Film Review: This Must Be the Place

This Must Be the Place is a difficult film to define. A rather confused affair, it begins as a drama of the life of an ageing former rock star, Cheyenne, leading a spectral existence of guilt and boredom in Ireland after the lyrics of his songs led two teenage boys to commit suicide, to a comedic road movie as Cheyenne embarks on a quest through America to hunt down an alleged former Nazi criminal who tormented his Jewish father during the Second World War.

Sean Penn’s portrayal of Cheyenne came across almost a little too strange at first, reminiscent of Johnny Depp’s oddly erratic portrayal of Willy Wonka in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, but this oddness and shyness became more understandable as one learned more about his character, particularly in the scene when he yells at David Byrne about his guilt for the death of the teenagers. His quirks became endearing, such as the way he was constantly blowing locks of his hair out of his face or the way he would drag luggage with him everywhere he goes – symbolic of the baggage (pun intended) of guilt he always carried with him. A shy but thoughtful person, he often pops up with little ‘Cheyenne-isms’ – sometimes quasi-philosophical and interesting musings that make one connect to his character, such as “Have you noticed how nobody works anymore and everybody does something artistic?” Even though he seems very quiet, Cheyenne often has something really intriguing to say. This is a very different role for Penn and he plays it beautifully.

Unfortunately this interesting character is somewhat lost in the mess of the plot – and whilst this can almost be symbolic of how Cheyenne feels lost in life, it makes the film very hard to follow and connect to. There are too many characters involved with little development which make some characters even feel pointless. Even though this is about Cheyenne’s journey and is very much focussed on his character, it would have been interesting to understand more about the supporting characters, particularly Frances McDormand’s character Jane, Cheyenne’s wife (who she plays wonderfully when she gets the screen-time), as well as Mary and her mother who seem to be a focal point of the film (as Cheyenne tries to help to look for Mary’s lost brother, Tony) but they seem to be somewhat forgotten as Cheyenne travels America looking for his father’s tormentor. Some strange choices in editing and shots also made the film feel a little odd and hard to keep up with.

That said there are some very sweet and humorous moments in the film, particularly during a scene in which Cheyenne plays guitar for the first time in many years to perform with a small boy who demands that he play ‘This Must Be the Place’. But it is Penn who carries these moments and despite his talent cannot bear the weight of redeeming the erratic plot, lack of supporting character depth and curious choice of editing and cinematography.

This is a film that may have some cult following in the future, particularly with regards to Cheyenne’s character and his charming, bizarre take on life, but his odyssey was too confusing. Unfortunately this doesn’t allow one to connect fully to the story, and may leave the audience, like Cheyenne, lost and bored.

6/10

Image source – Cinephile