Youth Without Youth (2008)

Written and Directed by Francis Ford Coppola There are few film directors in the world that when they make a film, it is considered an event in the world of cinema. Over the past 36 years, Francis Ford Coppola has become known as one of these directors, because so many of his films have become landmarks in American cinema. However, many people will come to question the director's ability when he takes a 10 year hiatus from filmmaking, and with a break that long, sometimes those questions can become justified unless said director hits a home run his first time back up to the plate. Worry not, film fans, because with his latest opus Youth Without Youth, Coppola does just that. Dominic (Tim Roth) is a college professor obsessed with linguistics, and he has made his life mission to discover the origin of language, which his peers joke will take him 10 lifetimes. No matter, Dominic is determined to prove them wrong and find a way to discover the origin of language, which he feels will also reveal the origin of humanity. In this broken narrative, we see Dominic lose his first love, because of his dedication to his work. At age 70, Dominic is leaving his favorite cafe in Romania, in 1938, when he is struck by lightning. He begins the slow, long process of recovering from such an incident, but as he recovers, and the doctors caring for him learn who he is, they are amazed when he tells them he is 70 years old. Even in his terrible condition, they can tell that he does not have the body of a 70 year old man. The doctor who cares for him, Professor Stanciulescu, becomes obsessed with Dominic's recovery, because as he is recovering, his body seems to be reversing its aging, and by the time his skin is finally healed, Dominic has the body of a 35 year old man, his old teeth have fallen out, and in their place brand new ones have grown in. Dominic takes this as a blessing, because it means he might finally have time to complete his life's work. Along the way, he stumbles and has many different obstacles to overcome, both personally, and professionally, as the Nazis have heard about his story, and they want him to serve in their experiments towards creating a master race. So, constantly dodging the Nazis, Dominic spends the next 15 years trying to discover the origin of language. To reveal any more of the plot would be a disservice to anyone interested in seeing the film. I will say though, the film deals a lot in metaphysics, and how the lightning striking Dominic has changed him, and affected his life in many different ways. Many people that have seen this film say it is a muddled mess, the plot doesn't draw a straight line, but anyone paying attention to the story will realize this is part of the plot itself. It's a thoroughly confusing film, but if close attention is paid to the plot, there is a clear meaning to be discerned, and it's not a terribly difficult one to decipher. However, I think that due to many lazy film viewers, this film has not gotten a fair shake, and a lot of audiences are missing out on a new Coppola classic. Tim Roth is one of those actors that every once in a while, he plays a clearly fantastic role, and this is one of those times. He hides himself in the role in a way that not many actors can, becoming the character, like only the best actors do. The brilliant direction, in conjunction with the beautiful cinematography tells the story on so many levels that I feel one viewing may not do the film full justice. It is a multi-layered, time skipping epic that tells many stories throughout the course of its plot, none of which are any less important than the other, with the most important of them touching on the evolution, or rather, the mutation of humanity as a whole, as shaped by the social changes, the wars fought, and even the weapons used along the way. This is a complex return for Coppola, and I believe the story being told reflects the point at which Coppola has reached in his life. This is definitely not a film for everyone, in fact I would be hard pressed to really recommend it because I realize the audience for it is probably very small in comparison to many of Coppola's other films, but for true fans of cinema, this is definitely an experience worth sitting through, there is knowledge to be gained from this film. I imagine Coppola's next film will be more suited for mainstream audiences, less audacious, and in turn, less personal, but for now, it's good to have one of the modern masters back in the directing chair. 9.0/10