Jauja

zama gibi ait olmadigi bir yerde sevdiklerine kavusma, umutlarini yasatma ve belirsiz dusman gibi giderken kimin/kimlerin hikayesinin anlatildigi olumlu anlamda farklilasti. yonetmenin biraktigi bosluklar da ilgimi cekti

Music at the 78-minute mark heralds new meteorological conditions and a change in narrative direction, which is good, because what had come before was of limited interest. But even the mysteriousness of the screenplay decisions in the last 25 minutes seems only slightly evocative. No doubt I'm missing something, but, in this case, unlike some others, I feel little compulsion to investigate further. The end kind of reminded me of Gabriel Byrne's last words in MAD DOG TIME: "It's all...related."

Fascinating.

Star Rating: ★★★★★

I imagine this to be the type of film Borges would do if he was a film director.

Poor Aragorn, forever walking...

There is probably no other actor of Viggo Mortensen's caliber who speaks both Danish and Spanish, so Jauja is a nice opportunity for him to sound those languages. Other than that, it's like Bela Tarr on downers - absurdly stretched out, and self-important despite the fact that so little happens. I wouldn't be spoilering much if I let slip that it turns out to be a fantasy, signifying the girl's emotional plight, but there is not a lot of depth or resonance to that layer either.

I can admire Alonso's clear attempts to expand his reach, and it's certainly a lot nicer looking than his earlier films (it's the first one i could go as far as to describe as "painterly"). Actually, considering that apt comparisons like Aguirre, Meek's Cutoff, and Gerry are decidedly Not My Kind of Movies this isn't bad at all for what it is. Still, i wish that it didn't feel like Alonso simply ran out of ideas and opted for second-rate, Weerasethakul-esque mindfuckery toward the end.

Beautiful, painterly imagery forms the dreamy backdrop for this story of a father seeking his missing daughter. Alonso's simple narrative becomes anything but by the end, taking the film into provocative territory. Alonso's emphasis on the cyclical nature of life and existence presents a world devoid of hope, of always searching and never finding. And yet, the beauty of his images suggests quite the opposite.

This film's strongest suit it its nice look (i.e. cinematography), but this is nullified by so little happening in the story. Some of the genre-bending twists towards the end were surprising but not particularly redeeming. Viggo's Dane-speaking-Spanish accent is the main source of entertainment while you watch the minutes tick by.

Herzoggy

02 Aralik 2014 & Bilindik ama alisilmadiklik hissi. Biraktigi keskin bir burukluk var. Sinemada izleyebilmek isterdim. (Firsatim olursa izleyecegim)

Jauja is paradoxically both Alonso's most conventional and radical film. Formally it seems more precise and mannered and self consciously 'painterly' than his previous work, frequently referencing the work of the old Hollywood and European masters, but it's also more surreal and flat out strange, especially during the final reel. It's fascinating to watch Mortensen in such a low key and fringe film, and his performance lends much credibility to the project. This rating is tentative.

It's surreal and slowgoing, but I'm glad I saw it, as it clicked in the end.

It could have been stronger when the emphasis on the circularity and the "eternal return" was more subtle as it was in "Los Muertos". In "Jauja", Alonso seemed to me as if he was conventionalizing his style, even his dreamlike scenes were like of Hollywood's, I don't know... It reminded me of "Dead Man" and "El Cant Dels Occels" though. And I bet Ingeborg and dog have sex at the end :)