Okay, so any movie which has David Byrne in it and features a fair amount of Will Oldham on the soundtrack was always gonna appeal to us. Add to that Sean Penn as a perplexingly funny goth rocker and the ever-wonderful Frances McDormand as Penn's wife, and you have yourself quite the film.
The story is thus: Penn plays Cheyenne, a bored, retired, eye-linered, wealthy American former celeb living in Dublin. He's a complex character, bumbling around town with friends and living in an enormous mansion. When he learns of the death of his father - who he has been estranged from for over 30 years - he returns to America to embark on a road trip that will change him forever. His quest is driven by the revelation that his father was humiliated in Auschwitz at the hands of an SS officer, who may still be alive and living in America. Cheyenne's search takes him across the heartland of a country now foreign to him, encountering some great people as he is reawakened to the possibility of reconciliation and self-discovery.
At first, Penn's character is hard to get a handle on, but soon, his bumbling confusion combined with some cracking one-liners make him genuinely appealing and his journey across The States is intriguing and shot beautifully. This really is a stunning film to look at - an absolute feast for the eyes. While some of the sub-plots serve to confuse, This Must Be The Place is entertaining and at times touching, sad and laugh-out-loud funny.
The good news for you (if you live in Australia) is that Bobbysix.com has teamed up with our mates at Hopscotch Films and have a couple of double passes to give away. All you have to do is send your name and address to info@bobbysix.com with the subject "This must be the place to score a double pass" by April 4th and we'll select the winners at random. The pass is valid at selected cinemas in Sydney, Perth, Brisvegas, Radelaide and Melbs and the film is rated M.
