Tetrady
not as good as all the hype
TaryBiggBall
It was OK. I don't see why everyone loves it so much. It wasn't very smart or deep or well-directed.
Grimossfer
Clever and entertaining enough to recommend even to members of the 1%
sol-
Nearly impossible to review without spoilers, the bulk of the narrative action occurs in the final half-hour of 'Jauja'. The first hour and a quarter is almost deceptively different from the final 30 minutes as it spins a rather simple tale of a soldier searching for his daughter in the wilderness after she elopes with one of his lieutenants in the middle of the night. Things change towards the end though as he discovers a cave inhabited by an elderly women who (through her unusual questions) we come to realise is his daughter, grown up. As he has not aged, it soon becomes apparent that he is a ghost - a restless spirit who kept wandering even after death until he finding his child. The final fifteen minutes are even stranger though, and whether one takes it as his dream of a life of richness for his daughter (for whom he said never really knew a real home) or something else - is entirely open to interpretation. Fascinating as all this might sound though, the film is never especially engaging with its twenty page script expanded to a film close to two hours in length. Some of the lethargic shots that bask in the natural vistas are pleasant enough, but why so long is spent merely watching lead actor Viggo Mortensen get dressed or watching his daughter sleep for minutes on end, is a mystery. Tension invariably dissipates with so little happening on screen, and powerful though the twist might be, it would have certainly been even more effective in an intense short film less half its length. If one has the patience though, it is admittedly a thought-provoking ride.
Larry Silverstein
I'm all for complex dramas even if they're extremely slow paced. However, when it comes to nearly indecipherable plot elements and extremely slow pacing, I'd rather watch paint dry.This is one of those movies that maybe a select few cinephiles and critics will tell us is poetry in motion. I guess if you're one of the unsophisticated like myself, you very well may not have the slightest clue what is taking place on screen. I know I didn't.The fine actor Viggo Mortensen's talents are nearly completely wasted here in this totally confusing mess of a movie. I'm glad some have found it to their liking, but to me it was totally incoherent, as I kept waiting for some of it to make sense. Good luck with that!
peefyn
This movie is beautiful at times. In addition to being in 4:3 format, the colors are made to look like it was shot in the early decades of color movies. This goes excellent together with the "western"-setting. Both the scenery and the costumes worn by the actors, attract your attention, and rewards you for it. The 4:3 format makes me think of cheap western shows made for TV, filmed in studios with backdrops. This move is almost demonstratively not using backdrops, and it has actors moving back and forwards in the scenery, giving the movie a sense of depth (almost despite the aspect ratio).So, it's good looking. Sadly, the story is not as interesting as the setting. In parts of the movie the story moves painfully slow. There are interesting portions of it, and the story does get going after a while. But in the end of the movie it takes a quick turn to the surreal, which could have been interesting, if it hadn't been ruined straight away by an underwhelming ending. I'm sure there is something to explore with the story, why it ends as it does. The obvious answer is hopefully not the correct one.On a different note, I liked the acting and the actors in this movie. I understand Danish, and I thought it was great fun to see how it was used along the Spanish. The best scene is maybe the one where French is also spoken.There's hardly any music in the movie at all, but the little there is is nice. I also liked the sound in this movie, at one point it made me squeam more than I have in a long time.
slabihoud
If you dare to watch this film be sure not to expect much of a story, rather enjoy the surprising beauty of the Argentinian Pampa and the time the film gives you to look. I guess almost every shot lasts longer than 10 seconds and many run far longer and create a dreamlike atmosphere. At some point it reminded me of a still picture gallery. Not much talking is done either and the dialog is creating more fog then clearance. There is only a very thin storyline but most things remain incomprehensible.Films like „Gerry" come to mind, or „The Shooting", "The Draughtsman's Contract" or even „Shutter Island". The best approach might be to absorb the images which are often really stunning and don't try to solve the riddle. It seems to be meant as an experience, not as a thesis on what went wrong in this or that person's life. The main character gets deeper and deeper into the desert while everything gets more surreal.Although all this sounds rather weird and boring, the film has an inner suspense that doesn't let go. Viggo Mortensen plays a man who looses his dignity in the course of the events but he never appears ridiculous which is much to the credit of the actor.
