Hans Croiset Movies

Director Adriaan Ditvoorst indulges enough of his own inclinations in this somber, avant-garde pastische of symbols and events in the life of a supposedly sophisticated nonconformist to turn off most audiences, no matter what their artistic orientation. Lazlo (Thom Hoffman) is a loner who sits in meditation on top of an abandoned factory, takes heroin, paints surreal murals inside the same factory, and sneers at addicts and society in general. When he returns home to help out his handicapped mother who lives in a decrepit mansion, symbols abound like cherry blossoms on the usually bare tree in her yard. Even the striking camerawork, excellent technical credits, good acting and sonorous music cannot overcome the superficial nature of the symbolism, the scenes that lead nowhere, the occasional, misplaced sarcasm, and Ditvoorst's lack of concern for his audience. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, Rovi