This story reminded me very much of Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close, in which to mourn his dead Jewish father, a childlike oddball (aided by an old man) embarks on an offbeat quest, meaningfully touching the lives of the people he meets and musing on the ripple effects of large-scale human tragedies.
In Paolo Sorrentino’s first English-language drama, retired goth-rocker Cheyenne (Sean Penn) leaves Ireland and his no-nonsense wife Jane (Frances McDormand) for his native US. There, aided by legendary Nazi-hunter Mordecai Midler (Judd Hirsch), he seeks his dad’s former Auschwitz tormentor. You’d better like the titular Talking Heads song; there are at least three versions here including a live performance by David Byrne, who composed other soundtrack songs and cameos as himself.
The leisurely-paced Nazi-huntin’ is basically a backdrop for Penn’s nutty characterisation. At first an indulgent, somnolent, Robert Smith-meets-Edward Scissorhands caricature, Penn imbues Cheyenne with some surprising, enjoyable flashes of subtlety and acuity. And despite the many weird characters, the quirkiness and schmaltz factor is underplayed. I found the subplots too confused and the ending too opaque to be satisfying, but the meditative, mysterious tone leaves viewers to draw their own conclusions about Cheyenne’s history and motivations.
Thanks to Hopscotch, we have 5 dbls to give away! To enter, email brisbane.win@thethousands.com.au with the subject ‘home is where I want to be’
Australian Competitions Club
