This Must Be The Place

This Must Be The Place is the much-anticipated English-language debut of acclaimed Il Divo director Paolo Sorrentino. It stars Oscar winner Sean Penn as Cheyenne, a wealthy Goth rock star who embarks on a quest to find his dying father's persecutor, an ex-Nazi war criminal now hiding out in America. Having been estranged for many years it is only after his death that he learns the extent of his father's humiliation in Auschwitz. Determined to avenge this he begins a life-altering journey across the heartland of America to track down and confront his father's nemesis.

Penn impresses as the retired rocker with a Robert Smith look combined with Edward Scissorhands’ voice and there is stellar support from Frances McDormand as his wife and Judd Hirsch as a Nazi hunter. However, like the central character the film gets lost in the middle and loses its momentum as a result but the pretty cinematography and arresting performances manage to make this an enjoyable and thoughtful experience.

The soundtrack also adds to the atmosphere with the use of the title track by Talking Heads and even an appearance by frontman David Byrne himself. All this adds up to rather a strange movie of soul searching which is at times very funny and engaging. Ultimately it is the performance of Penn that holds the whole thing together and without him at the helm it may not have been such an easy watch but as it stands it is not a bad effort at all.