There’s a line in this movie that is so perfectly placed and perfectly sums up my experience. It’s when the lead character turns and asks “there’s a plot?”. The Man Who Killed Don Quixote is another movie from Terry Gilliam that asks you to strap in and go along for a ride.
Thanks to Madman
A movie within a movie, within a dream, within well … you decide.
The movie focuses on Adam Driver, an idealistic filmmaker turned cynical advertising hack.
We first encounter Driver making a version of Don Quixote in a harsh desert setting. The smattering of props convey that we are on the inside of the movie magic, however things are not going to plan. There’s Drivers’ leading man (the delightful Jonathan Pryce) for starters. Try as he might Driver cannot get the ex-shoemaker turned actor to deliver the required thrust and parry.
Things take a turn however when the actor suddenly decides he is actually Don Quixote and Driver his loyal sidekick.
Their comedic adventures are vintage Gilliam, the eternal struggle between dreams and reality, idealism and cynicism, playing as a fitting analogy for the film’s very existence.
As I let the action flow over, around and through me I pondered:
- Monty Python lovers will enjoy the countless reminders, an oversized foot anyone;
- Pryce continues to draw your attention. Watching his delusion is wonderful. This alone is worth the price of a ticket;
- Through all the chaos there are some wonderfully poignant moments. They help ground the confusion and make it all worthwhile.
For more information go to Luna Cinema
Starts April 11.
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