| Overall Grade: |
A+ |
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| Story: |
A+ |
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| Acting: |
A+ |
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| Direction: |
A |
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| Visuals: |
A |
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An aging man confronts his self-absorbtion
by MichaelE (movies profile)
Sep 9, 2008
2
of
3 people found this review helpful
It doesn't seem like acting when Ben Kingsly portrays an intellectually brilliant but emotionally impoverished professor. His life is a long series of self centered decisions. Even his friendship with another aged man is marked by emotional immaturity. They make a silent pact; neither will ask the other to grow up.
When we meet his wounded son, we learn what happens to those who lay in the wake of his life choices. But he is not troubled. With a few pat rationalizations and some harsh judgments, he frees himself from responsibility there too.
He has built a castle of emotional solitude and gives everyone else permission to live outside. But it seems one person, played beautifully and simply by Penelope Cruz, may have found an unlocked door. So an aging man must choose between his small, inner focused world and the chance for something profoundly human and genuine.
It is 106 minutes spent with a man on his unconscious journey. I am glad that I went along for the ride. |
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