Sunday, January 22, 2012

Le Quattro Volte




Le Quattro Volte

Directed by Michelangelo Frammartino



For a movie that demands your unwavering attention, Le Quattro Volte provides very little to justify it. A tedious examination in life cycles (a subject which has recently been executed by the vastly superior 'The Tree Of Life') with great visuals and nothing else. I wouldn't recommend it to anyone, especially not to those who aren't extremely patient when it comes to film.

I don't mind slow movies. I think that when a filmmaker is willing to take their time with a story, the results can be fantastic, but that is simply not the case here. What we have with Le Quattro Volte is the workings of a filmmaker who seems to have produced a movie with every intention of making it as slow and tedious as possible. With no dialogue or plot, this movie is nothing more than 80 minutes worth of beautifully-shot, but incohesive footage. It may provide some wonderful imagery, but the simple fact that it literally has nothing else to offer makes it an infuriating movie to watch.

The subject of birth, life, and death has been tackled by more movies over the course of cinema than just about any other subject. In fact, I don't see how you could say otherwise. Every movie, in spite of its central plot, deals with these issues, but to dissect them in this manner seems completely unnecessary. I may be trivializing director Frammartino's artistic intentions with this analysis, but the mundane presentation of this film didn't achieve the level of profundity that he undoubtedly strived for.

This is not a bad movie -- I want to make that perfectly clear. If in the mood to analyze and dissect, Le Quattro Volte just may be an incredible film, but to many it will be a completely pointless experience. To me, it was the latter.

4 comments:

Sara C said...

I can't see myself enjoying this then, I would probably absent-mindedly start doing something else instead of watching...which is what I often do if something bores me. Nice write up! Don't be so hard on yourself!

Jeff SC said...

I was very distracted while watching this movie. It's probably why I didn't get much out of it, but if there aren't explosions and gratuitous nudity, how can you honestly expect me to pay attention?? :P Thanks, I'm very critical of everything, and my own writing is no exception.

James Rodrigues said...

Yeah, I don't think I could see myself watching this and liking it. Good review though

Jeff SC said...

I can't see most people liking this movie. It's just so dull... Thanks for reading ;)