In 1974, in the suburb of Port Chester, New York, the teenager aspirant artist John Talia (Trevor Morgan) has a troubled relationship with his homophobic father (Ray Liotta) that does not understand his talent. While visiting his friend Yammi (Charles Durning), John finds that the genius Russian painter Nicoli Seroff (Armin Mueller-Stahl) lives nearby and he decides to pay a visit to his idol. John finds a bitter alcoholic elder that still grieves the loss of his wife Anya many years ago but he successfully befriends the master. When Nicoli travels to the countryside in Pennsylvania, he invites John to go with him to teach him how to paint. Then John meets Nicoli's neighbor Carla (Samantha Mathis) who grieves that loss of her son, and the arrogant critic of art and Nicolai's friend Curtis Sunday (Ron Perlman). Along their vacation, the synergy of Nicoli and John improves their individual lives.
"Local Color" is a nostalgic and melancholic movie about life and passion for arts. The story is based on true events and is beautifully disclosed through the magnificent performance of the fantastic Armin Mueller-Stahl, very well supported by Trevor Morgan. The gorgeous Samantha Mathis has also a minor but important participation and she does not appear her stated age (36); therefore she fits perfectly to the role of Carla. The movie plays with emotions, oscillating between few bitterly funny moments (like for example when Nicoli shows the paintings of the children with mental retardation to his arrogant friend or his behavior in the art exposition in the countryside) and many heartbreaking moments. The message to follow the dreams is nice; the cinematography is beautiful; the pace is adequate and my only remark is to the pronunciation (or accent) of the narrator in long texts, which is difficult to be followed. My vote is seven.
Title (Brazil): "O Mestre da Vida" ("The Master of the Life")
"Local Color" is a nostalgic and melancholic movie about life and passion for arts. The story is based on true events and is beautifully disclosed through the magnificent performance of the fantastic Armin Mueller-Stahl, very well supported by Trevor Morgan. The gorgeous Samantha Mathis has also a minor but important participation and she does not appear her stated age (36); therefore she fits perfectly to the role of Carla. The movie plays with emotions, oscillating between few bitterly funny moments (like for example when Nicoli shows the paintings of the children with mental retardation to his arrogant friend or his behavior in the art exposition in the countryside) and many heartbreaking moments. The message to follow the dreams is nice; the cinematography is beautiful; the pace is adequate and my only remark is to the pronunciation (or accent) of the narrator in long texts, which is difficult to be followed. My vote is seven.
Title (Brazil): "O Mestre da Vida" ("The Master of the Life")