Just prior to the announcement of the films chosen to screen at the Cannes Film Festival, news about the inclusion, or lack thereof, of Francis Ford Coppola's Tetro changed hourly. After it was reported that his film failed to make the cut for the main competition, word came that the festival wrangler, Thierry Fremeaux, would throw Coppola a bone by giving him a special screening. He declined and, smartly, decided to screen it in the Director's Fortnight, a sidebar competition that began in the sixties — Cannes' more subtle precursor to Sundance's Slamdance. The result is a film not nearly as dismal as many head-up-their-rear film critics have christened it.
The film, set in Argentina, tells the story of the 17-year-old Bennie (Alden Ehrenreich doing his best, or worst, Leonardo DiCaprio), a waiter on a cruise ship, who arrives in Buenos Aires during a stopover. He tracks down his brother, Tetro (Vincent Gallo), and so begins a tale of familial dysfunction, failed careers, and deception.
Bennie clutches a old letter written by Tetro. In it, Tetro apologizes for leaving Bennie, but promises to return; now Bennie is wondering why he never did. Tetro despises his family, and wants nothing do with them, especially his portly, cruel, and blisteringly cold father Carlo (the perfectly cast Klaus Maria Brandauer), who's a world-renowned maestro.
As Tetro, a failed, caustic writer, Gallo pulls off one of his finest performances; he's often a better actor in other people's films (see especially Arizona Dream and avoid The Brown Bunny). Now, sure, it's certainly not much of a stretch for Gallo to play a self-hating, acerbic, egomaniacal character, but nonetheless, watching him playing such a frail person is a true delight.
The film has some structural flaws, a script that at times lands with a thud, and an ending that feels forced, but it holds its own due to Coppola's masterful directing. Finally, at 70 years old, it feels like Coppola is making exactly the kinds of films he wants to make, studios and Hollywood be damned. While Tetro can hardly be described as a great film, I'd sure as hell rather watch this than The Rainmaker; here's hoping Coppola continues making this kind of film (better, at least). RATING (out of 10): 6.5