Score: 5/5
“Manglehorn” meandered through a long, international trail of film festival screenings starting in August 2014, picking up a couple nominations along the way, but was finally released in the U.S. and carries a strong presence as a drama that could be considered a gift well worth the wait.
The film paints a somber, gripping picture of loneliness and heartbreak with beautiful shots and effects as A.J. Manglehorn wears his regrets on his sleeves but begins to see their toll. It’s a consistent storyline that carries viewers with Manglehorn through his highs and lows.
Al Pacino plays A.J. Manglehorn, an emotionally absent recluse by choice. He’s detached himself from the world but chooses to socialize with a few select people – his cat, his son, his granddaughter, a former player he coached years ago and a bank teller.
The opening scenes show Manglehorn on-the-job as a locksmith in small-town Texas. Dubbed over these interactions are the first of many letters viewers hear Manglehorn read as he writes to his lost love, Clara. What emotion he does have, he pours into these letters with painful authenticity. “Those eyes could change the world,” and “People everywhere – but none of them mean anything to me,” are integrated in the first letter and set the tone for the film.
The score, composed by Explosions in the Sky, begins to play and does an excellent job of pairing intricate, gloomy music throughout Manglehorn’s experiences.
Letters to Clara and conversations (mostly arguments) between Manglehorn and his son are positioned as the only openings into what happened to the main character and led up to this point. The father-son relationship is tattered for many reasons that the son blames Manglehorn for, but they both keep trying to connect as a courtesy to each other.
Scene after scene appeared surreal and rolled from one to another clearly. Director David Gordon Green brought everything to the table with “Manglehorn,” and those efforts continuously draw viewers in. The visual effects could be over the top for some people but captured the mindset of the main character and brought depth that added to Pacino’s work.
The film’s journey to release led up to a final product that is raw, compelling and visually stunning.