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LOVING PABLO
Director: Fernando León de Aranoa Cast: Javier Bardem, Penélope Cruz, Peter Sarsgaard, Julieth Restrepo, Óscar Jaenada, Santiago Soto, Quique Mendosa, Ariel Serra, Julio Nava, Juan Sebastián Calero MPAA
Rating: Running Time: 2:03 Release Date: 10/5/18 (limited) |
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Review by Mark Dujsik | October 4, 2018 Javier Bardem's performance as Pablo Escobar goes against what we might expect of a man of such power, influence, and wealth. In Loving Pablo, the actor portrays the notorious drug lord as a soft-spoken man whose words and even presence barely register, whether he's speaking to members of his cartel or in front of the Colombian House of Representatives, to which he was elected 1982. There is nothing particularly special about this man, except that he had a great drive to earn respect or, barring that, fear, as well as a conscience that didn't care how he achieved those goals. Bardem's work is the most intriguing element of this biographical account of Escobar's rise, fall, and death amidst the drug trade of the 1980s and early 1990s. The real Escobar has become something of a strange folk figure for some, given that his early career as a drug trafficker included using part of his substantial profits to fund some philanthropic work within the city of Medellín. He tried to present himself as a man of the people, but as the drug war became more intense, Escobar transformed himself into a terrorist who was equally despised by government officials (in Colombia and the United States) and everyday people. The only reason his work continued was because everyone realized they had too much to lose if they didn't give him what he wanted. Here, there's little that's glamorous about the man or his lifestyle. Writer/director Fernando León de Aranoa's account (based on Virginia Vallejo's book Loving Pablo, Hating Escobar) strips the kingpin of his legend (at one point, also stripping him of his clothes as he tries to escape a police raid after having sex with an underage girl). Bardem's performance provides the movie's final nail in that legend's coffin, turning the drug lord into a quiet, fragile man. He'd be worthy of pity or even sympathy, if not for the fact that he's a murderer, a terrorist, and a peddler of dangerous substances. To put it plainly, he's a selfish man, who only sees other people as means to getting what he wants. The story of Pablo's career is partially framed through his extramarital affair with Virginia (the same one who wrote the aforementioned book), a local journalist played by Penélope Cruz. Like many in Medellín, she's attracted to Pablo's wealth, power, and apparent desire to help the poor. She interviews him for her television news program, providing a glowing portrait of a man who rose up from humble beginnings and, now, wants to give back to the community. At some point after that, their relationship begins, and at some point, Virginia figures out how Pablo makes his fortune. There's a lack of specifics to this side of the story, especially in the movie's portrayal of Virginia, who is both completely aware of her lover's way of life—actually enjoying the sort of lifestyle his wealth is able to provide her—and fully unaware of what that life entails. She's involved and/or knowledgeable enough to have been recruited by a DEA agent named Shepard (Peter Sarsgaard) at the movie's flash-forward of a start, set just before Pablo's downfall. She's also naïve enough to evade any moral culpability for partaking in Pablo's lifestyle. The movie, of course, is meant to present Pablo as a contradiction—a man of ruthless will who still has the capacity to charm a lot of people. Bardem, though, doesn't quite give us that: There's always an air of menace or egoism beneath even his seemingly good moments. The real contradiction comes from Virginia's character, and it's a contradiction that León de Aranoa and Cruz seem either unaware of or unable to justify. As Pablo's career becomes more steeped in violence (He sets bounties on local police officers, enlists poor young men as assassins to kill government officials, and sets a bomb on a commercial airliner and others throughout the city), Virginia keeps returning to him out of fear for her life, in order to clear her name, some actual feelings for the man, or some combination of all three. Virginia's presence here is secondary—almost as if she is simply included as a means of telling Escobar's story in a different way. The framing device of her character's relationship is almost inconsequential, though, since the screenplay goes through Pablo's career, his family life, and his time in a prison of his own making as if Virginia doesn't exist. It's a biographical account that just happens to have some observations from a woman who knew him well (or didn't, depending on who's asking), as well as some scenes of her dealing with the personal and professional repercussions of being forever tied to a notorious criminal. The movie, perhaps correctly, is all about Escobar. It certainly doesn't care about Virginia beyond her relationship with him. As a biography, Loving Pablo is fairly standard, save for Bardem's take-down of a performance. The addition of an unreliable, mostly unnecessary second protagonist, though, convolutes more than it illuminates. Copyright © 2018 by Mark Dujsik. All rights reserved. |
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