I have been so busy I realized that I haven’t watched a new movie and written a blog. My apologies. Francis Ford Coppola has come back to direct after 10 years. He creates a mind-bending film that offers more questions than answers in YOUTH WITHOUT YOUTH. Tim Roth stars as Dominic, who after being struck with lightning inexplicably regains his youth. With his second chance at life, he plunges the depths of science, religion and philosophy by attempting to discover the origins of language. He also must reach across time to find his lost love and attempt to undo past mistakes.
What’s good about it: Coppola has adapted Mircea Eliade’s novel and the film narrative flows much like a literary piece. I felt like I was reading a very inquisitive short story in Lit. Class with an eccentric lead character who interacts with a world that seems unable to contain his true nature. Tim Roth offers a multi-layered performance (as well as an alter ego turn as the character) that truly engages the audience. The film is shot beautifully and every scene seems to communicate a strong mood that prompts our investigation. We see such beauty and science wrapped together in the script, performances, and screen shots that we continue to dive deeper and deeper into the subject matter.
What’s not so good: Coppola financed the film himself, and while that is a powerful example of how much he loved the material, the special effects and green screen shots are glaring. I cannot offer this film to the average viewer because they would turn it off in the midst of a headache brought about by an esoteric intellectualism. Several of the supporting characters play such off the wall parts that it is difficult to truly connect with what they are attempting to portray. It is hard to tell if the film needs to be this dense or if it is simply due to the overindulgence of the material by the director. The film demands so much from the viewer that I feel that many would be lost along the wayside. If you were to ask me what it is about, I really cannot answer that until I see the film at least two more times.
You must treat this film as a novel, and make the effort to sit down and view it. Coppola does not offer many answers within the film, but I find that the quest is fascinating. It is an art film by nature so it helps to come with your “cultured” thinking-cap. I enjoyed it (which usually means 75% of audiences might not). But I think it would be great for those of you who want a film to challenge you and prompt discussions. I am excited to see where Coppola goes from here.
