You might think that a biopic about Salvador Dalí would be infinitely interesting given the subject matter, but unfortunately that isn’t the case for Dalíland. It’s so uninspired and dull that you might be better off watching paint dry. It’s peculiar that director Mary Harron, who directed features like I Shot Andy Warhol and American Psycho, could bring to the screen a movie so lacking in vision.
The film follows James (Christopher Briney), who’s invited into Dalí’s (Sir Ben Kingsley) world after Dalí’s wife takes a shine to him due to his angelic good looks. James left art school because he realised he just loved art but wasn’t an artist, so he’s thrilled to become part of Dalí’s circle. With Dalí’s New York art show coming up soon, James is tasked to be his assistant and help him get the inspiration ball rolling whenever possible. Thus ensues a myriad of boring conversations and tepid costume parties.
Kingsley resists the urge to go full camp, but his performance doesn’t feel authentic to how Dalí was, and oftentimes it comes across as mere dress-up than anything akin to the real man. There are flashes of a more insightful portrayal, however, the insipid screenplay never properly develops the character beyond a caricature, which means Kingsley never manages to get to the core of the man.
Briney, who was excellent in The Summer I Turned Pretty, isn’t given much to do here besides be wide-eyed and beautiful. He also looks too contemporary for this 70s setting, so it feels a bit jarring to see him interact with other characters who look like they more firmly belong. It’s the typical tale of young, innocent ingénu who gets seduced into the seedy, more salacious parts of the art world. These parties have purpose, since Dalí seeks inspiration from the beauty around him, so he surrounds himself with beautiful people that could give him possible material for his art.
This is why he keeps individuals like Ginesta (Suki Waterhouse) around. She and James begin a sort of relationship, which doesn’t have much substance to it and we don’t really get why it happens in the first place. I guess maybe because they’re pretty people – perhaps that’s all the motivation a relationship needs.
The central relationship in Dalí’s life is with his wife Gala (Barbara Sukowa). She is the spark that keeps him going, but unfortunately she’s resentful in the part she plays in his life. She feels judged for her age, especially when outsiders look at their marriage and wonder why Dalí’s wife is old. We are treated to a long sequence of Dalí and Gala primping themselves and adding aesthetic touches to mask their age, and we can’t help but feel sympathy for them, since it almost feels blasphemous to grow old in a world that prioritises beauty above all else.
Harron’s film meanders from scene to scene, and there is no sense of the point or what exactly we’re supposed to be taking away from the narrative. Dalí was a genius, but this film seems more obsessed with his eccentricities. He was such a larger than life personality, so it feels ironic that a film about him has made him feel so small and insignificant. You’re better off watching some of his interviews, or viewing his art – those mediums will probably give you a better sense of the man than this film does.
Review screener provided.
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