3.5/5
Written by Luke Barnes
Summary
An off kilter architect, Timothy Spall, begins working for an eccentric rich man, Peter Stormare, who calls himself The Grand Duke of Corsica.
I enjoyed this film far more than I thought I was going to. Yes, there are moments of abstractness that are so seemingly random and out of place that they don’t fit into the sequence, which becomes jarring, but on the whole the strangeness of the film really works and helps it to become something truly unique.
Both Spall and Stormare bring their A game thought I would say Stormare slightly pips it. Both men bring a lot of depth and nuance to their characters and explore them in interesting ways that makes you question your preconceived notions.
The flashback subplot, or was it a film, didn’t really work for me. I understand the parallel they were trying to create but there was not enough connective tissue there to really bring it together into a meaningful whole.
Overall, an interesting strange film that for the most part gets it right, though it does cross the line a few times.
Pros.
Spall
Stormare
The strangeness
The ending
Cons.
The flashback subplot
Occasionally the film felt like it was being strange for the sake of it
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Another Millennial Reviewer 