Tony Manero

This Chilean dark stab, by Pablo Larrain, is a fascinating film.
It reminded us, and isn't in some ways (apart from the mild absurdity), entirely different from '4 Months, 3 Weeks, and 2 Days'. What we mean by this is partly the washed out exteriors. Some of the finest scenes in the film are those whenever the lead character is in the streets. The way he runs from location to location, the quiet that speaks terror, a kind of rustling through the colourless streets. The camerawork is of a handheld, following, almost shaky manner. We see the back of our lead's head, the grubby, fusty demeanour. This means the film isn't spectacularly distinguished visually, but it does build up an atmosphere, less of strangulation than of airlessness.
As for the politics of the film, these are fascinatingly evoked. The individual family plot is horrendous, but the film has to really be seen in a wider perspective. The idea of a dictatorial figure who all follow, all pathetically grovel under. It is difficult to analyse too much directly as symbols, but the general mood is well evoked. As for the stabs of violence, we again have to read it politically; stupid, pointless.
This is a good film, with perhaps not the visual capacity to stick in the mind as long as it could, but for its run time a potent message.