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In one of my favorite movie scenes about the movies, a screenwriter is pitching an idea to a studio executive. He begins by asking, "Does 'political' scare you?" The executive, played by Tim Robbins, responds, "Political doesn't scare me. Radical political scares me. Political political scares me." So the screenwriter, realizing that the executive is wary of anything political, tries to soften the pitch by adding that his movie is "funny, a thriller . . . and it has a heart." It's a hilarious send-up of Hollywood's fear of anything that smells of politics. Interestingly, John Malkovich, for his directorial debut, has chosen to do a "political political" movie but one that has a heart.

The Dancer Upstairs is set "somewhere in Latin America" in "the recent past." You don't need to be a poli sci major, though, to recognize it as the country of Peru during the '80s. Ruled by a corrupt presidente, the country is experiencing the beginnings of a countryside revolution. Executions of government officials are taking place in rural areas, and the first hints have appeared in the capital--dead dogs are being hung from lamp posts bearing signs extolling a mysterious President Ezekiel. "Like the prophet," one man remarks. That man is Agustin Rejas (Javier Bardem), a police detective who's assigned to figure out what's going on and stop it. Even the first part is difficult, however, as the nascent movement hasn't distributed any sort of manifesto or made public its claims. But when the Interior Minister and his wife are shot in a brazen theatrical performance, Rejas must not only track down the movement's leader but also contend with an Army unconcerned with civil niceties.

Rejas's first breakthrough comes when he interviews a radical professor who recognizes the leader's ideas as belonging to a former colleague. A trip to Rejas's roots in the countryside (his father was a displaced coffee farmer) turns up other helpful information along with wild rumors  and a sense of how popular Ezekiel has become with the poor and oppressed. And when Rejas returns, he strikes up a deepening friendship with Yolanda, his daughter's beautiful ballet teacher. How that fits with the political intrigue isn't
exactly clear.

This lack of clarity is one of the movie's real weaknesses. Though Malkovich handles the film's political aspects with a firm grasp, he seems lost with the movie's romantic side. It's never clear why Rejas would be interested in Yolanda. True, his wife is embarrassingly shallow (while the capital's racked with explosions and martial law, she's obsessed with makeup), but there doesn't seem to be any connection between the police officer and the dancer. Instead the whole romance seems like a plot device. So it's a surprise to no one when Yolanda turns out to play a significant part in the story's political angle.

Fortunately, the political intrigue is genuinely suspenseful. And though the movie was in production for six years, it feels particularly timely. Rural revolutionary movement starts terrorizing the country with bombs and assassinations, government reacts by squelching civil liberties and using the terror as a pretext to advance its own agenda. Not to compare our current American situation with Peru's nightmare years of the Shining Path, but there are some similarities. What I found interesting is how conservative Malkovich's vision is. Though he certainly has no affinity for the Army and its ruthless tactics, his expose of them seems dutiful rather than passionate. Instead, his real fire is against the revolutionaries, who are delusional and lacking any justification whatsoever. Malkovich clearly has no affinity for a group that states, "When I hear the word culture, I reach for my pistol." The hero instead is the resolute police detective working with his three assistants whose clever analysis leads them to the heart of the matter.

Javier Bardem's strong performance carries the film. He has the heavy-lidded seriousness of a man obsessed with his job; so when he does smile, it's a revelation. And his Latin good looks with the touch of gray in his hair won't hurt his up-and-coming stature. Italian actress Laura Morante isn't as good. Her character is little more than a cipher, but part of that is due to her fuzzy performance. I should point out that the film is largely in English, which might help explain Morante's shortcomings. Of the secondary actors, I was particularly impressed with Juan Diego Botto as a young detective who assists Rejas in the search.

For those moviegoers not afraid of the political political, The Dancer Upstairs provides many pleasures. Just don't expect it to have much of a heart.   

 J. Robert Parks 5/18/2003