Eye For Film >> Movies >> Allegro (2005) Film Review
Allegro
Reviewed by: Amber Wilkinson
Zetterstrom (Ulrich Thomsen) is a concert pianist who returns to his native Copenhagen having found "peace in music where he can escape life's disappointments" to such an extent that he has entirely blotted out memories of his past.
Recalling Tarkovsky's Stalker, director Christopher Boe's protagnist must embark on a journey into a mysterious Zone at the heart of the city. He gains access, thanks to narrator Tom (Henning Moritzen), via the unlikely entrance in a ladies loo and goes in search of himself and his lost love Andrea (Helena Christensen).
Allegro truly defies classification. Part romance, part animation, part sci-fi thriller - Boe uses any and every tool he can get his hands on to tell this tale of emotional isolation and resolution. And despite its surreal aspects, he keeps it real, as if Terry Gilliam had adopted cinema verite.
The genre-bending antics may not be everyone's cup of tea but there's no doubting his innovation.
Reviewed on: 14 Sep 2006