A stunning and original film. This is the second film by Alain Tanner I've seen. I watched his Jonah Will Be 25 in the Year 2000 last summer, and it sticks with me as few films have. In the White City might not, but who knows. It's already getting bigger in my mind, and I only turned the VCR off about five minutes ago. This film concerns a drifter of sorts (Bruno Ganz, in a role very different from others of his that I've seen) who finds his job as a sailor too tedious and unfulfilling. When his ship docks in Lisbon, he quits without a word and moves into a small hotel. There he meets a cute bartender who works downstairs (Teresa Madruga); she's a strong personality, which attracts him. The mystery surrounding the sailor pulls her in, and they become lovers. Meanwhile, Ganz wanders around Lisbon with a small, handheld camera shooting random things. He also writes brief letters and throws them, along with reels of film that he has shot, into the mail. We then see another woman, this one in Switzerland, who is apparently Ganz's abandoned wife. We find out very little about her (she never has a name). All we know is that she's upset about her man's absence, and he seems to be cruelly hurting her. Is he doing this on purpose? What exactly is the deal with this guy? I was just as curious about this guy as Madruga was. But the more she finds out about him, the less impressed she is. Perhaps he's not some romantic adventurer. Perhaps he's just a loser. I just found this person so fascinating. Many will find the film a bore, I think, but it was amazing to me. Even if you don't care for it, you must admit that the jazzy musical score by Jean-Luc Barbier is exceptional (one of the best, I think) and that Acácio de Almeida's cinematography is breathtaking. To me, it's all around a masterpiece. 10/10.
