He Perdido a Marseille Review
He Perdido a Marseille is a 2021 short film written by Francesco Baj and directed by Flavio Marigliani.
The third film in a thought provoking and evocative trilogy collection by Teatro Multilingue, He Perdido a Marseille, is probably the most understated of all the films to date but brings a lot of depth in the characters that make up its world.
This film will start on a bit of a divisive note for many as the choice to leave the blue highlighted stage, an ever-present reminder of the sea, against everything else being black and white leaves the frame rate a bit choppy at times. It is something that you will adjust to, but it really personally stuck out.
It is a piece though that is at its best when we are locked down with the characters, experiencing their motivations and internal turmoil against a tumultuous political climate. Looking back at historical moments like these are always interesting from a modern context, as the parallels are always easy to see to our own modern times.
The few instances where we are shown things from a handheld perspective do come across as a little out of place. The temptation with a rise in action is to go to a method of filming such as this, but in this case, it would have been more than likely better served with a series of quicker cuts rather than the framing we are given.
The acting though from everyone in the piece is top-notch here. Lending so much believability and credence to their characters. Each moment feels earned, and each layer peeled back feels effortlessly natural.
As mentioned, this is the third piece of this trilogy for the wonderfully talented Teatro Multilingue, who have shown time and time again that they can work in both theater as well as film with ease. It is quite fascinating and amazing seeing the flowing of many languages in not just this short, but all the shorts they have done to date.
Overall, He Perdido a Marseille is another great entry into this three-part series of stories. While not the most bombastic of all the pieces, it is the most mature by far, providing something that does not rely on huge twists or subversions. What this is at its core is just good storytelling with interesting characters, and sometimes that is the perfect way to close a series out.
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Cheers!
Daniel Hess
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