The Prestidigitator

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1094249/

Whatever happens in the end, I don’t wanna lose you as my friend.
I promise, I will never be your friend. No matter what. Ever.

I’ve been a huge Wes Anderson fan ever since I saw Rushmore back in college. His visual style is unlike that of any other director what with the use of a thousand props (most of which play no part in the story itself) and more notably, his fascination with blue hues. There are instances where his characters blend in with the environment and there are times when they stand out very vividly. His protagonists always seem a bit quirky and do not think or act in the way normal people do. Bottomline, his films never reflect reality but offer a more colorful and exaggerated version of the real world.

Hotel Chevalier is a 13 minute short film that acts as a prelude to the upcoming The Darjeeling Limited. This film was shown at a few film festivals and is now available through iTunes. It takes place at the eponymous hotel in Paris where Jack (Jason Schwartzman) receives a call from an old flame (Natalie Portman), saying she’ll soon meet him in his room. What follows is their awkward interaction that slowly leads to a romantic rekindling of sorts.

The song “Where Do You Go To” by Peter Sarstedt plays in the background with typical Wes Anderson dialogs aplenty. The sets are reminiscent of Anderson’s earlier films and the slow camera pans across the rooms as Natalie Portman moves across the room fiddling with various objects are brilliant.

I for one, loved the film and can’t wait for The Darjeeling Limited. Reviews be damned.