Review: This Must Be The Place

This Must Be The Place is the latest project from Italian director, Paolo Sorrentino, it follows ageing former-rock star, Cheyenne (Sean Penn) as he travels from Dublin to the USA after the death of his estranged father. It is soon revealed that his father’s last aim was to catch the Nazi war criminal who tormented him during the Holocaust. Cheyenne embarks on a journey through the centre of America, meeting a wide variety of people, as he tries to carry out his father’s wishes of redemption. Frances McDormand, Judd Hirsch, David Byrne and Harry Dean Stanton also star.

Ironically, it is particularly difficult to find the place in This Must Be The Place which can only be described as truly mystifying at points. I found the best tactic was to simply, sit back and go with the film, even when it reached its quirkiest points. Sorrentino is a particularly visual director, who structures this film beautifully albeit erratically at points. One creative sequence sees Cheyenne go to a David Byrne gig in the US, which is breathtakingly constructed – backing scenery begins to levitate and ends up upside down on the ceiling as Byrne is singing This Must Be The Place – it looks better than the way I’ve just described it, trust me. It is likely to send a shiver of delight down the spines of Talking Heads fans. Byrne also writes all of the original music for the film, which does not disappoint.

This Must Be The Place is challenging yet charming and quirky, acting as a road-movie/coming of age tale. It’s also particularly funny with wonderfully written dialogue, including one sequence where the soft-spoken, Cheyenne contemplates “Why is Lady Gaga?” These small quirky moments are great fun and you just need to simply let go and be taken on this journey with Cheyenne. Elements of sheer obscure brilliance come and go, including Cheyenne hiding in a Nazi’s widows house with a swan called Emily – no one can say this is not original.

Cheyenne’s journey raises countless questions, some of which are answered, some of which are ignored. The thematic message feels like it has lost impact due to the quirkiness and obscurity of the narrative – but it appeared Sorrentino was making a statement about America and the idea of freedom – this is a land where a Nazi war criminal and Holocaust deniers live, but also the home of those fighting for freedom. This political imbalance is also reflected through clips of Obama contrasted with those of Sarah Palin on the motel television, showing this concept of freedom is still at risk in today’s society.

The genius David Byrne’s appearance