Tetro (2009)

Featured Audience Ratings

• Melvin W

  
  Carlo: What has happened to our family?  Bennie: Rivalry.  "Every family has a past." Tetro is a beautifully shot and acted film. It is filmed in black and white against, with Argentina as a setting. The career of Francis Ford Coppola is filled with masterpieces and a… More
  Carlo: What has happened to our family?  Bennie: Rivalry.  "Every family has a past." Tetro is a beautifully shot and acted film. It is filmed in black and white against, with Argentina as a setting. The career of Francis Ford Coppola is filled with masterpieces and a couple disasters, most notably Jack. Tetro is in-between. It is incredibly well made, but comes off as a little overly artsy at times. I enjoyed it, but I can see it being a little off-putting.  The story concerns two brothers. Bennie is the youngest, and is sensitive and emotional. The other is Tetro, who is the oldest and seems mean spirited in the beginning, but as we learn the back story it makes more and more sense. The two brothers haven't seen each other in a decade, when Bennie shows up at Tetro's apartment. Tetro had left for a writing sabbatical, leaving a note for Bennie, saying he would come back and get him. That never happened and Bennie is hurt by it. He just wants to be close to his brother, but Tetro left the family a long time ago. They strike up some sort of relationship as we slowly piece together the family's story. It all leads to a plot, I don't want to say twist, but sharp right turn would work. Everything about the movie is beautiful. The scenery, the cinematography, the performances from Vincent Gallo, Alden Ehenreich, and Maribel Verdú, and of course Coppola's signature touch. The only real problem I have with the movie is there's about a twenty to thirty minute period in the middle that just dragged. But the beginning and ending are great. What you need to know about the movie is that it is extremely slow and relies much more on character, over plot. It could easily come off as boring, but it is always marvelous to look at. Plus Vincent Gallo always keeps the viewer interested.

• Coxxie M

  
  When is this fucking picture supposed to take place? 1970's? 1940's? now? judging by Vincent's outfits, it should be 1979, except he dresses like that everyday on and off the sets of movies. i think his mother brought him home from the hospital with women's… More
  When is this fucking picture supposed to take place? 1970's? 1940's? now? judging by Vincent's outfits, it should be 1979, except he dresses like that everyday on and off the sets of movies. i think his mother brought him home from the hospital with women's bell-bottoms and red boots on. its pretty funny to watch him in 90% of his scenes with an unlit cigarette in his mouth and it just sits there like a funny hat. he moves it around with his teeth, takes it in and out between words, and the few times you see him light it, no smoke comes out of his mouth. so i think he's trying some of those new toothpicks that are designed to look like cigarettes. he doesn't smoke in real life. as a Vincenzo obsessor, i can say this is one of his best works in terms of just being an italian prick. this is also apparently the first film he had rehearsed for, which shows because you can see the prickiness in his eyes in every shot. and when he lights his cigarettes and doesn't even take the energy to inhale, you can just tell he fucking hates people really hard. Vincent Gallo mumbles the word "asshole" in his sleep.

• Joseph B

  
  Absolutely stunning

• Nelson P

  
  "Tetro" is unlike any of Francis Ford Coppola's other movies because it comes for a very personal place. Even if this sometimes comes off as pretentious, we are however dealing with very real people who aren't always going to say and do what we would. Vincent Gallo… More
  "Tetro" is unlike any of Francis Ford Coppola's other movies because it comes for a very personal place. Even if this sometimes comes off as pretentious, we are however dealing with very real people who aren't always going to say and do what we would. Vincent Gallo gives a near perfect performance and shows that he is a truly amazing actor when given the right script and character. Its greatest accomplishment is creating the setting of 1950's Italy in 2008 Buenos Aires. Whether it was intended or not this is the greatest effort in making a nostalgia Neo-Realism movie, because at some times it feels like its 40 or 50 years old. You can tell that this was a very personal project for Coppola, and its simplistic nature proves that you don't need the deep pockets of Hollywood to make an exceptionally good movie.

• Gordon A

  
  Achingly pretensious artsy musings which doesn't earn its overblown melodramatic ending. The black and white cinematography obscures more than it reveals but it has an interesting mix of music. Gallo was made for this sort of thing but merely adds to its rarified air. Avant garde… More
  Achingly pretensious artsy musings which doesn't earn its overblown melodramatic ending. The black and white cinematography obscures more than it reveals but it has an interesting mix of music. Gallo was made for this sort of thing but merely adds to its rarified air. Avant garde theatre lovers only need see this.

• Aaron N

  
  Tetro: You stay away from me, got it? Bennie: Whatever you say, Angie... Tetro: Angie is dead. My name is Tetro. A beautifully shot drama about two people struggling to remain a family. Fantastic cinematography accompanies this wonderfully personal film from director Francis Ford… More
  Tetro: You stay away from me, got it? Bennie: Whatever you say, Angie... Tetro: Angie is dead. My name is Tetro. A beautifully shot drama about two people struggling to remain a family. Fantastic cinematography accompanies this wonderfully personal film from director Francis Ford Coppola, who has crafted a film complete with great characters and a rich setting, and some dream sequences not withstanding. The week of his 18th birthday, Bennie (Alden Ehrenreich), who's a waiter on a cruise ship, has a layover in Buenos Aires. He seeks out his older brother, Tetro (Vincent Gallo), whom he hasn't seen in years. Tetro, who lives with Miranda (Maribel Verdu), is a burned-out case; he's hot and cold toward his brother, introducing him as a "friend," refusing to talk about their family, telling Bennie not to tell Miranda who their father is. Thoughts of their father cast a shadow over both brothers. Who is he, and what past has Tetro left behind? Bennie finds pages of Tetro's unfinished novel, and he pushes both to know his own history and to become a part of his brother's life again. Tetro: Why'd you find me? Bennie: Everything I've loved or been interested in has been because of you. You disappeared, without even an explanation... So this is in fact the first original film that Coppola has made since back in 1974, when he made The Conversation. I find Coppola to be a very interesting individual. Besides the 90s, where he was literally taking on films for the money (Jack), as his studio has had trouble, Coppola is one of the very few big name filmmakers who only makes films that he has a passion for and does so completely independently. He once again does so here, with a non-star name cast, little production values (besides some special effects for dreams), and a small scale and personal story. Despite the fact that the events occurring in this film didn't necessarily happen to him, its the kind of story that certainly reflects his state of mind in a sense, which becomes apparent in the story. (Hope that makes sense, essentially, Coppola has made a personal story out of non personal events). Casting Vincent Gallo as the lead was an interesting choice, but despite his actual persona, his work as an actor is still very good. Gallo works wonderfully here, as the brother who has chosen to become a lost soul, within the confines of this story, which feels like a Greek tragedy. Eherenreich as Bennie is equally good, and Verdu (who I loved in Pan's Labyrinth) also brings skill to the proceedings. The star of this film is really the cinematography by Mihai Malaimare Jr. who shoots the film is gorgeous black and white photography, within the land of Buenos Aires, and provides some richly colorful sequences via flashbacks and dreams. The photography in this film is truly great, but it certainly helps that the story is quite good as well. As the film mainly deals with a family's struggle, the whole thing stretches on a bit without much being at stake here. It's deliberately paced, but still went on over 2 hours. This is a minor quibble however, as I was really drawn into this film do to its performances and the look especially. Bennie: [referring to Tetro's play] So what was it about? Tetro: Rivalry. Bennie: You're writing the story of our father...

• William D

  
  "Tetro," the new film from cinema legend Francis Copppola, is immensely creative visually, but the story is not that interesting. Coppola seems to be more interested in cinematography these days than in stories. This weakness in story development also marred his last film,… More
  "Tetro," the new film from cinema legend Francis Copppola, is immensely creative visually, but the story is not that interesting. Coppola seems to be more interested in cinematography these days than in stories. This weakness in story development also marred his last film, "Youth Without Youth," which was a visual masterpiece. "Tetro" is about a family of artists and musicians plagued with egotism and dysfunction. The main character (Vincent Gallo) goes by the nickname Tetro, which is a shortened version of his last name. His father, a world-famous orchestra conductor played by Klaus Maria Brandauer, is a narcissistic nutcase bent on devouring his children, particularly his eldest son (Gallo). Tetro's teenage half-brother (played by a talented and spectacularly beautiful newcomer, Alden Ehrenreich) travels from New York to Buenos Aires to find his estranged brother, whom he idolizes. The film focuses most of its attention on the reunion of these two brothers in Buenos Aires. Occasional flashbacks give the audience more information about the family's severe problems. A major twist at the end throws into question the paternity of some of the characters. But by then I was so irritated by most members of the family, that I wanted to wash my hands of them rather than learn more about them. I felt quite exasperated by their petty feuds. But it still was a pleasure to watch a cinema master like Coppola at work.

• Byron B

  
  Life imitates Art imitates Life imitates Art imitates Life... or something like that in this vaguely autobiographical work. Maybe I've got that backwards! Coppola draws explicit inspiration from Powell's and Pressburger's The Tales of Hoffman. I think he also rips a… More
  Life imitates Art imitates Life imitates Art imitates Life... or something like that in this vaguely autobiographical work. Maybe I've got that backwards! Coppola draws explicit inspiration from Powell's and Pressburger's The Tales of Hoffman. I think he also rips a shot (involving a puzzling ax) from his own Dementia 13 that he did for Roger Corman. Though he transplants his artistic family's Italian heritage to the Argentinian art scene, the movie still feels very European. With the use of black and white photography for the present plot developments mixed with fanciful dance scenes telling Tetro's story, the movie seemed inspired by Fellini too. And Bennie Tetrocini has a surprise connection with Luke Skywalker. I thought the camera work was very artsy. Right up until the last 5 or 10 minutes I thought the story was well developed. It left me feeling unsatisfied in those last moments. The performances were strong across the board. Gallo plays a writer who has distanced himself from his family and taken on the nickname Tetro. He has some dark troubling memories that he attempts to therapeutically turn into a script, but he will not publish the work, so the demons of his family stay closed up inside him as the script stays closed up inside some suitcases. Ehrenreich (his face will likely remind you of a couple other actors) plays Bennie. Bennie comes to visit his brother Tetro, whom he wants to emulate, and to uncover the family history that caused Tetro to leave. It is Bennie who finds Tetro's coded script in a suitcase. Verdu was wonderfully strong and nurturing as Tetro's girlfriend (practically wife), Miranda. Miranda fills a motherly role to both men. Brandauer is properly intimidating and sympathetic (in a dual role) as the patriarch of the family, Carlo Tetrocini, and his brother, Alfie Tetrocini. Lastly I'd like to mention Maura plays the snooty and mysterious critic, Alone, well too. The plot involves Bennie slowly learning about Tetro's life in the present and the past. On the surface, it's a coming of age adventure for Bennie. But there's more than that. When Bennie reads Tetro's script the movie shifts to flashbacks in color and often ballet sequences that illustrate the conflicts and loves of the Tetrocini family past. The story involves three major male relationships: the brothers, Alfie and Carlo; father and son, Carlo and Tetro; and the "brothers," Tetro and Bennie. The movie is really about how the relationships parallel in interesting ways. In each relationship, one man has stolen something from the other. In the most developed and troubled relationship between Tetro and his father, both men steal things of extreme value from each other. It is all very intriguing to uncover this family mystery and see if history will repeat itself yet again. I expected something more explosive to happen at the end, but it surprisingly never materialized, so the movie felt a little unfulfilled. Still there were many excellent things about it.

• Walter M

  
  "Tetro" starts simply enough with Bennie(Alden Ehrenreich), 2 days short of his eighteenth birthday and working on a cruise ship as a bus boy, making an impromptu visit to his older half-brother Tetro, ne Angelo(Vincent Gallo), in Buenos Aires. Tetro lives with… More
  "Tetro" starts simply enough with Bennie(Alden Ehrenreich), 2 days short of his eighteenth birthday and working on a cruise ship as a bus boy, making an impromptu visit to his older half-brother Tetro, ne Angelo(Vincent Gallo), in Buenos Aires. Tetro lives with Miranda(Mirabel Verdu) who rescued him off the scrap heap of a mental institution where in his madness he was writing a roman a clef about his father(Klaus Maria Brandauer), a famous conductor. Nowadays, he does not want to talk about his family, having ambiguous feelings about Bennie's visit. On the other hand, Bennie wants desperately to know why Tetro did not fulfill his promise to return to rescue him. While not making movies that are ambitious in scale anymore, Francis Ford Coppola is still making ones that are ambitious in thought. His previous "Youth without Youth" was concerned with mortality and what we are able to accomplish in our lifetimes. "Tetro" is about what family means, especially in the shadow of a famous person(Tetro's father reminds him in a flashback that there can only be one genius in a family) and what is left behind in one's wake. As strikingly constructed as the film is with the present day in black and white and the past in color, honoring classic technicolor films like "The Red Shoes," the story also has more than its share of contrivances. However, Vincent Gallo finally gives a performance very much worth noting.

• Christopher H

  
  Vincent Gallo is easily one of my favorite new actor discoveries. His performance in "Tetro" is masterful! Coppola continues his brilliant directing to this day and I have a feeling Gallo and Coppola were inspirational together. I will eventually need to own this film.

• Mike T

  
  This is a transcendent piece of art that verifies the status of a master storyteller. The exquisite marriage of sound and imagery is far from being its only achievement, despite the critical responses. Coppola has been exploring the dynamics and complexities of family relationships… More
  This is a transcendent piece of art that verifies the status of a master storyteller. The exquisite marriage of sound and imagery is far from being its only achievement, despite the critical responses. Coppola has been exploring the dynamics and complexities of family relationships throughout the course of his career, and he may have brought perfect closure here. He is a brave artist who disregards the confines of commercial American moviemaking and infuses his masterpiece with something as original as it is exciting. Vincent Gallo is someone whose work I am fairly unfamiliar with, but he delivers an Oscar-worthy, enigmatic piece of acting here that blew me away. The rest of the players are ideally cast as well, with Maribel Verdú holding her own opposite Gallo. This is a haunting, heart-wrenching cinema experience that needs to be seen. It pains me that a mediocre work like Inglourious Basterds gets praised to death while a legend's return to form is ignored. See this film.

• Ivan D

  
  Mr. Coppola. Once created cinematic juggernauts that is "The Godfather" series. Explored unrelenting paranoia in "The Conversation". Endured nightmares, tensions and existential questions in the Philippines, and splattered goth and color into Bram Stoker's… More
  Mr. Coppola. Once created cinematic juggernauts that is "The Godfather" series. Explored unrelenting paranoia in "The Conversation". Endured nightmares, tensions and existential questions in the Philippines, and splattered goth and color into Bram Stoker's "Dracula". Yes, it's just like looking back into Francis Ford Coppola's 'more than impressive' resume, but I just can't help but do that as I watch "Tetro", a film bringing Coppola's vision into the smaller confines of the art house scene, the uninhibited territory of Spanish linguistics and arguably into a more complex landscape of filmmaking where far-reaching scope is seldom a concern. It stars Vincent Gallo, an actor who I think is just about as enigmatic and eccentric as the eponymous role he portrays, but may not be as restrained ("Brown Bunny?"). The film, like the opening sequence of "The Godfather", initially encapsulates the titular character with the same air of mystery and presence as that of Vito Corleone's cinematic introduction. We first see and feel Tetro not as an immediate character but merely as an idea. A lingering emotional attachment to its other important character, Bennie (well played by Alden Ehrenreich). A product of a past without a 'face'. Though it may not be as noticed, I think director Coppola handled that brief scene perfectly, making us think that Bennie's visit to this 'brother' may not be an adequate idea as he thinks it is (highlighted by Tetro's harsh locking of his door). And though strengthened by a letter sent by his brother, Bennie's visit is still an unsure quest towards the unknown, into a brother who has also tread the same; a brooding but hopeful reverberation of a bond seemingly forgotten by time. While I'm watching the film, one of the many things that I can think about is that it's quite reminiscent of Federico Fellini with its 'La Strada-like' utilization of carnivalesque characters littered around its central emotional arc. I'm not saying that Coppola, with all his aspirations to create a film he preferred to be remembered more in the European film scene, indirectly channeled and imitated Fellini. May be it's just the fact that in creating a deeply 'personal' film (he mentioned that it is), one can't help but grab the enduring roots of perennial cinematic artists like the aforementioned one above, a director also known for extracting emotions from his personal recesses for his more passionate projects to enhance the idea that the film was conceived, shot, and edited with the eyes on the camera's lens and hands pressed somewhere in the heart. "Tetro" isn't just about the cliched concept of 'brotherly love', it's also about naivety at its most brutal misplacement and emptiness completely out of sync with what could have really been. And to say that Tetro's self-exile from his family is nothing but a bitter exaggeration is an insight out of context. I personally think that it was justifiable. 'Control' may also have something to do with it. With Tetro not having any with his life because of his father's egocentric authority, he looks for some place where he can. Then along came Bennie, his brother with the same sentiments but armed with much more urgency to answer questions of his own. One chose to separate himself from his family, another is on a quest to know it more, and with the masterful and experienced craftsmanship of Francis Ford Coppola, the film has been rather successful in its polarizing portrayal of the two-sided truths and consequences of 'familial alienation' and an uncommon insight into an alternative reality of patriarchal flaws . A self-produced film that is also an endlessly intriguing narrative exercise enhanced by unorthodox filmmaking. Coppola, with the creation of this independent gem shown in relative obscurity, really heeded the film's most significant line: "Don't look into the light". In his case, the blindingly bright lights of mainstream, that is.

• cody f

  
  It's sad to see the great Coppola fall so far. The only thing this film has going for it was the cinematography and Maribel Verdu's performance. I don't know where to begin, the story is childish and most of the acting is atrocious and on top of that it's a 2 hour… More
  It's sad to see the great Coppola fall so far. The only thing this film has going for it was the cinematography and Maribel Verdu's performance. I don't know where to begin, the story is childish and most of the acting is atrocious and on top of that it's a 2 hour film that feels more like 4. The story and the writing shocked me at how amateurish it was and I expected more from a seasoned talent like Coppola. The character "Alone" is outlandishly dumb and the actor who played Bennie is a worst actor than Dan Marino in Ace Ventura. All of Coppola's talent has seeped into his daughter, because he is done. I was a little harder on this film because of the director, and if you ever want to become famous overnight I guess you go to Brazil.

• Keith M

  
  If it wasn't the fact that Coppola directed this I would never have even attempted to watch it. I already have a strong hatred for Prince Vince, and it didn't go away with this one. I really hope Coppola loves his kids and his wine cause those are the only things he has… More
  If it wasn't the fact that Coppola directed this I would never have even attempted to watch it. I already have a strong hatred for Prince Vince, and it didn't go away with this one. I really hope Coppola loves his kids and his wine cause those are the only things he has going for him. His film career as a director has fallen off so hard. This guy directed the freaking Godfather and the Conversation, and he gives us this. Damn this is like something I would expect from some hot music video director. This is the last time I watch a new film of his. Sleep tight fat man, I'll always remember the good times we had.

• Robert F

  
  The pretty visuals might have compensated for the uneven narrative, but the whole thing really fell to pieces in the last half hour.

• ernest e

  
  A very nicely filmed very bad script. Messed up emotional immature idiot family with an ending that deserves worse ending ever award. The acting and artsy directing/filming/music are worth watching and entertaining. If they would have kept it just simply the way it was it would have… More
  A very nicely filmed very bad script. Messed up emotional immature idiot family with an ending that deserves worse ending ever award. The acting and artsy directing/filming/music are worth watching and entertaining. If they would have kept it just simply the way it was it would have worked fine. By making it complicated to the point of being stupid last moment it just turned into something much worse than it already was before.

• Jonny C

  
  Good movie from director Francis Ford Coppola. Tetro is well acted and directed with some great cinematography, and a well written script. However the story got tiresome, and felt too stretched out at times. It's nice to see that Coppola still has a passion for making movies, and… More
  Good movie from director Francis Ford Coppola. Tetro is well acted and directed with some great cinematography, and a well written script. However the story got tiresome, and felt too stretched out at times. It's nice to see that Coppola still has a passion for making movies, and I hope he's got a classic still left in him.

• Alex F

  
  Ehmm... Francis, man, put your camera back in the closet.

• Sean L

  
  This movie looks spectacular. The black and white photography is absolutely beautiful. I wish the rest of the movie was as good. This film was boring. I hate to say that, because it is usually a very weak criticism, but there is no other word that can be used here. It is telling… More
  This movie looks spectacular. The black and white photography is absolutely beautiful. I wish the rest of the movie was as good. This film was boring. I hate to say that, because it is usually a very weak criticism, but there is no other word that can be used here. It is telling that I saw the movie last night and now I am struggling to remember any specific details about it. I didn't like or care about anyone in the movie. Tetro was an unlikeable douche, and his brother was so uninspiring, that I didn't care about their relationship. It is OK to have a movie populated by unlikeable characters. It is not OK to have a movie populated by dull characters. Coppola's technique is always strong, and I respect him a great deal. However I feel like there is a lot of pressure to actually like him, when most of his movie that I've seen have a cold detached feeling. As much as I like the Godfather movies and Apocalyopse Now, none of them are on my list of all time favorites because I feel a slight disconect with the characters and the story. Whether his movie is good or not depends on the content, and in this case the content isn't there. You can't have a character study work if the characters are not compelling. I'm sure some people will find these characters compelling. I did not.

• Brad J

  
  Enjoyed the old-style feell of this Francis Ford Coppola movie, set in modern day Argentina, where only the flashbacks are in color. Interesting story, well acted, a new Leonardo DiCaprio is born I think !

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