Review: Sweet Pain AKA Dolorosa Gioia

I was warned going into Sweet Pain, the latest from John Fallon's Bruise Productions, that I was in for a highly compelling art-house film.

With that in mind, and knowing right out the gate this wouldn't satiate my Friday night blood lust, I forwent an evening watch with beer and whisky, and opted to give director Gonzalo Lopez's Giallo-inspired flick a morning viewing accompanied by a cup of tea.

That's right: a cup of tea. Wanna fight about it?

I'm glad I did too, as Sweet Pain requires patience and focus on the part of the viewer, something I often lack by the end of the week. This movie has no dialogue, moves at a deliberate pace, and requires audiences in fill in the blanks, so to speak, as to what is going on.

That being said, those who are able to turn their phones off, and their brains on, are in for a treat. This is one of the best examples of visual storytelling that I've ever seen.

The plot is simple: a young composer discover his beautiful wife is having an affair. Said composer crafts a meticulous revenge plot that may or may not end in murder. How it unfolds is a handsomely mounted bit of cinema that needs to be seen in order to be understood.

Is Sweet Pain arty? Yeah, it sure is, and that's not usually my thing. But I appreciated every composition of frame and camera movement. This is a beautiful movie to look at and, if you dig classical music, it's also wonderful to listen to. Suffice to say, this is a treat for the eyes and the ears.

Kudos as well to the actors, who say more with a look or shift in posture than most do with lines of dialogue.

Like I said, Sweet Pain isn't for everyone. But, if you are in the right mood, it's cinema in its purest form, and rates a Good in my book.

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