Voyage to the Beginning of the World

Just when it seemed like all of the late Marcello Mastroianni films had made it through the distribution pipeline, along comes this supposedly final swan song. Last year's Portuguese entry for Best Foreign Language film, Voyage explores the twin themes of aging and memory, with Mastroianni playing (oddly) the film's director, then 88-year-old Manoel de Oliveria. Together with three actor friends, Manoel travels around rural Portugal, enjoying the scenery and stopping for visits with relatives, all of which rekindle childhood memories. While there are some little epiphanies along the way, this trip is a pretty tedious one. Long, visually claustrophobic conversations in the car and interminable shots out the rear window--presumably representing the receding past--may have their symbolic value, but they bring to mind the child's eternal question, "Are we there yet?" Definitely optional. (T. Rich)