★ 2 / 10
Do not be fooled by the glowing reviews
Fred R
Do not be fooled by the glowing reviews for this lame duck. What shows initial promise, fails miserably in the last third or so of the film. Usually, when a…
Do not be fooled by the glowing reviews for this lame duck. What shows initial promise, fails miserably in the last third or so of the film. Usually, when a movie is over four hours long, there are good reasons for the additional time, but not here. The filmmaker is no Lav Diaz, Béla Tarr, or even Yorgos Lanthimos. The film may have had all the ingredients needed to create a worthwhile watch, but it doesn't come close to delivering on its potential. As I have gotten older, I have learned to enjoy the ride, so to speak, when reading books or watching movies. If a story's ending is not necessarily satisfying, I may still appreciate much of what comes before. This film, however, was a huge waste of time.
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★ 7 / 10
7.2/10. It's all about Jorge Luis Borges.
When you make a 4 hours movie, better make it great, otherwise it's going to be a failure. At the same time, i love overambitious movies, even when they fail.…
When you make a 4 hours movie, better make it great, otherwise it's going to be a failure. At the same time, i love overambitious movies, even when they fail. At least, in this case, creators of this movie tried something different, and i respect a lot movies with originality and creativity, because there aren't many original and creative movies nowadays.TRENQUE LAUQUEN is not a great movie. And a 4 hours movie which isn't great, is hard to watch, people don't have usually so much free time to spent. However, i think it's very good, more of a success than a failure. It's original, creative, occasionally brilliant, well directed, unpredictable and it made me invest. I liked a lot both the first and the second part. I agree with everyone who said that the first part is better. But the second part had also its merits. I would even say that the second part is more interesting because i was really curious to see where it goes. The first part is an arthouse drama romance movie. The second part is a drama/fantasy/mystery movie, there is a huge tonal change, movie changed entirely its identity and became something else.Although, one could say that basically, it's the same, cohesive movie, deeply influenced by Jorge Luis Borges, stories within stories within stories. I have read books of him and i understood what this movie is about. That's the reason that, overall, i think it's a very good and consistent movie. "Magical realism" works of Art don't care for answers and big reveals and mindblowing twists. Readers and viewers shouldn't expect things like these. This movie is a journey, partially a character study but in the end, the important thing is not the transformation of the leading character but the journey itself. Basically, the narrative is what counts in such stories. And i enjoyed this narrative a lot, even though i am not so sure i should recommend this movie to anyone. But there is a safe criterion : If you like Jorge Luis Borges, you will like this movie, as well.
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@joechip Part 2 is available on 1337x. I just downloaded it.