This Must Be the PlaceNo odyssey ever took place at home. This Must Be the Place is a drama about reclusive ex-glam/goth rock star, Cheyenne (Sean Penn), who aimlessly passes time in his opulent mansion in Ireland, each day as unfulfilled as the last. When he receives word that his estranged father is on death's door, Cheyenne returns to the United States, and discovers that his father--an Auschwitz survivor--had been tracking the former Nazi prison guard responsible for his humiliation during the war. Cheyenne takes up his father's crusade, and begins his trek across the country to claim vengeance in homage.
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It would be easy to look at This Must Be the Place and presume that it is a farcical comedy, if for no better reason than because of the Cheyenne's appearance. His abode in Dublin is a framed image of wealth and rock star royalty, but there is no sense of joy that comes from him. This isn't helped by the fact that Cheyenne speaks almost consistently with a low mutter, rarely inflecting his voice or raising it. He frequently wears large sunglasses that conceals his eyes from the world, and dresses almost uniformly in black--as if he were in a persistent state of mourning or hiding from the world. Cheyenne jokes (in his dry, almost imperceptible way) that everybody plays the fool; more than just quoting a song lyric, he is describing himself and the world. There is little to no nostalgia about Cheyenne's past as a superstar, but he is often recognized by his fans in both in Ireland and America, young and old, no matter how he tries to hide. Perhaps this presentation of himself is a cry for attention--but given Cheyenne's malaise and his subsequent clandestine investigation, this seems unlikely. Cheyenne and his wife, Jane (Frances McDormand), enjoy a healthy, stable marriage; she has come to terms with his unique lifestyle, and are affectionate with one another, even if Cheyenne is often introverted or bored. Cheyenne's absurd appearance could be a critique of a society obsessed with the superficial, or one that uses celebrities to justify their behavior--a kind of performance art. It could also be a self-inflicted punishment, born from the a specter of guilt that clings to him. After achieving a multi-million dollar music career out of "downer" songs and depressing rock, one of his fans decided to commit suicide, and Cheyenne has blamed himself for it ever since. Cheyenne's appearance represents an inner turmoil--passive aggressive though it may be; Cheyenne is also in a state of arrested development. He confesses he left home when he was fifteen, after first wearing makeup--meant to be a rebellious teenage behavior and not cross-dressing. Cheyenne was convinced that his father didn't love him, and for thirty years, he and his father never spoke. Cheyenne has allowed his fears to consume him; when he prepares to fly home to visit his father before he dies, he is so scared that he travels by trans-Atlantic cruise ship, and arrives too late. Cheyenne feels obligated to follow through on his father's secret quest to revenge himself for the tortures he endured during the Holocaust. This is not just to subconsciously redeem himself to his late father, but to better understand the man who gave him life. There are numerous moments where Cheyenne is compared to being like a child; he comes across at times as being naive and even petulant. For all of his professed vices and his penchant to swear at inappropriate times, Cheyenne acts a lot like a scared, young boy. His journey to follow in his father's footsteps is also a journey to become a man--someone he feels his father could be proud of. He professes that he hadn't given much thought to having children of his own, but later comes to regret that, discovering the greatest curse of all: being "too late".
This Must Be the Place derives its title from a song by The Talking Heads (not Arcade Fire, who Cheyenne comments covered it), and David Byrne also makes a cameo in the film. The scene following a brief performance by Byrne is revealing; David Byrne looks like the literal opposite of Cheyenne, dressed in a bright, white suit with a shock of white hair, beaming light like an angel or God himself. After his concert, Byrne is playing on an elaborate piano-like instrument, with gold and blue wires stemming out of it--there is a sensation that he is in tune with something beyond mere music. Cheyenne bares his soul about the great existential crisis affecting him, and describes David as a friend, even though they haven't spoken in a while. David Byrne represents "God" for Cheyenne, and the guidance he's seeking is a kind of "prayer". Cheyenne's roots becomes more relevant in the second half of the film; Cheyenne's father--and his family--are Jewish, although Cheyenne confesses that he is not a practicing Jew. Cheyenne uses subterfuge as he travels across the United States, tracking down the infamous Alois Lange (Heinz Lieven), aided by the legendary Nazi hunter, Mordecai Midler (Judd Hirsch). His journey west is a kind of "exodus", through a metaphorical desert of the soul as he seeks his "promised land" of redemption--his father's diary is his "bible" that guides him on this path. Much of the beginning of This Must Be the Place feels unfocused and aimless, as though Cheyenne has not yet discovered his sense of direction. Wanting to do something meaningful for his father gives his life meaning again, and helps him to see the beauty of the world once more. He visits assorted small towns in America, from Bad Axe in Michigan to Alamogordo in New Mexico. These dusty and reclusive locales speak to a quieter and more modest way of life, different than Cheyenne's world. These episodes vary in tone; the midnight infiltration of the house of Alois' wife (complete with a nosy swan named Emily poking at him while he tries to hide) is hysterical, although others are more heartfelt interludes. The most touching of these is when Cheyenne meets Rachel (Kerry Condon)--the granddaughter of his assumed nemesis--and he befriends the single mom, even buying an above ground pool for her son, Tommy (Grant Goodman), to try to help him overcome his fear of the water. Cheyenne speaks of how he will choose to not "be afraid", and the two of them open up to one another. Cheyenne is trying to coax the location of her grandfather from her, giving these scenes a bittersweet edge; regardless, they both prosper from one another's companionship, like a plant needs sun. There is a repeated line in the diary of Cheyenne's father (voiced by Frank Langella): "Before the inferno, I had a light heart." Cheyenne carries this with him and it reminds him of how regret has hung from his neck like a millstone. This sorrow has weighed him down and kept him from experiencing the rich pageant of life beyond the superficial persona of a rock star. Coming to terms with these complex emotions represents Cheyenne finally crossing that threshold from a child and into a man.
Recommended for: Fans of a touching and soul-searching drama about family and legacy, as well as understanding one's place in the world and moving beyond regret. Sean Penn gives a surprisingly nuanced performance that asks the audience to look beyond the artificial exterior and sympathize with universal existential doubts and primal fears.
This Must Be the Place derives its title from a song by The Talking Heads (not Arcade Fire, who Cheyenne comments covered it), and David Byrne also makes a cameo in the film. The scene following a brief performance by Byrne is revealing; David Byrne looks like the literal opposite of Cheyenne, dressed in a bright, white suit with a shock of white hair, beaming light like an angel or God himself. After his concert, Byrne is playing on an elaborate piano-like instrument, with gold and blue wires stemming out of it--there is a sensation that he is in tune with something beyond mere music. Cheyenne bares his soul about the great existential crisis affecting him, and describes David as a friend, even though they haven't spoken in a while. David Byrne represents "God" for Cheyenne, and the guidance he's seeking is a kind of "prayer". Cheyenne's roots becomes more relevant in the second half of the film; Cheyenne's father--and his family--are Jewish, although Cheyenne confesses that he is not a practicing Jew. Cheyenne uses subterfuge as he travels across the United States, tracking down the infamous Alois Lange (Heinz Lieven), aided by the legendary Nazi hunter, Mordecai Midler (Judd Hirsch). His journey west is a kind of "exodus", through a metaphorical desert of the soul as he seeks his "promised land" of redemption--his father's diary is his "bible" that guides him on this path. Much of the beginning of This Must Be the Place feels unfocused and aimless, as though Cheyenne has not yet discovered his sense of direction. Wanting to do something meaningful for his father gives his life meaning again, and helps him to see the beauty of the world once more. He visits assorted small towns in America, from Bad Axe in Michigan to Alamogordo in New Mexico. These dusty and reclusive locales speak to a quieter and more modest way of life, different than Cheyenne's world. These episodes vary in tone; the midnight infiltration of the house of Alois' wife (complete with a nosy swan named Emily poking at him while he tries to hide) is hysterical, although others are more heartfelt interludes. The most touching of these is when Cheyenne meets Rachel (Kerry Condon)--the granddaughter of his assumed nemesis--and he befriends the single mom, even buying an above ground pool for her son, Tommy (Grant Goodman), to try to help him overcome his fear of the water. Cheyenne speaks of how he will choose to not "be afraid", and the two of them open up to one another. Cheyenne is trying to coax the location of her grandfather from her, giving these scenes a bittersweet edge; regardless, they both prosper from one another's companionship, like a plant needs sun. There is a repeated line in the diary of Cheyenne's father (voiced by Frank Langella): "Before the inferno, I had a light heart." Cheyenne carries this with him and it reminds him of how regret has hung from his neck like a millstone. This sorrow has weighed him down and kept him from experiencing the rich pageant of life beyond the superficial persona of a rock star. Coming to terms with these complex emotions represents Cheyenne finally crossing that threshold from a child and into a man.
Recommended for: Fans of a touching and soul-searching drama about family and legacy, as well as understanding one's place in the world and moving beyond regret. Sean Penn gives a surprisingly nuanced performance that asks the audience to look beyond the artificial exterior and sympathize with universal existential doubts and primal fears.