Notturno

An intriguing yet palpably erratic documentary, Notturno details the low-key exploits of several individuals in and around the borders between Syria, Iraq, Kurdistan, and Lebanon – with the movie, which was shot over three years, relying predominantly on its images to create a wider picture of life in the Middle East. It’s perhaps not surprising to discover that Notturno suffers from a decidedly hit-and-miss atmosphere due to director Gianfranco Rosi’s Baraka-like sensibilities, as the filmmaker delivers an endeavor that’s been packed with a whole host of indelible images and sequences – with the absolutely gorgeous cinematography, provided by Rosi himself, certainly going a long way towards cultivating what is, at least, a consistently watchable production. And although Rosi does an effective job of peppering the proceedings with unexpectedly poignant moments, including a heartbreaking segment wherein several small children discuss the horrors brought to their lives by ISIS, Notturno, by the very nature of its execution, does suffer from a handful of less-than-enthralling stretches that can’t help but provoke daydreams in the viewer – which cements the movie’s place as a sporadically striking piece of work that is perhaps not as spellbinding as Rosi has intended.

**1/2 out of ****