'Tetro' review

Vincent Gallo (Credit: American Zoetrope)

17-year-old Benjamin (Emile Hirsch look-alike Alden Ehrenreich) is excited to reunite in Argentina with his estranged brother Angelo (Vincent Gallo), who has shut himself off emotionally, has no interest in acknowledging his family and now goes by the name Tetro. While living with Tetro and his girlfriend Miranda (Maribel Verdu), Benjamin gradually discovers the connection between his brother's distance, their famous conductor father's ego and a host of family tragedies and secrets.

The buzz: 70-year-old Francis Ford Coppola's ("The Godfather," "Apocalypse Now," duh) first movie since 2007's "Youth Without Youth" and first original screenplay since 1974's "The Conversation" is truly his own: Coppola wrote, directed and produced "Tetro."

The verdict: Writing, romance, music, passion, theater, love. Coppola's adoring eye for the intense artistry within the mostly black-and-white "Tetro" causes him to overlook certain details, such as how Miranda fell for Tetro while he was institutionalized. The film also dovetails into melodrama that nearly turns tragedy into farce. Before then, this heavily cinematic and nostalgic tale of family bonds and rivalries is equally engrossing and moving, depicting that people can't run from memories or argue with their heart. "He loves you so much," Miranda pleads to Tetro on Benjamin's behalf. Her lover's response: "I wonder how that happened."

Did you know? Just because someone is smart doesn't mean they are successful. Says Miranda about Tetro, "He is like a genius without enough accomplishment." Ouch!

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