Trailer:
Cast: Sean Penn
Synopsis: Cheyenne (Sean Penn), an aging rockstar, returns home after his father's death to complete his quest to find a Nazi war criminal.
I don't know what I was expecting before watching this film, but this wasn't it and I'm glad for it. There are so many good things about This Must Be The Place that I almost don't even know how to describe it nor do I desire to: I want to keep this treasure to myself. Also, the fact that the entire story/plot makes absolutely no sense doesn't even make a dent into the glorious-ness of what this film is. What this lacks in plot and story makes up in character development. This is character development at it's finest and I love it. Almost a coming-of-age tale, except our protagonist is well past his prime for coming into adulthood, but his age is only an outward detail. At his core, he is a child who has gone astray and must now find his way back in order to move on with his life.
What is most beautiful about this film is the symbolism, the philosophy, the journey. Cheyenne is on this journey to find a Nazi war criminal who humiliated his father in Auschwitz, and yet that isn't even the most important journey at hand: What is most wonderful about the physical journey is that it doesn't change anything about his life, it doesn't add anything to the movie. But the physical journey is a direct parallel to what is happening within Cheyenne's spirit. The weather and atmosphere of each place symbolizes something in his emotional journey. The bright sunshine of New York is like the epitome what childhood is, the epitome of where Cheyenne is. The rain in Michigan is like his indulgence in his sorrow and depression. The desert of Arizona is where the sorrow in him is drying up, growing up. The icy mountain of Utah is where the child dies. It's all so simple and yet adds so much depth to Cheyenne as a growing soul. Along with this easily recognized symbolism of the journey, there is an endless amount of symbolic imagery within the film, that if I watched this movie everyday for a month I probably still wouldn't catch all of it. And for some that might be a bad thing to have a loose story so shrouded in metaphor, but I fully enjoyed it. Adding to the awesome imagery, there are many life philosophies said and pondered throughout, and all of them are right and all of them are wrong. All the dialogue of deep thought require us viewers to decide if we believe that or not, or to simply think about life in those terms. Probably my favorite lines of the entire movie is this: "Without realizing it, we go from an age where we say 'my life will be that' to an age where we say 'that's life'". That is a perfect way to describe life, an observation that is both true and false. And it left such an enticing taste in my mouth, I want more. Too, there is so much odd dialogue that, were it any other movie it would seem stupid, but with this it only adds more charm. Literally, the characters could talk about a peacock, and somehow it would make sense in this film; This Must Be The Place is genuinely that absurdly wonderful.
The cinematography is wondrous and something to be treasured. There are so many different landscapes shown and various weather conditions and they're all shot with such a peculiar eye, it is truly a delight. And even just all the angles at which certain things are shot creates a distorted yet clear perspective of how Cheyenne perceives life at the many different points in his journey. Layered on top of this beautiful and vibrant imagery and cinematography is the most insane score and soundtrack. The score is this loud and almost horror-movie-sounding score and it'so jarring when it's accompanying a gorgeous scene. The lingering, melancholy score mixed with the such vibrant visuals left me feeling a bit disoriented and I like it. Also the soundtrack is amazing with music by The Pieces of Shit (fake band made for the film), David Byrne of The Talking Heads (who also composed some of the music for the film), and Iggy Pop. All played at just the right times in the movie.
I realize that I, in no way, can give due justice to this film. What I have described here may not be an alluring description that begs you to watch This Must Be The Place. This might not even give you any hint as to how amazing this film is. It's strange, odd, confusing, unnecessary, enlightening, encouraging, saddening, everything. It's certainly not for everyone, I know many people will probably watch this and think "WTF??", but I don't know I am peculiarly captivated by it. I will watch this film again and again and again, if only to dissect and analyze all the symbolism and metaphor sprinkled throughout!
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