The King

Fortunately, in ‘The Da Vinci Code’ cinema season, there are films like James’ Marsh debut, ‘The King’, that have the power of confronting the audience by raising questions with no easy or ready-made answers.
Get right with God. Be prepared to meet him.
William Hurt’s voice and presence is imposing, his authority unquestioned, his faith unshakeable. Or at least this is how it seems. But by now, my true cinephiles, you should now that almost never things are the way they seem to be on the surface. Deep down, people hide secrets. So, what’s new? you are going to ask. Why is ‘The King’ a special film and not just another revenge story?
Is it because it involves incest? Or because it deals with the limits of faith and forgiveness? Yes and no; Milo Addica, screenwriter of films like ‘Monster’s Ball’ and ‘Birth’ and James Marsh in his debut are not afraid to take the knife to the bone. The place is Texas and I suppose we all know that this is one of the most conservative states. The hero is Elvis, a half Mexican young man who ,after leaving the Navy, goes to find his father. Son of a prostitute, Elvis, is not accepted by his father, now a minister of a church with a well respected life and family. Elvis represents his sinful past from which he has long now been cleansed. His rejection of Elvis sets off an unbelievably cruel revenge plan.
You sense early in the film that something bad is going to happen. Around the middle of the film, an unexpected act of violence confirms your suspicions. But you go on feeling uneasy, tense. You know that something bigger, more horrible will follow and the more this is postponed, the more anxious you get. Thus, in the chilling finale you are partly relieved that at last the tension is released but mostly shocked by what Elvis does.
A lot of people see this story as a parable. It certainly works this way but for me it is even deeper. It is a comment to religious fanaticism, to hypocrisy, to lost innocence and the possibility of being regained. Elvis puts the biggest challenge in front of his father. Is there ever a possibility of true forgiveness after such a monstrous act of revenge?
Congratulations on the casting. William Hurt is an amazing actor and in this film he proves it once again. Laura Harring, for those remembering her fatal beauty in ‘Mulholland Drive’, is unrecognizable as the tragic figure of the mother.Paul Dano is surprisingly complex. But the big surprise comes from Pell James who is the face of innocence as the sixteen year old daughter, seduced by her half-brother. It is an acting seminar watching her.
The King is Gael Garcia Bernal. His Elvis is creepy but sympathetic at the same time. It is certainly a great script and a great part for an actor but nevertheless, Bernal has the quality, talent and instinct to support it. Watch this Mexican guy: From ‘’Y tu mama tambien’’ to ‘’Amores Perros’’, from ‘’Bad Education’’ to ‘’Motorcycle Diaries’’ and from ‘’The King’’ to ‘’Babel’’, he is an evolving talent and a volcano burning the big screen.