MovieChat Forums > Juventude em Marcha (2006) Discussion > I walked out of this movie - should I ha...

I walked out of this movie - should I have stayed?

posted 18 years ago by heptaparaparshinokh
15 replies | jump to latest

I saw the beginning of this film at the Vancouver Film Fest. The description sounded great, and apparently it was getting good reviews - but about 1.5 hours into it, I couldn't bear the monotony, *beep* acting, and boring camerwork. I couldn't understand why this movie existed, what the point of it was. When they introduced it, they said it was slow, but if you stuck with it, you'd be amply rewarded. I'm just curious about what happened to the old man - whether the movie did become interesting or what. Anybody make it to the end?

Tarkovsky is the king.

[–] daniel_man38 18 years ago

You lost nothing! It's pretty much the same for the rest of the film. Nothing happens to the old man. The same scenes are repeted over and over again. And that was pretty much it! That's what the movie is all about: repetition in life, a eternal daily comeback. There are some social-political metaphors now and then, but most of it needed a undestanding of portuguese life. Why did it get such great reviews? The monotony and the boring camerawork. Because anything that is an exact oposit of mainstream cinema, is for some reason imediately consider genius.

[–] heptaparaparshinokh 18 years ago

I don't entirely agree with the last statement, but yeah, i've noticed a few movies that I find completely boring getting rave reviews on the whole film festival scene - and this is coming from a guy who thought that andrei rublev was fast paced - i usually have tolerance for slow movies, but colossal youth seemed like a colossal waste of time.

Tarkovsky is the king.

[–] 18 years ago

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[–] lichung-1 17 years ago

10 out of 40 people walked out of the lincoln center screening. how terribly depressing--usually film savvy people attend lincoln center screenings. nobody contemplates anymore. yes, you miss quite a bit by walking out. since you mention him, you can't judge a tarkovsky film without watching the ending; it's the same with this one.

[–] filmfauve 17 years ago

i agree. hugely depressing. i was at the same screening, and while i found some aspects of the film infuriating, I think the only way to begin to appreciate a movie like this is to pull yourself through to the end, and, frankly, ALLOW yourself to be infuriated, allow yourself to get a little restless. I think those things are part of an experience like this.

That said, I have no idea how anyone could consider the camerawork boring. The movie as a whole? Fine. The camera, absolutely not. True, there are only two or three moving shots in the film, but compositions like this only come around once or twice a year. Every shot is fascinating--aside from the aesthetics (I've never seen digital video look so soft and weathered), there are great ideas in just about every frame.

[–] lichung-1 17 years ago

so you got to see the projection focus issues with me (or was that the camera??). Right, the filmmaker does want to illicit some of those negative responses. and i agree about the composition; the reviews that say "haunting visuals" are exactly right.

[–] 17 years ago

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[–] cineamante 17 years ago

I just saw the film today at a screening in Washington DC and thought it was wonderful, so yes, I think you should have stayed. That said, many many people walked out at different stages, some quite early on. I think the film needed to be experienced in a way where you were not waiting for some sort of story arc or resolution or even clear event. Just focusing on Ventura (the old man you refer to) as a witness to the younger adults, and just getting yourself into the rhythm and deeper meaning of such repetitive elements as the repeated yet constantly revised verbal letter eventually produced a very deep pleasure, in this viewer anyway.

[–] jonathonsturgeon 16 years ago

i think your walking out on the film exemplifies costa's point about democracy. you, a member of a democratic republic, are incapable of tolerating a specific point of view b/c of the length of time, a mere few hours, required to ingest the thought-pattern.

regardless of whether you liked the film, kudos to those of you who stayed. truly, you are carapace of democracy.

besides, those of you who left early missed the final scene of the film, from where the title derives.

best,
jkyle

[–] 16 years ago

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[–] jpraposo 16 years ago

Good to sleep!

[–] 16 years ago

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[–] thecorduroysuit 14 years ago

I should expect such a juvenile and uneducated comment from somebody who has the username Nazigirl (What are you, 12 years old? Grow up).

This film is beautiful and contemplative in a way few films can claim to be (Bela Tarr and Theo Angelopoulos come to mind). The sadness and loneliness Ventura must suffer through simply to continue living is heartbreaking. His life - like many immigrants in the Fontainhas district of Lisbon - would not be terribly exiting, so why should Costa attempt to embellish it? I'm sorry you didn't enjoy this extraordinary film. I'm assuming you saw Costa's first two films in the trilogy (Otherwise why would you see this film), so I'm not sure what you were expecting to see.

[–] worldisadonut 14 years ago

Just watched the film and found it beauiful and brilliant. It's about the passing (or perhaps the simultaneous existence even after extiction) of the soul of the Cape Verdian immigrants of Fountainhas. Film art at it's highest level: aesthetically, politically and spiritually.

[–] Filler_Killer 9 years ago

Just saw the movie and I quite liked it. Truth is it may not be for everyone, but if you're willing to contemplate and take part in it, it might end up being a rewarding experience for you.

For people that didn't like it, one must ask: How long would you care to look/examine a photograph? How long do you usually contemplate a painting? Having said that, how long would you contemplate a photograph or a painting that moves and talks? If you're the kind of person that looks for life, or context for that matter, in an image, you can't get bored from these kinds of films.

If you're heading in for the plot, forget it. There's no pre-formatted drama, no gimmicks or tricks to grab your emotions, just simple, unplotted life. You either let yourself in, or you don't. It's not a matter or being smarter or more educated or more knowledgeable, it's just a matter of letting yourself into the mise-en-scéne or "mise-en-vie", or remaining a mere audience pawn. It's not at all that different from a documentary, just shift your gears towards it, and you'll find a great piece of film.

-You won't forget me now?

-No. I've got nobody else to remember.