A THOUSAND TIMES GOODNIGHT (Erik Poppe). 113 minutes. Opens Friday (October 24). For venues and times, see Movies. Rating: NN
A Thousand Times Goodnight is a melodrama about a dedicated photojournalist who arrogantly dives into harm’s way to capture the truth. I didn’t believe it for a moment.
Norwegian director Erik Poppe draws from his own experiences as a war-zone shutterbug whose risk-taking tormented his wife and kids. Some of his photos used in the film reach for authenticity, but Poppe’s intimate story still feels contrived. Autobiographical films have a tendency to come off that way, likely because the director lacks distance and takes plot and character development for granted.
Juliette Binoche plays Poppe’s onscreen stand-in, Rebecca, who jumps into a caravan with a jihadi suicide bomber to get every last portrait before her subject’s final destination. How Rebecca gains such access is never mentioned.
She barely survives the ordeal, which convinces her to retire and attempt to create a a “normal” life with her apprehensive family. Photogenic reunions lead to domestic fireworks, convenient plot machinations and overwrought life lessons.
Poppe heightens the material with compositions that make every scene sparkle – he is a photographer, after all. But he fails miserably as a dramatist, co-writing a screenplay full of stilted dialogue, and garners unconvincing performances from a fine but mismatched cast.
