*************SPOILERS AHEAD**************
This movie reminded somewhat of Jim Jarmusch's "Night on Earth," only the characters in that film were much more interesting. Don't get me wrong, the characters in "A Taste of Cherry" are interesting as well, but the majority of the film takes place within the confines one setting (the interior of an automobile), almost like a stage play. And if you're gonna have nothing but talking heads throughout, the characters better be so interesting that it'll cause us to transcend the claustrophobia of one setting. I felt the concept was interesting--a man who's down on his luck searching for someone to kill and bury him. Sounds like a very difficult task, since whoever does it (if they get caught) will be charged with homicide. Whether or not it was the victim's consent, murder is murder. But there were two thoughts that kept running through my head throughout the film. The first was why did he want to commit suicide in the first place? We know nothing about this man's backstory, so how are we able to feel sympathy for his anguish and connect with him? I thought it might've been a gimmick to create tension and cause a gasp in the audience when we finally learn why he wanted to do it. But that wasn't the case. The second question was why did he lack the guts to kill himself? Sure, many people--no matter how serious they are about suicide--would lack the guts to actually run the razor across their wrists or shoot themselves in the head. It's not uncommon. But I wanted to know his reason. Without previous exposition of his character, the audience is left in the dark.
I did not hate the film, because for the most part it held my attention and some of the dialogue (which I later found out was improvised) was quite colorful. I also liked certain shots--for example, the shot of the sun rising at dawn. The sun is a bright shade of red, which probably symbolizes the cherry that the old preacher was talking about. And then the plot twist came. Some audiences might have a detailed explanation about what it was supposed to mean and symbolize, but I simply felt it was a cop-out. It was as much a cop-out as showing someone waking up from a dream. So by the end I was totally baffled, and not in the good way. And before I conclude I must commend the main actor for his fine performance which was rich in emotion, even during the scenes in which he had no dialogue. The other performances were good too, but his stood out the most in my mind.
My score: 5 (out of 10)
This movie reminded somewhat of Jim Jarmusch's "Night on Earth," only the characters in that film were much more interesting. Don't get me wrong, the characters in "A Taste of Cherry" are interesting as well, but the majority of the film takes place within the confines one setting (the interior of an automobile), almost like a stage play. And if you're gonna have nothing but talking heads throughout, the characters better be so interesting that it'll cause us to transcend the claustrophobia of one setting. I felt the concept was interesting--a man who's down on his luck searching for someone to kill and bury him. Sounds like a very difficult task, since whoever does it (if they get caught) will be charged with homicide. Whether or not it was the victim's consent, murder is murder. But there were two thoughts that kept running through my head throughout the film. The first was why did he want to commit suicide in the first place? We know nothing about this man's backstory, so how are we able to feel sympathy for his anguish and connect with him? I thought it might've been a gimmick to create tension and cause a gasp in the audience when we finally learn why he wanted to do it. But that wasn't the case. The second question was why did he lack the guts to kill himself? Sure, many people--no matter how serious they are about suicide--would lack the guts to actually run the razor across their wrists or shoot themselves in the head. It's not uncommon. But I wanted to know his reason. Without previous exposition of his character, the audience is left in the dark.
I did not hate the film, because for the most part it held my attention and some of the dialogue (which I later found out was improvised) was quite colorful. I also liked certain shots--for example, the shot of the sun rising at dawn. The sun is a bright shade of red, which probably symbolizes the cherry that the old preacher was talking about. And then the plot twist came. Some audiences might have a detailed explanation about what it was supposed to mean and symbolize, but I simply felt it was a cop-out. It was as much a cop-out as showing someone waking up from a dream. So by the end I was totally baffled, and not in the good way. And before I conclude I must commend the main actor for his fine performance which was rich in emotion, even during the scenes in which he had no dialogue. The other performances were good too, but his stood out the most in my mind.
My score: 5 (out of 10)