Gilliam films are often a bit disjointed, a swirl of ideas, characters, timelines and scenes. Usually though it all pulls together beautifully... but not quite so much here though. Perhaps it’s not surprising considering the lengthy (nearly 20 years) and troubled production, it’s amazing it got finished at all. It’s oddly enjoyable to watch though, a weird trip of farce and surreal fantasy, as Adam Driver’s central character gets drawn into his own increasingly dark, delusional and dreamlike film vision. It’s pretty uncompromising, sometimes confusing, but always magical. In years to come, I can’t help but think this multi-layered marvel will be considered a masterpiece.
7/10
