An original and intriguing new addition to filmmaker Harmony Korine’s body of work, Mister Lonely stars Diego Luna as the confused and sensitive protagonist. A reticent young Mexican Michael Jackson impersonator living in Paris, he finds a kindred spirit when he meets a Marilyn Monroe (Samantha Morton).

Marilyn lives in an isolated commune in the highlands with a small group of fellow celebrity impersonators, as well as her husband and daughter, who are living as Charlie Chaplin and Shirley Temple.

Running parallel to Michael’s story, a group of nuns led by Father Umbrillo (Werner Herzog) test their purity and faith in god through extreme measures.

Korine’s interest seems to be in capturing the unrealistic and unconventional. He explores the lives of people who live outside the realm of the average, creating glimpses into the world’s oddness. These narratives are based in the real world, but are somehow unreal. Korine has said: ” Its almost like a subtle science fiction, it’s like the real world, but slightly tweaked, … it’s like maybe a slight manipulation…I never really had an interest in sticking to like, you know, the truth.” (interview by www.filmcatcher.com)

This film is very sucessful in terms of its cinematography, but it lets itself down when it comes to storytelling, only because it feels like there should be more; more character depth, more story. The stories are fanciful and fascinating, the concepts are ingenious, but Mister Lonely just leaves you wanting to know more.

The opening scene, shot in slow motion, shows Michael in full costume, riding a tiny motor bike, with a winged monkey trailing on a string behind him. This scene is visually awesome, but arguably the most memorable scene from the film, contains the gorgeous ethereal footage of a nun descending from the clouds, the wind buffeting her pale blue robes, while riding her bmx. Incongruous imagery, absurdly beautiful, abounds in Mister Lonely.

Korine has said he likes to create his films based on images, things he has either seen, or imagined. The surrealism in Mister Lonely feels a lot like he has taken his ideas straight from his dreams, and put these images onto celluloid. And, much like a dream, you wonder if there is any point trying to attribute meaning to the images running in front of your eyes, or if you should just appreciate the inherent beauty of these strange juxtapositions.

In any case, it is an attractive and frequently mesmerizing experience.

If for nothing else, see it for the nuns. 3/5.

Posted November 5th, 2008 under Movie Reviews.
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