High art, pop culture, and psychology collide in this feature film debut by Hungarian animator Milorad Krstic. The spirited caper follows a team of international thieves as they steal 13 classic paintings in order to help psychiatrist Ruben Brandt, an art therapist who has nightmares of being attacked by characters from famous artworks. Imagine a 1960s romantic comedy romp as designed by Pablo Picasso (the characters are drawn in a Cubist style, often with multiple eyes and distorted faces) and directed by Salvador Dali. The swiftly-paced adventure sends its criminal super-team to the great art museums worldwide, pursued by a dogged detective whose own tastes run to classic cinema, complete with a collection of movie props. It’s an entertaining jaunt through art history with a psychological twist, a puckish sense of humor, and the overriding belief that great art has a powerful effect. The ravishing canvas incorporates a gallery of masterworks—from Botticelli’s The Birth of Venus and Manet’s Olympia to Edward Hopper’s Nighthawks and Warhol’s Double Elvis—and there are cinematic nods to Michael Powell’s Peeping Tom and Hitchcock’s elegant romantic thrillers. And while the plot relies less on narrative logic than free-association, the imagery is creative, inventive, and filled with clever details. Recommended. (S. Axmaker)
Ruben Brandt, Collector
Sony, 94 min., R, DVD: $20.99 Volume 34, Issue 5
Ruben Brandt, Collector
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