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Tilda Swinton a notable actress known for a range of unconventional roles as well as her avant garde approach to fashion. Recently there has been a lot of attention on her with the addition of her 1999 film "The Protagonists" onto streaming platforms. The movie is a starting point to much conversation about her abilities and early collaborations.
This film not only marks Luca Guadagnino's directorial debut but also a very early collaboration with Tilda. It blends a true crime element while presenting it from a unique perspective. This movie stands out among those familiar with Luca's work by taking an experimental tone to tell an otherwise true event.
This project shows a take on a true crime story as the film is both a documentary style view as well as fictional scenes with a story line. It presents different methods for understanding a case of the brutal murder with commentary on society's obsession with crime.
"The Protagonists" is about a documentary crew going to England many years after a brutal murder with the goal of exploring it more closely. The story focuses on James Petrolini and Richard Elsey, two teens who randomly murder an individual named Mohamed el-Sayed which was noted to be from a real 1994 murder in London . Their motives become questionable as the story develops into both real and imaginary parts of what is fact.
With an untraditional filming format that combines fact and fiction it moves away from being just a typical re telling of facts. This format includes real life elements combined with the filmmaker’s unique approach for bringing out certain aspects of the case that others don’t.
Tilda plays a version of herself in this story leading a documentary crew who’s mission slowly becomes obscure and almost part of the mystery itself. She presents both the logical and sometimes confusing methods of putting the film together by using some artistic style.
In the film she can be seen doing interviews along with recreations of events from the actual crime. These transitions and styles present her skills by switching from an individual being interviewed to an active character. She also provides commentary on both reality and fiction.
Luca’s directorial debut is experimental incorporating his frequent collaborators. Some recurring elements will show an exploration into identity, fantasy, as well as sexuality with this early project. His love for visually artistic movies that leave many confused at the very least with the intent and execution.
Recurring themes throughout Luca's work is the clash of reality and fantasy. Desire along with queerness were major focal points explored in "The Protagonists" as they can be seen in many of his more well known works today. It is said that his film had both controversy but a unique start for a notable film director.
The movie offers key pieces into future success as many familiar collaborators will also become the ones used on his more popular features today. "The Protagonists" began these working dynamics as the director went on to tell more stories which included some elements from this debut in other ventures.
Tilda along with Walter Fasano ( a frequent editor for Guadagnino) first established their relationship. Each production after will begin to explore more complex styles as they take steps into bigger more notable projects.
Many key themes are present throughout including violence and the human motive. Also there is an underlying message which can create an exploitation of such sensitive issues and make a unique twist to real life tragedy.
Both perspectives are present from what is documented and then the commentary and approach that was used by the film director and those working on the project which causes tension. Many parts are meant to challenge or create discomfort in certain moments for viewers.
The film was originally disliked among Italian press and may have been overlooked by most audiences, it has received more notice with it being available to stream on Mubi. It gives the film new attention in a different era allowing viewers a space to view this film and better appreciate what had previously not received much praise.