One of those films which need a second viewing to appreciate.
I have to say, the first time I saw this film I didn't understand. The one other film by Woody Allen I've been exposed to, Match Point, was smooth, refined, and had a clear philosophical undertone. The music choices were stylish and matched the tone well. And, maybe because I picked the movie up knowing nothing about the plot, the climax of the film was devastatingly unexpected.With Cassandra's Dream I was expecting much the same. However, at least the first time around, I was disappointed in a way. I thought the music by Philip Glass, while gorgeous and moody, was poorly placed and slightly awkward. I also thought Colin Farrel's acting was horrible and in bad taste. Also, overall there didn't seem to be any point to the story, accept to say possibly that there is no point. From what I keep reading that seems to be Woody Allen's continuing theme--that life is meaningless, existentialism. Anyway, the first viewing left me a bit confused. I thought maybe Allen was trying to say something and I missed it.
The second time I was pleasantly surprised to find a few new tidbits I missed on the first try. First off, I saw that the characters, while caricatured and sometimes silly, were quite well done. That is to say, they were meant to represent not individuals but certain common timelines of action and consequence. Each character makes you ask the question, "If you were to carry that thought or action to its fullest extent where would it take you?" I also felt that a key theme of the movie is given to us with the Uncle. He insists that family protects family, that blood is blood. He sticks to this until Terry wants to confess his guilt to the police. Then the justification changes to survival. This is a smart critique of the motivation behind extreme cases of family loyalty, when one member of a family will cover up the dire mistakes of another. Is it loyalty or survival? Selflessness or selfishness? Interesting. And of course, there's a large message against the obsession of materialistic gain, the wanting of more for the sake of wanting more. It's cyclical, which is represented when the murder couldn't stop at Martin Burns but only when both brothers died on the boat, the first object of their desires in the film.
So, there's my interpretation of it. I found the film quite enjoyable.
score 8/10
revolution7376 15 April 2009
Reprint: https://www.imdb.com/review/rw2052717/35554
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