Irish Film Institute -THIS MUST BE THE PLACE

THIS MUST BE THE PLACE

Director: PAOLO SORRENTINO

118 minutes, Italy-France-Ireland, 2011, Filmed in English, Colour, Anamorphic Dolby Digital Stereo, 35mm


Among the most significant new filmmakers to emerge on the global stage in the past decade, Italy’s Paolo Sorrentino (Il Divo) matches a strikingly absurdist visual language with a fondness for off-kilter, morally troubling subject matter. The challenge of tackling a first English-language drama has been the undoing of many a Euro-auteur, but Sorrentino, not unexpectedly, has done it his way with this story about a semi-reclusive pop star who finds renewed reason to connect with the world.

Sean Penn is absolutely mesmerising as Cheyenne, the Dublin-resident Robert Smith-alike rocker who’s content to live in his own little safety zone until the death of his father sends him on a whole new adventure far from home. The central theme – how we define our own humanity – couldn’t be more real, yet Sorrentino’s unique eye for composition lends everything the magic of a modern fable as the storytelling consistently challenges expectations. Special bonus: David Byrne’s spectacular performance of the title tune, which even outdoes Stop Making Sense! ( Notes by Trevor Johnston.) 

Our IFI Teen Monthly film Club screening in March for anyone aged 15-18 will be at This Must be the Place on Wednesday, March 28th, at 15.40. 

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