VENICE 2021: Old Henry
VENICEIf anything, Old Henry feels quite out of place at this year's Venice Film Festival. Granted, even in a year that stars Halloween Kills, Dune, and The Last Duel, Old Henry feels somewhat out of place, not because of any negative connotations but more so because it is a feature that feels like its having fun. From start to finish, director and screenwriter Potsy Ponciroli is having a ball at crafting this project. A quintessential and conventional western in its approach for the features first two acts, Ponciroli slowly but surely turns his feature up to an eleven in terms of indulging, and the end result crafts a fabulous conviction of entertainment and immersion.
Spearheaded with a ferociously stern and, on the surface, stubborn Tim Blake Nelson, who is exceptional – as one can imagine after seeing his performance in the likes of The Ballad of Buster Scruggs and O Brother, Where Art Thou? – here is no different with the cult character actor showcasing marvellous skill with a forceful performance that grows and evolves in an immersive fashion. Undoubtedly helped is that Nelson interacts ultimately in a trio of performances with Scott Haze and Gavin Lewis – adding continuous layers and emotive responsiveness such as suspense to proceedings.
However, most – if not all – of the depth is lead by expositional dialogue and inferred history, an attribute many might find irritating or difficult to connect with in regards to it feeling forced or unnatural, but this very enigmatic feeling crafts stoic and immersive layers to proceedings that curate engagement and mood. Stephen Dorff’s performance is expertly crafted on these very terms and offers the performances, and roles for that matter, the chance to craft the enigmatic out of the limited and allow flavour and flair to unravel with brooding effect.
While the scale and scope of the genre are limited in terms of conventional expectation, the feeling and soul is wonderfully curated. Nevertheless, what makes Old Henry stick out from the expected norm more so is when the film takes a different shape in its third act. While certain viewers will argue that it may come to fruition naturally, it could equally be argued that the 'twist' of sorts drops out of thin air – with a strong emphasis on the latter point more so than anything. Said 'twist' does, in fact, work wonders, with considerable disbelief needed to be engrossed within fully changing the thematic and genre of the piece ten-fold. Enabling the audience to see Tim Blake Nelson work his character actor magic in a different avenue.
