The Loneliest Planet (2011)
3.0 of 5 from 47 ratings
1h 53min
- General info
- Available formats
- Synopsis:
Alex (Gael Garcia Bernal) and Nica (Hani Furstenberg) are young, in love and engaged to be married. The summer before their wedding, they are backpacking in the Caucasus Mountains in Georgia. The couple hire a local guide to lead them on a camping trek, and the three set off into a stunning wilderness, a landscape that is both overwhelmingly open and frighteningly closed. Walking for hours, they trade anecdotes, play games to pass the time of moving through space. And then, a momentary misstep, a gesture that takes only two or three seconds, a gesture that's over almost as soon as it begins. But once it is done, it can't be undone. Once it is done, it threatens to undo everything the couple believed about each other and about themselves. All the while, they are not alone. They are always with the guide, who witnesses their every move. The film plays off the relationship between young travelers and the places they travel to, between guide and guided. But at heart, it is a love story - a tale about betrayal, both accidental and deliberate, about masculinity, failure and the ambiguities of forgiveness. - Actors:
- Gael García Bernal, Hani Furstenberg, Bidzina Gujabidze, Tali Pitakhelauri, Tako Pitakhelauri, Ani Kushashvili, Kati Jamarjashvili, Nino Pitakhelauri, Khatia Kushashvili, Taira Pitakshelauri, Amiran Gudrshauri, Joni Khueishivili, Dato Taiklauri, Lado Gudushauri, Gin Takiklauri, Nino Jorjadze, Tamuna Sudjashvili, Dodo Sudjashvili, Shalva Kirikashvili, Giorgi Gudushauri
- Directors:
- Julia Loktev
- Producers:
- Helge Albers, Marie Therese Guirgis, Lars Knudsen, Jay Van Hoy
- Writers:
- Tom Bissell, Mikhail Lermontov, Julia Loktev
- Genres:
- Drama, Thrillers
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Reviews (1) of The Loneliest Planet
Hiking Nowhere - The Loneliest Planet review by griggs
Slow-moving and often uncomfortable, The Loneliest Planet spends most of its time following a couple and their local guide as they trek through the stunning, empty landscapes of the Caucasus. The tension is built with painstaking care, the performances are finely tuned, and every flicker of emotion feels authentic. The problem is that the film’s dramatic heartbeat — a single, unsettling incident that subtly shifts the relationship — is buried in so much visual narrative undergrowth, that its impact fades.
Julia Loktev’s observational approach is admirable in craft but punishing in pace. Long stretches pass with little more than trudging, occasional chatter, and scenic mountains, leaving you half-hypnotised, half-restless. When the script prods at gender roles, instinct, and the fragility of intimacy, it has something to say — but it whispers it through the wind rather than speaking clearly. Ultimately, its a technically accomplished exercise that may impress your patience more than your memory.
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