Toby, a disillusioned film director, becomes pulled into a world of time-jumping fantasy when a Spanish cobbler believes him to be Sancho Panza. He gradually becomes unable to tell dreams from reality.
Terry Gilliam might have the worst or at the least most inconvenient luck of any recent filmmaker. His attempt to make “The Man Who Killed Don Quixote” for the past 25 years has been everything from ridiculed to documented, and recast over and over and over. Finally, his passion project has come to fruition. He’s right at home with an increasingly surreal tale based on the famous Spanish Golden Age novel. In the original source material, Quixote is a Hidalgo turned insane by constantly reading chivalric romantic stories. Quixote is determined to become a knight, intending to bring back an antiquated era to Spain along with his simple farmer squire. The novel is so influential it even inspired the word quixotic.
Adam Driver stars as Toby, an advertisement director who’s shooting a commercial in Spain. He’s having some difficulty with his production and is uninspired by his project. Things take a turn when during a dinner, his boss (played by Stellan Skarsgård) introduces him to his beautiful wife Jacqui (Olga Kurylenko) who happens to have a copy of Toby’s old student film. His student film is a black and white interpretation of “The Man Who Killed Don Quixote” and he cast a local cobbler (Jonathan Pryce) to take on the titular Quixote. In flashbacks, Toby is encouraging the cobbler to really embody the role, to which he begins to take the role a bit too seriously. Toby begins having vivid memories filled with past moments and even olfactory senses accentuating his existential experience. I won’t spoil anymore but Toby is eventually pulled into a time-jumping narrative and comically dons the shoes of Sancho.
Terry Gilliam has always intrigued me, he’s made so many different kinds of films. “Brazil” is still one of the most visionary and at times very accurate depiction of a dystopian Kafkaesque society that in reality seems not too far off from our present circumstances. “12 Monkeys” contains Bruce Willis’ best and probably only truly great acting captured on camera. Gilliam seems obsessed with fantastical elements, man’s overreaching foolish ambition, and inescapable fate.
“The Man Who Killed Don Quixote” is a flawed but entertaining film nonetheless. There is great physical comedy and timing and hilarious lines like “he liked to drink but the drink didn’t like him” and “holy shit, holy week.” The cast is small but effective and does a great job with the unique vision. Adam Driver is one of my favorite actors, his agent or his own film choices have been fascinating to watch. He’s memorable in everything from “Star Wars” to smaller gems like Jim Jarmusch’s beautifully quiet “Paterson.”
Jonathan Pryce is a cinematic legend, he’s a Gilliam alumnus, a Bond Villain, and recently seen battling Cersei Lannister in “Game of Thrones.” Pryce and Driver are genuinely funny and play off each other’s quips with increasing humor and unexpected charm. The at times overused fish-out-of-water scenario really works. Toby turned-bigshot-director then transitioning to a mud-covered peasant squire is laugh out loud funny. His commitment and multiple profanities make for a remarkable performance. I hope Terry Gilliam can enjoy the fruits of his labor and not end up continuously chasing impossible inanimate windmills.
In theaters April 10th
