A subtle comedy that presents carefully crafted, unusual situations where routine, optimal behavior patterns of the upper middle class just break in unexpected ways.
The main character is a successful guy who sells fake but respectable quasi-art to the rich. His clientele, mostly old people wearing expensive clothes, lack cultural sophistication to understand art but still want to buy their right to be associated with something intellectual. The movie mocks this charade delicately.
The guy's wallet and phone get stolen. He follows advice of his employee who is an immigrant and much lower than him in social hierarchy - only to find himself in circumstances that could ruin his career and reputation that took his whole life to build. And then, in an unrelated event with an ill-thought ad for an art exhibition, his career is really ruined as he fails to pay attention while dealing with the first crisis.
You might think at first that the authors of this movie take a moralizing stance like how selfish the rich are and how good the underclass is. But the movie is well above that simplistic garbage. The characters are far more nuanced. You could easily use this movie to make cases for both the left/right political agendas. I even had some of my own beliefs challenged. The movie also has a powerful ending: the guy wants to "right his wrongs" (though he actually didn't do anything wrong really, at least not on his own will) but that's denied to him. We're left in the void, with moral ambiguities and open loops, no comfortable closure or "happy end".
The movie explores multiple topics that I think I never saw handled in cinema. For example, there is a female journalist who gets attracted to this guy (because power looks sexy) and essentially throws herself at him. How should he react? He doesn't want sex with her and says that at the start - but is there a way to reject her advances? There is an amazing scene where he doesn't want to let go of a used condom. Took me a while to guess the reason! Amazing. There is a hint: 2 daughters from his previous marriage who are quarreling "for no reason" (well, projecting the conflict between the parents).
The movie doesn't tell things directly to you, and it's also one of it's messages. The polite upper middle class existence that's like a minefield where no thought can be expressed openly for fear of consequences. The main character has to navigate interactions with people who have nothing to lose while he needs his reputation to keep his charade going and maintain his wealth.
Then there is the central scene of the movie (which also went to the poster) where a topless muscular entertainer plays caveman at a big dinner for the rich. There are many ways how this scene could be interpreted. It's a bit grotesque, sure. After all, the entertainer would have to stay within limits of the law? He can't physically harm his audience, only psychologically harass them as part of the game. But then the line is crossed, and he actually hurts a woman. Note that the first guy who finally comes to the victim's rescue is well above 60! One of the messages that's quite common in European cinema of the last 1-2 decades: young white men have become weak/feminine, and the West has its writing on the wall. But of course it's not just that, it's far more complex.
This movie is like classical literature. It makes you think. The scenes leave a lasting impact and are like condensed allegories and demonstrations of multiple, often conflicting, political, social and psychological views. A lot of effort must have gone to construct this movie: every dialog line, every shot, every action has complex ideas behind them. It's really a treat. Watching it is an enjoyable intellectual experience. Btw the 7/10 rating here simply shows that the movie requires a certain level of maturity and education to understand. As one funny review admits, "I'm too dumb for it". Exactly. Which only proves that online ratings that most digital platforms use nowadays aren't that good as a measure of worth for real, sophisticated art.
I think it's the best movie I watched in the last few years for sure.
The main character is a successful guy who sells fake but respectable quasi-art to the rich. His clientele, mostly old people wearing expensive clothes, lack cultural sophistication to understand art but still want to buy their right to be associated with something intellectual. The movie mocks this charade delicately.
The guy's wallet and phone get stolen. He follows advice of his employee who is an immigrant and much lower than him in social hierarchy - only to find himself in circumstances that could ruin his career and reputation that took his whole life to build. And then, in an unrelated event with an ill-thought ad for an art exhibition, his career is really ruined as he fails to pay attention while dealing with the first crisis.
You might think at first that the authors of this movie take a moralizing stance like how selfish the rich are and how good the underclass is. But the movie is well above that simplistic garbage. The characters are far more nuanced. You could easily use this movie to make cases for both the left/right political agendas. I even had some of my own beliefs challenged. The movie also has a powerful ending: the guy wants to "right his wrongs" (though he actually didn't do anything wrong really, at least not on his own will) but that's denied to him. We're left in the void, with moral ambiguities and open loops, no comfortable closure or "happy end".
The movie explores multiple topics that I think I never saw handled in cinema. For example, there is a female journalist who gets attracted to this guy (because power looks sexy) and essentially throws herself at him. How should he react? He doesn't want sex with her and says that at the start - but is there a way to reject her advances? There is an amazing scene where he doesn't want to let go of a used condom. Took me a while to guess the reason! Amazing. There is a hint: 2 daughters from his previous marriage who are quarreling "for no reason" (well, projecting the conflict between the parents).
The movie doesn't tell things directly to you, and it's also one of it's messages. The polite upper middle class existence that's like a minefield where no thought can be expressed openly for fear of consequences. The main character has to navigate interactions with people who have nothing to lose while he needs his reputation to keep his charade going and maintain his wealth.
Then there is the central scene of the movie (which also went to the poster) where a topless muscular entertainer plays caveman at a big dinner for the rich. There are many ways how this scene could be interpreted. It's a bit grotesque, sure. After all, the entertainer would have to stay within limits of the law? He can't physically harm his audience, only psychologically harass them as part of the game. But then the line is crossed, and he actually hurts a woman. Note that the first guy who finally comes to the victim's rescue is well above 60! One of the messages that's quite common in European cinema of the last 1-2 decades: young white men have become weak/feminine, and the West has its writing on the wall. But of course it's not just that, it's far more complex.
This movie is like classical literature. It makes you think. The scenes leave a lasting impact and are like condensed allegories and demonstrations of multiple, often conflicting, political, social and psychological views. A lot of effort must have gone to construct this movie: every dialog line, every shot, every action has complex ideas behind them. It's really a treat. Watching it is an enjoyable intellectual experience. Btw the 7/10 rating here simply shows that the movie requires a certain level of maturity and education to understand. As one funny review admits, "I'm too dumb for it". Exactly. Which only proves that online ratings that most digital platforms use nowadays aren't that good as a measure of worth for real, sophisticated art.
I think it's the best movie I watched in the last few years for sure.