IFF MOVIE REVIEW: PEREZ

41/2/5

Dimitrio Perez is a low ranking lawyer who had lost his way in life. His job is a dead end, his wife had left him and his daughter is dating a gangster. A chance encounter with the band of thugs on the street, when his life is threatened, makes him re-think his existence and accept a deal from a mob man he is defending. This deal is supposed to be the solution to all his problems, but he needs to be one step ahead of of his adversaries. And for a man who had never made a single risky decision in his life it may be just too much to bear.

PEREZ is a modern slow burning noir, unpredictable both in character and plot department. Italian mega star Luca Zingaretti is brilliant as a reserved and broken man who has nothing left to lose. The plot puts his character into an impossible situation, and makes him crawl out of it by sheer planning, plotting, improvisation and keeping his head cool. Saying that, PEREZ is not full of action. The story develops slowly but gradually, building up to a tense and satisfying climax.

On the negative side, the film is just too serious. The are many scenes that are screaming for some dark humour inserts, but are just too somber for their own good.

Naples is a stage for the movie, and you had never seen Naples on screen like this - a modern quarter, built of glass and iron, which belongs in Singapore rather than Italy. For the characters, the city presented as a cage of their ambitions and desires, and  the techno soundtrack delivers the sound of broken glass from time to time, as if signifying their attempts to break free.

Perez is a thinking man thriller with great performances, clever cinematography and gives you something to dwell upon when the credits will roll.