Review of Before the Revolution

For a film called "Before the Revolution" and centres around a young man grappling with whether he should conform to his bourgeois life or let his rebellious zeal - further triggered by his friend's death - take over him, pursuing a life of political radicalism, I was genuinely surprised how almost apolitical this turns out to be. Adopting an abstract approach to zero in on Fabrizio's struggle is more than welcome by me, since this should allow his emotional turmoil to be more universal. But themes of cowardice versus rebellious tendencies are barely there, and those related to the central illicit affair as well as conflicted ideals are drowned out in Bertolucci's indulgent influences. Before the Revolution is loaded with febrile energy for its own good. With discombobulating non-stop mobility of camerawork, tonnes of tracking shots and frequent zooming in and out, and rapid-fire editing and jump cuts that rendered some scenes nearly vignette-like, I found the story so hard to follow and my interest tapped out about 15 minutes in. Plus, none of these devices amount to much really, and neither is the frivolous and histrionic dialogue. Only some incredible aerial shots of Parma and Ennio Morricone's feverish and emotive score are what kept me from giving this an even lower rating.