360

Although the title might recall La Ronde—Arthur Schnitzler's play (filmed by Max Ophuls in 1950) about a romantically interconnected circle of couples—it's not always love that makes the world go round in director Fernando Meirelles' much darker 360. The interlocking tales of disparate characters promise some great overarching revelation, but in the end merely suggest that life is made up of decisions—or, as one character advises, “when you come to a fork in the road, take it”—hardly a profound observation. 360 begins with an Eastern European refugee who becomes a Viennese prostitute, hired by a British businessman while his own wife is ending an affair. The girlfriend of the wife's ex-lover decides to return home to Brazil, but meets a sex offender along the way, as well as a troubled Brit traveling to identify the body of a girl who might be his estranged daughter. A Russian who is the driver for a mob boss and his unhappy wife are also tossed into the mix. Unfortunately, the characters here are barely sketches, and even fine actors like Anthony Hopkins, Jude Law, Rachel Weisz, and Ben Foster cannot bring them to life. Considering its lofty pedigree, 360 is a huge disappointment. Not recommended. (F. Swietek)