Wszystkie odloty Cheyenne'a

A film about the holocaust of everyday life, forgetting rituals, the non-transferability of historical experience, the fear of growing up, American fetishes (guns, cars, big buildings) and ordinary gestures of extraordinary significance. Sorrentino has expanded his thematic scope, though he has again chosen a single person, a single special being, to be his witness to the state of contemporary society. More than before, this time he doesn’t merely alternate between lullingly static and sharply dynamic shots, but also switches between micro- and macro-perspectives. The guilt of the man who contributed to two suicides is less; the guilt of the man who systematically humiliated defenceless prisoners for years is greater. As Cheyenne slowly grows up and moves on from minor mischievousness (supermarket sabotage) to more responsible actions, his view of reality and the mood of the film change. Scenes are composed as brief sketches, but thanks to their placement in the context of the narrative, they don’t come across as gratuitous – some of them are more chilling than comical (the supremely bizarre moment with the obese fan and the guy passing by, whose moustache makes him look like Hitler). The atmosphere of This Must Be the Place cannot be described with a single adjective; you have to experience it. The changing perspectives, polished visual style, internal dynamics and unforced humour – all co-directed by Sean Penn together with Sorrentino. Penn’s zombie walk sets the pace of the film, which is simultaneously slow and (thanks to the camerawork) constantly in motion. At the same time, we have to figure out the internal movement, in the protagonist’s mind, from the gradually added information. Occasional echoes of Cheyenne’s wild rocker years find accomplices in sudden camera approaches. Like the film itself, the protagonist defies clear categorisation. He doesn’t fit in anywhere; even he doesn’t really know who he is. As in every Oedipal drama, he can know himself only through his father and, in this case, he can know his father only by understanding the Holocaust…and is it even possible to understand the Holocaust? His uncategorisable appearance excludes him from the world of superficial scanning of reality while also conferring on him the special privilege of a harmless know-nothing with whom anyone is willing to engage in dialogue. In the course of his journey, however, he begins to realise that even though looking at the world from behind the mask of a child is comfortable, it is also extremely irresponsible and evokes a feeling of being incomplete. A feeling that “something isn’t right here”. It isn’t and probably never will be, because the search never really ends, but thanks to that, This Must Be the Place is one of the most captivatingly strange films of recent years. 90% (10.01.2013)

It’s the second movie by Paolo Sorrentino that I watched and it was again pretty decent. It’s again a job well done with everything a proper film entails. Some of the prolonged shots are absolutely amazing. It’s like watching a Stanley Kubrick’s movie. The music fits it perfectly as well. Anyway, there is a bit different issue than in Il Divo, which I struggled to make sense of…The issue here was that Sean Penn’s character, although it was a very distinctive one and very well played, still puzzled me with his behavior for about half the movie. Not only I didn’t get it, I didn’t understand his whole family, any of the dialogues and what he was going through. I really did not get that, but as time went on, I finally managed it.  It was hard, but it was manageable, because once they enter the USA, a pretty decent road movie begins, at times it entertains, at times amazes, but mostly tells another interesting European life story with the post Second World War stigma. (13.05.2013)

An enchantingly narrated and unpredictable road-movie that at times gets too bogged down in meta expression and Sean Penn’s "beyond-acting", but that at the same time proves with every shot that Paolo Sorrentino is one of the most interesting filmmakers of this century. The main character, wandering through the dogmatized spirit of America in search of moral understanding, ends up winning our hearts, which could never have happened without the precise changes in mood and pace that follow his feelings, plus a balanced dose of absurdity. At times, it gets stuck and loses its appeal, but overall, the film leaves a very strong impression… And Shea Whigham was great again in a funny secondary role. 80% (02.01.2020)

Paolo Sorrentino never ceases to fascinate me with how he manages to combine the visual and musical aspects of his work. This film is shining proof of that. I got lost in the story a lot at first, but as time went on, I just got lost a little less. Sean Penn irritated me a lot at times with his whiny voice, but that doesn't mean he was bad. On the contrary, I think that he has grasped the role of an aging yet still immature man in the best possible way. The serious life issues that this road movie reveals in the course of the plot are balanced with slightly humorous situations. (28.03.2020)