This film sounded interesting but turned out to be a pretentious flop. The only good thing about it was the Portuguese scenery. It inspired a desire to visit that country.
But the film itself was terrible. I usually like philosophical foreign films, but this one just seemed to be all style and no substance. Catherine Deneuve portrays her usual self: the intriguing ethereal beauty and Malkovich portrayed a low-key form of his usual self: quirky intellectual. But the plot just seemed pointless. The Professor did not seem to show any real interest in his alleged research. It did not seem clear why he came to this particular place to do the research. His wife did not seem interested in their relationship until she felt jealous. The mystery of the people living at the monastery was never explained. The music was disturbingly intrusive. The Faust story did not seem particularly relevant... I could go on and on about all the dissatisfying elements of this film. It was like a bad David Lynch movie...
But the film itself was terrible. I usually like philosophical foreign films, but this one just seemed to be all style and no substance. Catherine Deneuve portrays her usual self: the intriguing ethereal beauty and Malkovich portrayed a low-key form of his usual self: quirky intellectual. But the plot just seemed pointless. The Professor did not seem to show any real interest in his alleged research. It did not seem clear why he came to this particular place to do the research. His wife did not seem interested in their relationship until she felt jealous. The mystery of the people living at the monastery was never explained. The music was disturbingly intrusive. The Faust story did not seem particularly relevant... I could go on and on about all the dissatisfying elements of this film. It was like a bad David Lynch movie...