The Loneliest Planet

Flash Summary:
A couple on vacation in the Georgia (not the American Georgia) Mountains undergoes some serious issues within their relationship and themselves, but not in your typical romantic manner.

My Review:
     Julia Loktev's The Loneliest Planet was a film I had actually wanted to see for quite some time. When the film's trailer popped up online a while back, I was captivated by the fact that it revealed close to nothing about the film other than a couple surrounded by greenery and mountain life. After a while I had forgotten about the film until the ever-so-grand Netflix decided to add it to my Most Recommended For You list (thank you, Netflix!). Needless to say, I will do what I can to avoid any sort of spoiling in this review, as this film is truly one for the eyes.

     As stated above, the film follows couple Alex and Nica, played by Gael Garcia Bernal and Hani Furstenberg, as they go on a guided hiking trip through the mountains of European Georgia. Their tour guide, played by Bidzina Gujabidze, slowly begins to reveal more about their surroundings and himself along their excursions through the beautiful landscape. A specific moment (or two) in the film serves as the conflict(s) and the moving action, what people will be waiting for. The movie does not have much dialogue, immediately creating a sense of loneliness (I see what you did there, Loktev). Instead, our actors are using their body language and their surroundings to evoke emotion to the audience.

     If there is any reason to see this movie, it is for the best cinematography of 2011. I find it hard to understand how this wasn't even nominated for the award, since the shots of the mountain plains and the specific camera angling to evoke or oppress emotional energy from the actors is astounding to say the least. This is not a thriller, which the trailer I saw did tend to lean towards to, and this is not a romantic movie in the traditional sense. This is two very real people struggling with a very real issue of trust and care.

Somewhat Spoiler Alert:
I follow most of Gael Garcia Bernal's films under a close eye ever since Y Tu Mama, Tambien, and seeing his involvement with the film was a huge hit for me, personally. But this is, by no means, his film. All three of our characters play very challenging, struggling roles and no one person is any more important than the other once the credits roll. I can say that my counterpart, when watching this, was appalled at the ending, which she felt was very shortcoming and inexplicable. In movies that have subject matter so real as this, I find these endings to be more "complete" in a loose tense, because everyone asks themselves "Where do we go from here?" at least once in their lives.

After careful consideration to all of the elements of the movie, I would say that I appreciated the film more than liked/disliked it. There was almost a sense of an image being painted, moreover than simply trying to capture a story like a usual movie. There is a sense of reality and urgency in this film, that honestly took my breath away at points, something I felt extremely uncomfortable with. In the end, I quite enjoyed my trip to The Loneliest Planet, and would encourage anyone to see it that is looking for gritty and tense substance in film.