Francis Ford Coppola latest film "Tetro" marked an awaited comeback for this celebrated American director. In a film that has shades of biographic connections, Mr. Coppola is to be praised for shooting an ambitious film in black and white, something of a departure for him. The images he produces in that velvety medium, which cinematographer Mihai Malaimare Jr. created for the film, are reminders of a bygone era of movie making. The music is provided by Argentine composer Osvaldo Golijov which mixes classical themes with tango.
That said, there are inconsistencies in the story. It is clear why Angelo, now self named Tetro, has decided to go back to the roots of his father in Buenos Aires. The stormy relationship between father and son was a complicated affair for starters. There is a lot of resentment between Carlo Tetrocini, the noted conductor and his son, the would be writer, Angelo. A young Benjamin, arrives looking for his long lost brother who has no desire to get reacquainted with the young man. It is clear that the young man's presence weighs heavily on Tetro, who resents the intrusion.
Tetro begins opening little by little to Bennie, thanks to Miranda, his live-in lover, who realizes the pain inside the man she loves. Tetro's writings are found by his brother a series of unconnected ramblings written in a strange language and code. Trying to make sense of what his brother wanted to say consumes the young man, who has been befriended by a group of bohemian 'portenos' working on a theater performance that makes no sense.
Add to all that an accident that lands Bennie in a hospital. Tetro going to visit his brother brings him Spanish novels by Roberto Bolano, one of the most obscure and difficult writers in recent memory when young Benjamin does not even speak the language! Then, there is a matter of flashbacks in which clips from films "The Red Shoes" and "The Tales of Hoffmann", both directed by Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger, which Bennie remembers being taken by Angelo.
The film had all the elements for being a good movie, even a great one, but Mr. Coppola decided to throw in a pretentious milieu that includes an interplay with an 'avant-garde' theater group, a trip to the Patagonia in the South of Argentina, as well as a mysterious and flaky film critic named Alone! Now, if that stretching the story too much, we do not know what else Mr. Coppola would have decided to incorporate to the drama he wanted to present. The film uses part of the text by Mauricio Kartun, "Fausta" a theatrical work that does not add anything to the narrative, but which plays in the background as a sort of pretentious performance that does not serve, much less add to the story.
Perhaps another actor rather than Vincent Gallo would have done justice to Tetro. That said, he goes through the film like in a fog. He shows no chemistry with Maribel Verdu, his lady love, who is seen as Miranda. The real surprise was Alden Ehrenreich's Bennie, who seems to be a charismatic actor with a bright future ahead of him. Klaus Maria Brandauer playing a dual role has limited time on screen, mainly in flashbacks. The Argentine supporting cast does what it can, but unfortunately their characters are not appealing to the viewer. The great Carmen Maura is totally wasted in a role that is more a caricature than a character.
That said, there are inconsistencies in the story. It is clear why Angelo, now self named Tetro, has decided to go back to the roots of his father in Buenos Aires. The stormy relationship between father and son was a complicated affair for starters. There is a lot of resentment between Carlo Tetrocini, the noted conductor and his son, the would be writer, Angelo. A young Benjamin, arrives looking for his long lost brother who has no desire to get reacquainted with the young man. It is clear that the young man's presence weighs heavily on Tetro, who resents the intrusion.
Tetro begins opening little by little to Bennie, thanks to Miranda, his live-in lover, who realizes the pain inside the man she loves. Tetro's writings are found by his brother a series of unconnected ramblings written in a strange language and code. Trying to make sense of what his brother wanted to say consumes the young man, who has been befriended by a group of bohemian 'portenos' working on a theater performance that makes no sense.
Add to all that an accident that lands Bennie in a hospital. Tetro going to visit his brother brings him Spanish novels by Roberto Bolano, one of the most obscure and difficult writers in recent memory when young Benjamin does not even speak the language! Then, there is a matter of flashbacks in which clips from films "The Red Shoes" and "The Tales of Hoffmann", both directed by Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger, which Bennie remembers being taken by Angelo.
The film had all the elements for being a good movie, even a great one, but Mr. Coppola decided to throw in a pretentious milieu that includes an interplay with an 'avant-garde' theater group, a trip to the Patagonia in the South of Argentina, as well as a mysterious and flaky film critic named Alone! Now, if that stretching the story too much, we do not know what else Mr. Coppola would have decided to incorporate to the drama he wanted to present. The film uses part of the text by Mauricio Kartun, "Fausta" a theatrical work that does not add anything to the narrative, but which plays in the background as a sort of pretentious performance that does not serve, much less add to the story.
Perhaps another actor rather than Vincent Gallo would have done justice to Tetro. That said, he goes through the film like in a fog. He shows no chemistry with Maribel Verdu, his lady love, who is seen as Miranda. The real surprise was Alden Ehrenreich's Bennie, who seems to be a charismatic actor with a bright future ahead of him. Klaus Maria Brandauer playing a dual role has limited time on screen, mainly in flashbacks. The Argentine supporting cast does what it can, but unfortunately their characters are not appealing to the viewer. The great Carmen Maura is totally wasted in a role that is more a caricature than a character.