Coppola strokes his chin; we scratch our heads... Zapped by lightning, rickety linguist Dominic (Tim Roth) is miraculously rejuvenated and sets about completing his magnum opus, a study of the origin of languages. Handily, he bumps into Veronica (Alexandra Maria Lara), a reincarnation of his long-lost loves who babbles in ancient tongues. Made for change, out of a van, in Romania, Youth Without Youth is a student film made by a 69-year-old master. The good news? Coppola is reinvigorated after a woeful spell as hack-for-hire and a 10-year hiatus. The bad? For all its passion, craft and visual elegance, Youth... is a muddle of half-glimpsed genres (drama, sci-fi, horror, thriller, war, romance) and half-baked ideas (time, destiny, language, consciousness, spirituality).
DVD Extras: Of course, Cop’s commentary helps... but it’s on the Region 1, along with a Making Of. UK suckers get featurettes on music and make-up.
