Mister Lonely
With Diego Luna, Samantha Morton, Denis Lavant.
UK/France/US, 2008, 35mm, color, 112 min.
Print source: IFC Films
After not directing for several years, Korine’s career took an unexpected turn with his whimsical, fantastical comeback film, a floating dream narrative about family and utopian fantasy co-written with his brother Avi. Mister Lonely is loosely structured as a diptych whose first half focuses on a zealous priest- played no less by Werner Herzog- airdropping supplies to nuns, some with miraculous powers, deep in a remote South American jungle. The film’s second half offers a lush, unresolved fable about a community of celebrity doppelgangers living in the Scottish Highlands and played by an unusual all-star cast including Diego Luna, Samantha Morton, James Fox and Leos Carax favorite Denis Lavant. Largely misunderstood and dismissed by critics, Mister Lonely reveals a different gentler side of Korine, showcasing his full talents as a visual stylist through its haunting and painterly tableaux imagery.