A Hologram for the King

Dir: Tom Tykwer

2016

****

Tom Tykwer's adaptation of Dave Egger's novel A Hologram for the King is a somewhat perplexing affair, which is in my opinion, the best way of going about it. A Hologram for the King deals with confusion, panic, regret and frustration without focusing on a particular group or section of society, if anything, it is focused on everyone, as at one time or another, one of these emotions will effect you, more often than not, completely unnecessarily. The story doesn't make a whole lot of sense, it's about confusion after all, so actually it makes a lot of sense. Life is ridiculous at times and Tykwer has visualized this perfectly. I love the film's total irreverence to formula, what may come across as clumsiness is actually rather refreshing, indeed, it is refreshingly awkward to watch and yet I didn't leave the cinema scratching my head or being puzzled as to what the film was all about. Tom Hanks clearly gets it and gives an outstanding performance accordingly. I thoroughly enjoyed it, it's a rather surreal journey of conflicting ideas that actually makes perfect sense. Great films make you look at yourselves, I've never been to Saudi Arabia, I know nothing about holograms (other than that they are very cool) and I've never had to sack a factory of workers but I have complete empathy with Tom Hanks' character. The film flickers between comedy, tragedy, drama and romance quite smoothly, even though each genre feels as unexpected and misplaced as the last. A hell of a lot happens in very little time but that said, nothing feels rushed, complex or simplistic. It is a complete contrast to the last film I watched (Hector and the Search for Happiness) which was a tiresome exploration of a similar issue. A Hologram for the King never preaches, there is no real message to be had, just an example of an everyday occurrence. One mans trip to the chemist is another man's journey into the desert to sell a King futuristic communication devices, it's the abnormal everyday, a surreal journey into the ordinary. A beautiful contradiction meets the spectacular ordinary, I found it to be strangely comforting and consistently engrossing, which I find to be quite typical of a Tom Tykwer film.