The Loneliest Planet is a film that marvels its viewer with its depth of vision, its structure, and its potent imagery but feels more like a rough cut than a finished edit.
The film tells the tale of a young engaged couple (Gael Garcia Bernal, Hani Furstenberg) that is traveling through the Caucasus Mountains in the Eastern European republic of Georgia.They have a guide named Dato (Bidzina Gujabidze) who occassionally converses with them in broken english and points out different features of the environment. The three travelers are going about their lives when a major event occurs right in the middle of the film and the reaction to said event tears the couple apart and threatens to destroy their relationship. The simplicity of the story is reflected in its gritty style. The first half of the film is showcased in green pastures and the gorgeous areas of the mountains. The couple and their guide walk together as a group, engage in intimate activities with one another and happiness permeates the ambiance. A fireplace scene has the three teaching each other profanity in their respective languages. It feels like an exercise in naturalism and captures the simplicity of real life. However after the major event, the environment becomes arid, the green pastures are rare, and the characters barely interact with one another. They walk alone and silence permeates the environment as the film weaves itself to an inevitable climax.
In hindsight, one definitely marvels at the simplicity of structure and the execution of the tale by director Loktev. However, the experience is not equally engrossing. The film lasts a little over an hour and 50 minutes. At the 50 minute mark of the film, the major event occurs, essentially dividing the film into two equal halves. The second half of the film is the more compelling part as one wonders whether this couple can ever sort things out and mend their relationship. However it carries over similar issues from the consistently burdensome first half. For 50 minutes Loktev explores the relationship between the characters, but unfortunately without dramatic tension a lot of the actions feel repetitive and start to wear on the viewer. The characters engage in two "sex" scenes in the first half to showcase their intimacy with one another even though the entire first 50 minutes have already been expressing that in a number of other ways. But the repetitiveness is not the only problem. Some of the long takes of characters walking grows tiresome and even when the film cuts to gorgeous panoramic vistas, the edit remains on the shot for three to four minutes as the viewers watches the main characters navigate from one side of the screen to the other. While it easy to rationalize that Loktev hoped to portray two different halves of equal lengths and that this motivated the lengthy first half, it does not justify it for the viewer. Instead it feels like the artist is imposing the length for her own indulgence rather than keeping in mind that the film is supposed to be viewed by others. The second half holds up better because of the subsequent dramatic tension but often times Loktev subjects the viewer to the same excruciatingly long takes of vast expanses and the characters walking across the screen. The film does save some face in the climactic scene near the end, but most impatient viewers would have probably given up on the film at that point.
Fortunately the performances are top notch. The dialogue is minimal but the long takes and naturalistic feel of the film place a great emphasis on the individual characters and really give the audience time to observe and connect with the characters. Despite little being said the three actors are able to develop the characters and slowly reveal more about their inner conflicts as the story progresses.
The film's greatest element is its cinematography by Inti Briones. The images are gorgeous to look at and the camera work on the long takes immerses the viewer and makes him/her feel a part of the journey being taken. After the dramatic moment in the film occurs, the camera follows each character individually for a prolonged period of time. While the time may feel excessive, there is no denying the virtuosity of the movement and how it maintains the focus on each character. A later take has the camera follow one character and then slowly move on to the next in one long fluid take. The fireplace scenes at night clearly used minimal lighting but create a haunting ambience and maintain the grittiness of the film.
The Loneliest Planet won the Grand Prize at the AFI Film Festival and is nominated for the Gotham Awards, but it is not for everyone. It is overlong and tests one's patience more than most films. It is one of those film's that is made better by the conversation it might inspire after the fact, but the actual experience of watching it is tiresome at best and never fully engaging.
Other Film Reviews by David Salazar
Anna Karenina
El Limpiador Review
The Sessions Review
Arbitrage Review
The Master Review
Seeking a Friend at the End of the World Review