Toby, a cynical advertising director, finds himself trapped in the outrageous delusions of an old Spanish shoe-maker who believes himself to be Don Quixote. In the course of their comic and increasingly surreal adventures, Toby is forced to confront the tragic repercussions of a film he made in his idealistic youth – a film that changed the hopes and dreams of a small Spanish village forever. Can Toby make amends and regain his humanity? Can Don Quixote survive his madness and imminent death? Or will love conquer all?
Having only gotten into the movie reviewing schtick recently, the opening words meant little to me. “And now … after 25 years in the making … and unmaking” seemed an odd way to start a film, but minimal research afterwards will send you down the rabbit-hole with obstacles that this film has had to overcome since it's inception in 1989 (yes, this film has been in the works since the year I was born, which is probably why I don't remember it).
Unable to secure funding, sets and equipment destroyed through flooding, actors lost through sickness, not able to get insurance, and cancellations have all hampered this project. It is the sort of history and pretence that would leave you with an end-product that is either absolutely mind-alteringly brilliant, or catastrophically abysmal. And yet, The Man Who Killed Don Quixote is neither.
Starring Adam Driver (a.k.a. Kylo Ren from Star Wars) Jonathan Pryce (the High Sparrow from Game of Thrones) as the main protagonist Toby and the man who believes he is the titular Don Quixote respectively, this is without a doubt, a Terry Gilliam film. It takes mere minutes before you get that Monty Python vibe, where everything feels like a series of skits and sketches loosely held together by the two main characters. What is really missing though, is a sense of cohesion.
In the opening scenes alone, it is a cobblepot of actions and dialogue that is rather ineffective at telling you exactly what is going on. With conflicting inputs from a large number of characters, it's altogether difficult to know where to place your focus.
As the film progresses, however, we start to see how Toby's past has a profoundly large effect on the area, and as his own career had flourished, both Toby and this shoe-maker have been caught up in their own parallel delusions of grandeur. The Man Who Killed Don Quixote doesn't flirt with fantasy, the lines of reality and fantasy are fully merged and twisted to create a vision of a world full of innocence, naivety, and simple justice. The difficulty to discern between what is real, and what is not, actually becomes a barrier to fully enjoying the film. The level of uncertainty prevents full immersion into the story, as the narrative is not trustworthy.
Adam Driver has yet to impress me. And this is another case of his character appearing petulant and not overly likeable. Jonathan Pryce, on the other hand, was exceptional, and you could see that there was not a single moment of Jonathan Pryce. Every moment was Don Quixote.
The Man Who Killed Don Quixote puts together a batch of fun little scenes, with its actors and actresses taking on many roles in the film. Much like if you were to watch an episode of Saturday Night Live as if it were all a single storyline, there is a lot of confusion that is explained away eventually under the guise of delusion, but the payoff is not really there.
The Man Who Killed Don Quixote is quizzical. After taking 30 years to reach fruition, it is in itself the lovechild of reality and delusion. An intriguing watch, but perhaps down to the age of the script, the comedy just isn't there. I am not laughing at the misunderstandings of a confused man. I pity a man that has been taken advantage of.
The Man Who Killed Don Quixote is out in selected cinemas May 23rd 2019.
The Man Who Killed Don Quixote is out in selected cinemas May 23rd 2019.