What if I told you that I could blend the fluid, melancholy precision of Tarkovskys Solaris with Director David Lynchs penchant for the obscure and the bewildered? Only Lovers Left Alive Director Jim Jarmuschs puzzling espionage and ecstasy thriller, Limits of Control (2009), is that outlandish concoction. Theres a scene early on in this picture that is straight out of the 1972 science fiction epic, where Isaach De Bankolé can be seen driving through the tunnels of Madrid - a dazzling re-creation (although its unclear if this is intentional, either way its a brilliant homage) of the scene in Tarkovskys Magnum Opus where Kris Kelvin (Donatas Banionis) drives through eerily similar structures in Moscow. The film then uses more binary Lynchian tropes where gonzo surrealism is utilized simply to underscore tension, not to provide a narrative fulcrum. Its an insane, borderline personality disorder synthesis but the film contains so much calculated hubris and possesses such a strong supporting cast (Tilda Swinton, John Hurt, Bill Murray, Paz de la Huerta, Gael García Bernal, and Hiam Abbass), we glide through the proceedings effortlessly. It doesnt hurt that the accompanying score and soundtrack are spellbinding; before Jarmusch hooked up with Jozef van Wissem (the two play as Squrl), his Bad Rabbit quartet provided the films slick, symphonic undercurrent.
Posted on: Tue, 30 Dec 2014 17:49:27 +0000
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