You Will Meet A Tall Dark Stranger…The Need For Illusions

After years of using the hugely filmo-genic New York as the set to all his stories, Woody Allen made a location change in 2005 when he filmed the excellent Match Point with Jonathan Rhys Meyers and Scarlett Johansson, in London. This became his biggest commercial success in ten years and England was to be the country of choice for three more films, the disappointing Scoop, the equally average Cassandra’s Dream and his latest film You Will Meet A Tall Dark Stranger.
However prior to this, Allen got back his magic spark with the sexy and entertaining Vicky, Christina Barcelona for which Penelope Cruz got an Oscar for best supporting actress. The rest of the cast: Javier Bardem, Scarlett Johansson and Rebecca Hall just oozed sex appeal and charm and sunny Spain has never looked as good.

But with You Will Meet A Tall Dark Stranger, Woody Allen takes us back to London, which despite being a really beautiful city, looks a little bleak which makes one rely 100 per cent on the amazing performances of the entire cast.

The film which is narrated with a voice-over like many of Allen’s work, relates the story of some very muddled and terribly human characters. It starts with Alfie played by Anthony Hopkins who leaves Helena his wife of 40 years (Gemma Jones, brilliant) and gets entangled with a hooker Charmaine (the hilarious Lucy Punch), who soon becomes his second wife and proceeds to empty his bank account. Desperate to cling to his youth, Alfie ignores the obvious signs of a disastrous decision. His unhappily married daughter, Sally is left to deal with the very depressed Helena who sips on anything she can and pours her heart out to a fake fortune teller who predicts new love and good fortunes to the abandoned wife. Sally’s husband Roy, played by Josh Brolin, is a one hit wonder author who now spends his time spying on his beautiful neighbour (Freida Pinto from Slumdog Millionaire).

Meanwhile, Naomi Watts who lends her delicate features to Sally, is developing a crush on her married boss, gallery owner Jack (Antonio Banderas). She is finding it increasingly difficult to deal with her husband’s attitude, his lack of interest in starting a family and the general tension in her household which is exacerbated by the constant visits of her mother who has unfortunately developed immense faith in the con artist fortune teller who was recommended by Sally. Roy keeps telling Sally that her mother is in need of medication to which she answers that “Sometimes illusions are better than medicine.”

And that is what the film is about: illusions and delusions to keep oneself going. Delusional, Anthony Hopkins’s character most certainly is as no man in a sane state of mind would ever think that a young, fun loving, uneducated hooker would see anything in him other than a money pit. Helena on the other hand, willingly remains in a delusional state of mind simply because it is more satisfying than reality. Haven’t we all at some stage of our lives consulted some bogus palmist or card reader, sometimes even online or over the phone, just to be told that our future will be great?
Roy decides to live the illusion that he is a great writer and Sally that she will make it as a gallery owner. For all, reality will come crashing down, cynical perhaps but truthful…

The strength of the film mainly lies in the cast. Hopkins is his brilliant self and it is such a pleasure to watch him as a man who does not have it under control. Josh Brolin who had a bit of a late awakening, career wise, is excellent as the sloppy, mediocre and self-absorbed failed writer. On the whole, the male characters are a little pathetic and sad to watch. But Woody Allen is one of the best directors for females roles. I would be very surprised if Gemma Jones or Naomi Watts don’t get Oscar nominations. Even Freida Pinto who is very new in the film scene isn’t that bad, though most would probably focus on her looks than her acting skills.

You Will Meet A Tall Dark Stranger is perhaps not of the same league as Vicky Christina Barcelona or Match Point, only to name Allen’s most recent works, but it certainly does have the master’s touch. I only wish he had filmed it in New York.

Courtesy - The Sunday Leader - By Sumaya Samarasinghe