really is.At first I didn't like how Sean Penn portrayed Cheyenne, but later on in the movie I completely forgot that I was watching Mr. Penn.
The plot doesn't take off until half way thru and even then it feels like you've already watched this movie for hours.There's an insane amount of camera trickery, almost every scene uses some camera dolly or crane thing, even if it serves no purpose other than moving the camera around in an "imaginative way".
Bless.David Byrne's cameo felt as much an awkward non-sequitur as the inclusion of The Lovin' Spoonful in "Whats up, Tiger Lily?" and that was 1966 so I guess the director achieved something there.I personally think David Byrne isn't clever, original or interesting so I'm probably biased.If you like David Byrne, want to see Sean Penn play Robert Smith's Aspergers doppelganger and like high levels of quirkiness delivered quite slowly, watch it.
Byrne, on the other hand, takes over a full scene with a stirring if over-long rendition of the song from which the film takes its title, but he then promptly dies like a rabbit stuck in headlights in the subsequent scene looking as though he cannot come to terms with Penn's character.'Place' is billed as a comedy and despite strong comic moments, they often feel out of place.
This Must Be the Place (2011)Sean Penn tries very hard in this film, taking on a role of the worn out and disturbed rock star (Cheyenne) living in isolation.
It is rare that I will switch a film off after 10 minutes, this is a man who sat through Tree of Life, but this film forced me to reach for the remote.It is little wonder that the Irish economy is in such dire straits if it is wasting it's money on a film about Robert Smith having suffered a stroke.Ozzie Osbourne would have been better in the lead role - at least then it would have been funny.
Like the creator thought he made it for it to be viewed as art and that it will become a cult movie or something.If you don't mind staring at a film with no relative story to the actors and can endure slow and rather mixed up scenes which are not tied up to the rest of the plot and the ending, then fine, go ahead and watch it.
And so, he gives us this: a story so buried and convoluted by his resistance to anything remotely resembling coherence that by the end of the movie, you feel like any extra on the film could step into a shot and the film would be about him or her for the closing five minutes because...
Unfortunately, because it's the highlight and really has nothing to do with the rest of the film, it only emphasizes how little else this movie has to offer.I've seen worse, but having just watched it, I've yet to shake its awfulness off me and would be hard-pressed to name one.
I am not a Penn fan, although I would not rule out a movie just because he is in it.In this particular movie, I really disliked him for lots of reasons: the exasperating monotone of his speech; the phoniness of all his "conversations"; the weird and yet dull interaction with the many bizarre characters populating the movie, etcThe word "boring" is used quite often when we explain why we did not like a movie.
Italian filmmaker Paolo Sorrentino's This Must be the Place is a beautiful film featuring an exceptional performance from Sean Penn.
It's a beautifully absurd character, and while the initial compulsion may be to laugh at him, very quickly Penn's commitment to Cheyenne wraps its hands around your heart and draws you in like no other performance this year.Italian director Paolo Sorrentino's This Must Be The Place follows Cheyenne, an apparently briefly influential glam/goth musician (think Penn as Robert Smith from The Cure) trudging along in an existence of somewhat self-imposed obscurity.
There's a very fine line between quirky charm and annoying pretension, but Sorretino and Penn, not to mention the top-tier supporting cast and soundtrack, have managed to create the most heart-warming and moving film of 2012 thus far with This Must Be The Place, and there's unlikely to be anything else quite like it for years to come.tinribs27.wordpress.com.
Cheyenne (Sean Penn) is a weird looking retired rock star living in Dublin.
So he decides to continue the hunt himself.There is nothing wrong with weird, and I like Sean Penn's odd looking soft spoken ex-rocker character.
I was looking forward to this movie coming out as I live in Dublin and was hearing stories about Sean Penn being seen in various pubs around town when they were shooting it.
Although this is my favorite genre - that's why the generous rating - it lacked the melancholy of an indie.Its understandable the weirdness, unusual social behavior and even abrupt situations but what is not is the fact you can't tie an end to it, no metaphoric connection at all.Sean Penn is a brilliant actor and if I wasn't aware of ozzy Osbourne maybe he could have pulled it off.But under all the criticism he did make the character real,lost,uncertain but alas unauthentic.It could have been all a different ball game if it wasn't Ozzy that was impersonated.Plot was good pick for an indie but needed much explanation all the way.It was easy to be carried away seeing the unusual characters but scenario just seem to be aligning itself with the weirdness of the character made it difficult to buy.I liked the fact how story unfold with so many questions raised in the beginning getting answered in the end keeping curiosity alight.
Although it certainly won't be for everyone, this wonderfully shot and uniquely charming story provides not only a strong plot, but also one of Sean Penn's best performances on screen.
The stripped down synopsis would describe the film as a road trip story about an aging rock star who's going through a mid-life crisis, only to find out his father has died.
On his journey he meets some interesting and enlightening characters, and as the road takes him on some strange paths, he finds something more substantial than just an old Nazi.The film stars Sean Penn in the lead as Cheyenne, a soft-spoken 50-year-old who bears an odd resemblance to The Cure's Robert Smith.
Make no mistake about it, this film does a lot of things right, but it's Penn's performance that pushes it over the top.Francis McDormand also provides a stellar performance, playing Cheyenne's loving wife of 35 years, Jane.
If you are interested in complex characters, beautiful cinematography, wonderful performances and deep story telling this movie is for you.
This is a really strange movie that takes the audience on a weird personal journey of this character that turns into a road trip film pretty quickly.
Sean Penn give a strange but great performance channeling the look of The Cult and some of the mannerisms of Ozzy to create a truly unique character.
The story isn't anything all that original, but thanks to the addition of the Penn's character and his unique look and behavior it shifts the film into new directions.
The first half of this film is a bit slow and takes a little bit of an effort to really stick with it, but once it gets into the road trip aspect it becomes much more entertaining thanks to the other interesting people he meets along the way.
When you see the box and read the synopsis you will be hard pressed to not be intrigued, but while it sounds like a ridiculous film, it actually works really well delivering emotion, humor and redemption all in a simple road trip movie..
The rock stars of the film is called Cheyenne, but in reality is Robert Smith, the leader of the Cure although Sorrentino uses the character as a figure of the collective imagination and adapts it to his purposes in making the protagonist of an adventure as any hero comics.
No, they are not broke, it's just what she does.The two of them are surrounded by some interesting characters in a film that moves at a snail's pace.You never really know where it is going, but at the end you realize that it was good for Cheyenne to get out of his world and grow up..
The whole movie has weird and quirky with fun strange scenes without real meaning (including pingpong, a goose etc).The story of him going after his fathers Auschwitz torturer was also a bit "oh...we need a storyline too...hmm".
Cheyenne (Sean Penn), a retired rock star living off his royalties in Dublin, returns to New York City to find the man responsible for a humiliation suffered by his recently deceased father during WWII.This film took a little bit to warm up to.
definitely surprising, but there is a story, or rather an "Arc"; this one is build on a classic scheme, but what is the ultimate goal i cannot tell unfortunately.now that i think of it, there are so many questions, that if i tried to get deeper about them, it would turn out that the movie is a complete trash there is a weird ex-rockstar and his company, there is a back story, the supporting crew, the side lines and the main quest it is quite funny how sean penn's character goes to fulfill his 'mission' - on the outside he seems weak, but is there a monster lurking beneath it?
I really did not look into the film before watching, so, imagine my surprise to see Penn as the main actor, i really do not like any films with him in, and then he does this, what was that about?, only he could have pulled it off, and with such confidence, not one moment did he falter in his character.
This was simply on TV, and so I watched it, thinking how bad could a movie with Sean Penn and Frances McDormand get?
The movie certainly sounds intriguing enough as Penn decides to carry on his father's quest, however, over a third of the film elapses before it reaches this point and then the pre-hunt scenes end up resonating more than the hunt ones.
An artsy European Film flavored with a piercing performance from Sean Penn with a beautiful mounting of images and fluid framing that is mesmerizing.The witticisms of the main character, a retired, suffering, inflicted and conflicted Rock Star, are dark humor delights.
An ageing, softly spoken Gothic rock star named Cheyenne (Sean Penn) is bored with his life in Dublin.
Penn's character fills not only the screen, it follows you after the end credits, with his straight and naive logic and belief in truth, with his strange but yet so human way of talking and behaving.There are several beautiful and memorable scenes in this film.
But maybe this was intentional to separate him from the other residents including Cheyenne's pretty Goth girl/friend, whom he's trying to set up with a naïve, not very hip young man.These first-act characters are interesting, and the Dublin scenes have the mellow, involving pace of a foreign film – but soon we're transferred to America where THIS MUST BE THE PLACE becomes an ABOUT SCHMIDT (or in this case, ABOUT SMITH) style road movie where Cheyenne, receiving documents from his recently departed father...
I keep forcing myself to see Sean Penn movies because I know deep down he's a good actor: Milk, Fast Times..
The movie does start off a bit slow, as the characters are being developed, but it quickly gets into the story and you will be entranced as it reaches it's climax.I gave this film ten stars because I could not find a flaw in the acting, cinematography, direction, or storyline.