Christoffer Boe, whose award-winning debut, Reconstruction, established his fascination for filmic ideation and creativity, again creates a figurative universe in Allegro: a realm both real and unreal, at once a fictional place and a concrete reality. After a long absence, a famous... [More]

Christoffer Boe, whose award-winning debut, Reconstruction, established his fascination for filmic ideation and creativity, again creates a figurative universe in Allegro: a realm both real and unreal, at once a fictional place and a concrete reality. After a long absence, a famous pianist, Zetterstrom, returns to his native Copenhagen. A perfectionist by nature, he also has a major flaw: he can't remember anything from his past. So, when contacted by a messenger from the Zone, a mysterious other world situated in the middle of the city, he attempts to reconnect with himself, his lost memories, and what remains in his mind about a lost love. Allegro is that rare cinematic treat that eludes easy categorization, and sometimes even effortless comprehension, but is entirely engrossing and stimulating. Its complex visual style mirrors the cerebral vision of its maker, and its exploration of metaphorical realities and the mysteries of memory and the subconscious is richly conceived and wonderfully acted and executed. Too often the tendency is to view the naturalistic world of cinema as inhospitable to films that explore unnatural or ephemeral realms, which makes us doubly thankful for those filmmakers whose imagination and creative spirit transport us into the arena of inspiration and originality. -- © Sundance Film Festival [Less]