The City of Your Final Destination

James Ivory's first cinematic excursion since the death of his longtime partner Ismail Merchant continues their richly refined, tantalizing, and exotic storytelling tradition. After a young Iranian-American graduate student named Omar Razaghi (Omar Metwally) is refused permission to write the authorized biography of Jules Gund—an obscure Uruguayan novelist who recently committed suicide—Omar's assertive American girlfriend Deirdre (Alexandra Maria Lara) convinces him to travel to South America to try to change the minds of Gund's reluctant executors. Living in two houses on a huge, remote plantation, the author's eccentric literary heirs consist of his acerbic, repressed, and controlling widow Caroline (Laura Linney), wistful younger mistress Arden (Charlotte Gainsbourg), and benevolent gay older brother Adam (Anthony Hopkins). Complicating matters, the extended “family” also includes Portia, Gund's 10-year-old daughter by Arden, and Pete (Hiroyuki Sanada), Adam's devoted companion. Desperate for their consent, Omar arrives uninvited, and his surprise visit—plus a honeybee's sting—serves as a catalyst for the events to follow, which will forever alter the disparate lives of all concerned. Based on Peter Cameron's acclaimed 2002 novel, this lushly filmed adaptation takes viewers on an elegant and enthralling journey Recommended. [Note: DVD/Blu-ray extras include select scenes with commentary by director James Ivory (26 min.), a “making-of” featurette (20 min.), and trailers. Bottom line: a decent extras package for a solid drama.] (S. Granger)