The City of Your Final Destination

"The City of Your Final Destination" is about a young man (Omar Metwally) trying to write a biography of a late writer. He travels to Uruguay to meet the family still living on the estate. It's very reminiscent of "The Last Station" (2009), and just as good -- in its own way.

The cast is completely remarkable. Laura Linney plays the cold, mysterious widow; Anthony Hopkins plays the wise, and yet child-like brother; Charlotte Gainsbourg is an emotionally-affected beauty. New-comer Omar Metwally played a perfectly sculpted character whom we wanted to follow, but was flanked by the opposing Alexandra Maria Lara. These characters were so exquisitely created and performed that I would forget they were just actors. With a few parallels to "The Last Station", I was reminded that Hopkins was the original choice to play the elderly Tolstoy, but their schedules never jived. I'm assuming Hopkins then purposely sought out this film to be able to explore some similar characters. Great choice.

Written by the great and pioneering female screenwriter, Ruth Prawer Jhabvala, and brought to vision by James Ivory, "The City of Your Final Destination" explores themes of literature and of people moving on in their lives once they realize that the central figure that once held them all together no longer is, and of course all of their romantic entanglements. It's shot beautifully in South America and plays out like a classic piece of literature. Recommended for fans of character studies and readers of good books.