360

Directed by Fernando Meirelles, 360 follows several characters as they’re forced to individually confront issues of love and loss over the course of a few eventful days. It’s a promising setup that’s employed to persistently underwhelming effect by Meirelles, as the filmmaker’s difficulties in transforming any of the movie’s many protagonists into wholeheartedly compelling figures holds the viewer at arm’s length right from the get-go. The rather conventional nature of the individual stories (eg a couple’s (Jude Law and Rachel Weisz) marital problems lead to acts of infidelity, a sex offender (Ben Foster) attempting to go straight finds himself in a tempting situation, etc) certainly goes a long way towards exacerbating the film’s less-than-engrossing atmosphere, with Meirelles’ ostentatious directorial choices certainly not helping matters. (The consistently jarring soundtrack is undoubtedly the best example of this, as Meirelles pummels the viewer with distracting elements such as a spoken-word version of The Beatles’ “A Hard Days Night.”) The only subplot that manages to make an overtly positive impact revolves around a man (Anthony Hopkins) who is trying to track down his missing daughter, with Hopkins’ expectedly compelling performance infusing the proceedings with some much needed depth. It finally becomes clear that 360 is nothing more than a well-cast and expensive-looking actor’s showcase, as Meirelles’ efforts at making some kind of a profound statement on modern relationships falls flat on a dismayingly consistent basis (ie what’s the point of all this, exactly?)

** out of ****