Supposedly based on real events, this is the story of a son
who does something abominable to his mother (The last words of the mother have
been taken as the title of the movie).
Shot on a budget which seems to have been lesser than the
cost of a shoe string, this begins with two cops (William Defoe, playing a
veteran on the force and Michael Pena,a novice) getting a call informing that a
crime has been committed in their vicinity. They rush out to the area, find
neighbors surrounding a house and meet a mysterious man (Michael Shannon) who
chants some mambo jumbo and then walks off to the neighboring house. He is soon
recognized as the prime suspect and the rest of the duration of the movie deals
with police’s attempts to bring him out of the hiding place and Citizen Kane
like reconstruction of Michael Shannon’s life by his fiance and friend.
Herzog, for me, is one of the very few directors whose very
name on a DVD’s spine makes my heart race. My love affair with his work started
after watching Bad Lieutenant wherein he nearly single handedly resurrected
Nicholas Cage’s career. My respect for him grew leaps and bounds after watching
his other masterpiece Aguirre: the wrath of God, Rescue Dawn and The Enigma of
Kaspar Hauser. Hence, I had high hopes from this.
These hopes were further raised by the fact that David Lynch,
the God of surrealistic cinema was the producer. This was supposed to be a fusion
of two great minds and hence my expectations became sky high.
Alas, soon they came crashing down with a thud.
This is a combination of police procedural with the cops
trying to get Shannon to surrender and mystical scenes which show how Shannon’s
thought process began to change after a visit to Peru. However, at times it
seems too pretentious for its own good and alienates the viewer with its
un-involving narrative.
The one front wherein this doesn’t disappoint is the acting
with Shannon again doing his “intense” stuff brilliantly. He is one of the best
actors around and whenever he is on the screen, the watcher cannot look
anywhere else, glued as he is to the magnetic charisma which Shannon exudes. The
others have two bit roles and are generally wasted.
This is the fourth consecutive misfire on the movie front for
me this month and is very nearly on top of “The movies which I would love
missing even if I am paid a million dollars to watch” list. Watch it at your
own risk.
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