Poesía Sin Fin (2016) Reviews

• The most beautiful film in Cannes and Locarno

  ashleymolco-635112016-08-18

  There is no doubt that Poesía Sin Fin represents the highest and most astounding manifestation of Jodorowsky's cinematic work. The Film is a pure, honest and unpretentious expression of the director's youth. It is a journey which takes us by the hand and invites us to see the world differently, through the eyes of the poet ; for whom the possibility of a Life filled with drive, desire, wonder and ultimately, freedom, liberated him from the person he was not. A must-see masterpiece rich with many many layers of interpretation ; from the most naive youth-driven imaginary to the deepest most mature form of reflection and expression. Cinema that heals, cinema that explores, cinema that inspires, truly and deeply.

• Lovers of Jodorowsky rejoice! Beware everyone else

  sossevarvo2016-08-19

  Endless Poetry is absolutely, incessantly, unceremoniously weird, but kind of astonishing. In other words, a typical Jodorowsky film. Continuing his saga of semi-autobiographical films, this tells the tale of Jodorowsky in youth discovering the power of poetry and living out a culturally enriched, eccentric fantasy. T he film is immediately arresting, by virtue of its strangeness. People in black suits appear to take items out of characters hands at random moments across the film. One of the characters sings every line she has, for no explicable reason. There is so much imagery packed into each frame that any attempt to understand their meaning is pointless. Endless Poetry is amovie that most people would probably not have the patience for. Under objective terms, it verges on incoherent, pretentious, unintentionally funny and flagrantly self-aggrandising (imagine if Scorsese, Nolan or even David O'Russell decided to make a trilogy of films about their own lives) where very little makes sense. But Jodorowsky films defy categorisation. There's this peculiar, unique spell the film takes on where a minority of the audience will become enraptured in the pure strangeness, as well as Jodorowsky's infectious enthusiasm and "joie de vivre" that pours out of every frame. Being a Jodorowsky fan I enjoyedthis, but this film is certainly not for every one. However if you arelooking for something incredibly different to watch, perhaps you willfind the endearing, beautiful, non-hagiographic ode to life that i found, or you will hate it and switch it off after ten minutes. For me, anyway, it was a film that offered many rewards, especially as Jodorowsky is a filmmaker so wondrously unique that anything he makes is immediately compelling.

• I can tell that the movie has lot of heart

  kaptenvideo-898752017-08-01

  88 year old art, poetry, movie, theatre and spirituality guru Alejandro Jodorowsky returns with another bonkers screen story about his youth, which does not resemble any other thing you may be used to catching at your local multiplex. Jodorowsky's younger self is played by his 37 year old son Adan – think Andy Samberg without a stupid grin – and the story narrates the artist's youth during which he liberated himself from all of his former limitations, including strict parents, and was introduced into the bohemian artistic circle of 1940s Chile. If you are like me – familiar mostly with mainstream cinema and not familiar with Jodorowsky at all – „Poesía sin fin" („Endless Poetry") will be most curious experience indeed. The 128-minute journey resembles experimental play rather than movies as we like to think about them in traditional sense, but in this case, it's a good thing. The resulting comic-dramatic-weirdness explosion is packing so many enjoyable things and details to digest that only very smart people really „get it", probably. But first and foremostly, art is not for the mind, and just by watching I can tell that the movie has lot of heart. It could probably benefit from being shorter, the last third feels a bit stretched out – maybe because the visual side feels so rich and inventive that it wears many down eventually. But the whole thing is so unusual and good-weird that it's easy to recommend it. If you watch at least ten minutes from the start, you will know if this kind of thing is right for you. Even if it's not your cup of tea, you would probably like some parts of Jodorowsky's seemingly endless inventiveness and wackiness. It may go on for too long, but the ending is powerful, especially if you are familiar with depth psychology and symbolics related with it. Jodorowsky is. During his colorful life, the man has founded his own therapeutic practice psychomagic which uses aspects of eastern philosophies, mysticism and psychoanalysis to heal patients with emotional problems. You know, just saying.

• Alejandro Jodorowsky's fantastical portrayal of his own past continues...

  Mike_Olson2017-03-20

  Alejandro Jodorowsky's visually-exaggerated fantastical portrayal of his own past continues, beginning by cleverly playing off imagery from the first film, THE DANCE OF REALITY (2013), and thus making it clear that this is an ongoing narrative. In this case we see young boy Alejandro arriving in Santiago Chile with his strong-willed father and his mother with her unique form of communicating... There, he grows into a teenager and then a young man who discovers his greatest desire is to become a poet, against the wishes of his father. Leaving his family he seeks out other artists and the unhindered artist lifestyle. The unique characters he meets on his journey...well, that's a big part of the story. There were a couple scenes in this film that seemed slightly self indulgent, which detracted from the feeling of complete pure story that I experienced with the first film. But that's not intended as a strong criticism of the entire film. It felt like a middle film in a trilogy sometimes feels, having it's points to make. Overall, it's an entertaining continuation and is at times emotionally powerful. The original plan was to film five "memoirs" total...I hope he makes it to the end.

• Jodorosky is Trying to be oh-so-wise & rebellious, but overdoing it all

  relate-478352017-07-20

  Spoiler: note the Synopsis here is written by 1 of the producers, exaggerating the value and effects of what is seen in the movie on screen. Notice fancy words like "titan" + "foremost" + "liberated himself from all of his former limitations" , etc. A Not quite accurate promotional blurb here. This is a way too long repetitive (while being visually creative) movie with more symbols than any religious books, including bibles. This poetic legacy-insuring movie about the writer/director,Jodorowsky, looks like a homage, honoring of himself - and insuring his poetry is heard, if not read elsewhere. A man attempting to insure his words and images are never lost, if preserved on a (2 hrs+ more min) self-story, as rebel. Notice not only is Jodorowsky shown on screen as himself, but apparently others with his name are actors showing him at younger ages. How self-glorifying is this casting ? Is this a paean to the man who long ago created "El Topo" and now is wanting to insure he is never ever forgotten, not now nor later? the usual theme: son who has a strict father rebels and escapes, only to go to other extreme in all physical, emotional, psychological realms, to show his father he was not "that way" – as father was, or as father feared a "maricon !" (a homosexual – the usual fear & accusation to males who did not conform to social strictures of that era…never forgetting it is not 2017 but 1940's in Chile, as it was then). Now Jodorowsky, at his older age,appears in film with white hair, with desperate words trying to impart his wisdom (nothing unusual, nothing not read in Buddhist, zen, Taoist, and other philosophical religions too). While more interesting at beginning of movie, as plot develops and viewers have not been bombed and splattered with repetitive not-ashamed-scenes of extremes: in sex, in females, in nude bodies, in unusual bodies (not as 'normal'-usual ones), the exhaustion sets in after the first hour. While the colorful, obvious symbols of social-rebellion are shown, and more are depicted, and more are displayed and more…. the " way too much" effect sets in, anyhow. Any male who wants to claim superiority to their parent, especially to the Father figure of authority, who is not explored as a character there, but just depicted as a terrible ,cruel father will agree that sons are deprived of their "rights" as children should have, get, demand. And as so much is also repeated at end of movie with the 'poor me – I was not treated as I should be" lament (as is so popular and believed by many adult-children and adult-males too) many will say "this movie is also my story" and bleed for their own imperfect parents and deprived-of-hugs childhood. Hooey ! Had this film been the more tolerable length or made into 2 segments with an intermission in between, perhaps, maybe, the repetitive effect would have dissipated and the author's poetic words (obviously intending to be 'of deep meaning' & wisdom') to teach us, the viewers & audience, what we must never have heard elsewhere nor know ourselves. How demeaning to be treated as if the artistic author knew & learned so much More than 'the rest of us, peons'. Spoiler: The film was spoken in Spanish with quick-disappearing English subtitles. The action and images moved quickly so to absorb the dialogue and view the film was a bit tricky. Listening in Spanish and confirming inaudible part with subtitles allowed this reviewer better understanding of what was portrayed than just the reading in English before the next scene explodes on screen. It is worth seeing for the visuals, the interesting symbols, costumes, even extreme-rebellious scenes of bodies not commonly viewed in usual films. Or see as much as is enjoyable,as much teaching as viewer needs and walk out before the over-long + over-stretched +over-ego-applause -to-author-The-Originator sets in, because then, the viewers of this film walked out looking for light, ....for air, for the bathroom, quickly ! More info found : re: Peggy Cordero in Wikipedia Spanish says:in July 2015 when she acted as the mother of main protagonist in his youth ....." but "cast" list on IMDb does NOT list her at all anywhere to be found there....except a found 'trivia' comment. see Wikipedia in Spanish for Peggy Cordero- it includes: Peggy Cordero died on July 9,2017 of heart attack. B.1935-d.2017 She was a social activist during Chile's coup & dictatorship and before then, she was also a recognized actor since 1962. (see: images for this name) Q: why is hero's "father" or "mother" not listed as characters nor are actors named/ found on IMDb movie site ? see: "contribute.IMDb.com/updates"