Megalopolis

An all-round cinematic experience

A frame from Megalopolis

One of the films I saw at the cinema recently is “Megalopolis” by Francis Ford Coppola.

I went to see it after reading some scathing and lapidary reviews here and there, and for this very reason, I was even more intrigued.

 

“Megalopolis” is not an easy, linear, conventional film. It is not suitable for passive viewing. It requires attention, which is why seeing it at the cinema is definitely the best choice, as it eliminates distractions (hopefully!).

 

It is an oneiric fairy tale, full of allegories and surreal scenes, overflowing with references.

The story in its main points is quite simple, so I think it is useless for me to talk about it (you can read the plot anywhere on the web), but what makes it interesting is the way Coppola decided to show it, playing with the script, the sounds, the sets, the visual effects, the music, and the editing.

“Megalopolis” is an all-round cinematic experience.

 

It may appeal to those who love cinema as a tool for creating art and not simply for telling a story.

It’s understandable that Coppola had to self-produce it and that the average viewer found it confusing because they thought they were simply going to see a story, not living inside a work of art.

 

Many of its aspects that seem crazy or random, in reality, have a purpose. Every shot, every word spoken by the protagonists, every sound. Probably to grasp them all you need more than one viewing and a certain cultural background could be helpful, but it is not essential, since I believe that anyone can appreciate them instinctively if they leave aside the schemes and simply follow the flow of the film.

 

Adam Driver is great, but this is certainly not news.

One scene that I particularly liked is the one with the beams suspended at the top of the skyscraper (that’s where the image accompanying this article comes from). It is very suggestive from a visual point of view. At the same time, in the initial part, it represents well the state of mind of the protagonist in one of the key moments of the story.

 

Coppola specifies at the beginning of the film that it is a fairy tale, and the spirit with which it should be viewed is precisely this: you have to suspend your disbelief.

 

This film starts from a dystopian alternative reality to tending towards utopia. It is loaded with fantastic elements, from the supernatural (the ability to stop time) to alchemical-flavoured pseudo-science fiction (the material invented by the protagonist, Megalon). And it is a joy for the eyes of cinema lovers.

 

Some people may even grasp and perhaps appreciate the moral of this tale. Others, like me, simply enjoy the film without worrying too much.

 

In the end, it depends on each of us, on what we look for when we sit in front of the big screen.

If you are a dreamer and since you were a child, like me, you saw the movie theatre as a place where you could cancel yourself and become part of something else, even to escape from the small and large problems of reality, you should see (or watch) it and judge it for yourself.