disappointment media
  • Home
  • Reviews
  • Interviews
  • The Snake Hole
  • About

THE WHISTLERS -- A Unique but Convoluted Comedic Thriller

2/28/2020

1 Comment

 
Review by Sean Boelman
Picture
A scene from THE WHISTLERS, a Magnolia Pictures release. © Vlad Cioplea. Photo courtesy of Magnolia Pictures.
Written and directed by Corneliu Porumboiu, The Whistlers is a new Romanian crime comedy with a unique narrative structure. Thanks to a creative premise, the film manages to overcome its convoluted plot to be a mostly entertaining and intriguing entry into a familiar and overstuffed genre. 

The movie follows a policeman who works as a mafia informant, allowing him to play both sides of the law. However, the more interesting aspect of the story involves the protagonist learning the whistling language of the Canary Islands (the original-language title of the film is La Gomera, after the island on which the movie is set) as a means of communicating with his criminal accomplices in code.

The main story of the film is relatively generic, but Porumboiu tells it in an extremely unorthodox and nonlinear way. The structure of the movie is almost reminiscent of Pulp Fiction in that there are individual segments exploring different characters and plot elements, although it is much less effective. Unfortunately, this format will be largely unapproachable for mainstream audiences and will only lead to unnecessary confusion.

That said, this does also allow the film to keep moving at a constant pace. If nothing else, audiences will have their head continuing to spin trying to put everything together. There is never a boring moment in the movie, as viewers have to keep their attention solely on the screen to keep up with the mystery.
Picture
A scene from THE WHISTLERS, a Magnolia Pictures release. © Vlad Cioplea. Photo courtesy of Magnolia Pictures.
The character development in the film is also a bit disappointing. Although the comedic edge that the movie has implies that this is going to be a tongue-in-cheek riff of genre tropes, it isn’t quite self-aware enough to be effective in this regard. For example, the main female character of the film is a pretty traditional femme fatale with very little done to give her a substantial arc.

That said, all of the actors do a very good job. The leads, Vlad Ivanov and Catrinel Marlon, have great chemistry together. The movie works best in the introduction before the additional levels of storytelling come into play, but this relationship is an effective and constant force for the entirety of the film. 

On a technical level, Porumboiu’s movie is very strong, with an emphasis put on aesthetics. The cinematography is often gorgeous, creating an excellent contrast between the rough and gritty settings of urban Romania and the beautiful and picturesque scenery of the Canary Islands. The film’s use of sound is also quite good, the bird songs that inspired the whistling language often serving as a background.

The Whistlers has a very strong premise and some phenomenal execution, but the narrative structure keeps the movie from being as successful as it could have been. Still, the film is worth watching if only because of Porumboiu’s level of ambition.

The Whistlers is now playing in theaters.

Rating: 3.5/5
1 Comment
www.kingdomcommercesolutions.com link
4/14/2025 07:43:40 am

Always enjoy reading this blog. More, please!

Reply



Leave a Reply.

    Archives

    May 2025
    April 2025
    March 2025
    February 2025
    January 2025
    December 2024
    November 2024
    October 2024
    July 2024
    June 2024
    May 2024
    April 2024
    March 2024
    February 2024
    January 2024
    December 2023
    November 2023
    October 2023
    September 2023
    August 2023
    July 2023
    June 2023
    May 2023
    April 2023
    March 2023
    February 2023
    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019

    Authors

    All
    Adam Donato
    Alan French
    Allison Brown
    Borja Izuzquiz
    Camden Ferrell
    Cole Groth
    Daniel Lima
    Dan Skip Allen
    Erin M. Brady
    Jonathan Berk
    Joseph Fayed
    Josh Batchelder
    Paris Jade
    Rafael Motamayor
    Sarah Williams
    Sean Boelman
    Tatiana Miranda

disappointment media

Dedicated to unique and diverse perspectives on cinema!
  • Home
  • Reviews
  • Interviews
  • The Snake Hole
  • About