Chichester Cinema at New Park
360
A dynamic and moving study of love in the 21st century re-inventing a modernist La Ronde with interlocking series of encounters between people in different cities and countries.
Combining impeccable filmmaking credentials and an intriguing premise, ‘360’ is a dynamic and moving roundelay of love in the 21st century which was selected to open the 2011 London Film Festival. Director Fernando Meirelles (The Constant Gardener) and writer Peter Morgan give us a distinctly modern take on Arthur Schnitzlerís classic play ‘Reigen’ (La Ronde), the starting point for this interlocking series of encounters between people in different cities and countries.
Using ten pairs of lovers from different sections of society to show how sexual relationships can transgress social boundaries, Morgan and Meirelles broaden Schnitzlerís original, as the film weaves through Vienna, Bratislava, Paris, London, Rio, Phoenix and Denver into a single, seamless narrative. Each city the characters pass through feels real, vividly so.
As the narrative unfolds, what is also revealed is a terrific and well-chosen cast including Rachel Weisz, Jude Law, Jamel Debbouze, Ben Foster and Moritz Bleibtreu, the ensemble nature of the piece encouraging strong performances across the board. Even so, Anthony Hopkins is outstanding in his affecting portrayal of a father unable to move on.
Meirelles’ skill as a visual storyteller is much in evidence, and though helped by his locations. The film also has a tremendous sense of motion, literally as its characters cross countries and continents, but metaphorically too, as each makes their own emotional journey.
Brazil · 
UK · 
France · 2011 · Fernando Meirelles · 110min
