This must be the Place
Dir: Paolo Sorrentino
2011
**
I loved the characters in This must be the Place; Sean Penn, Judd Hirsch, Harry Dean Stanton and Frances McDormand are all wonderful in their own odd little roles. The cinematography is also exquisite, from Dublin suburbia to the Mexican desert, it all looks beautiful. It's a shame then when the story is a muddled load of nonsense that is poorly structured and bitterly underwhelming. The sound also annoyed me, I had my finger on the volume control throughout the film as it was either too loud or almost silent. I like a quirky film but the story and characters just didn't fit with the pace or style of the film. I can't help but think this film was a huge wasted opportunity, it really does sound better on paper and I expected so much more from Paolo Sorrentino.