Blu-ray Review – Zappa

Before director Bille August when big with international successes such as 1987’s “Pelle the Conqueror,” and eventually went Hollywood with 1993’s “The House of the Spirits,” 1997’s “Smilla’s Sense of Snow,” and 1998’s “Les Misérables,” he was invested in making pictures about the ways of adolescence. An adaptation of a Bjarne Reuter novel, “Zappa” examines a troubling year for three students engaged in various criminal activities while navigating their different home lives. It’s not a gentle sit, as darkness is present throughout the endeavor, putting August and Reuter to work on a screenplay that makes sense of personal lives and social demands, also investigating the trials of pubescent interests and difficult relationships. “Zappa” isn’t hysterical work, staying introspective and a bit menacing at times as it surveys volatile emotions, successfully depicting the confusion of a strange time when childhood transforms into adulthood. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com