It's nice to see Tarr make a return to grounded, quiet drama after a couple of world-transcending apocalyptic works; a welcome change of pace. This one seems to operate on the same principle as Twin Peaks or The Big Lebowski, only taken to its logical extreme: yes, the mystery is an inciting incident to these events, but that's not what we're interested in. It's about what that event does to these people and this world. It's one of his most quiet works and fittingly so; now we can really listen to these environments and pay attention, and it's almost as if you can feel the film constricting as it proceeds, like an incredibly slowly breathing organism.As usual, the performances are exceptional, always tightly knotted even if it feels completely bizarre to see our dear Tilda exhibiting that classic Tarr Dubspeak™. Nevertheless I feel The Man from London shines a lot brighter as a visual work, boasting some of the late director's most stunning monochromatic images yet. The night dock scenes were a particular highlight; black sky indiscriminately melding into black sea, creating an intimidating empty void around the entire environment which we literally lose people to. Perhaps this work isn't as grounded and lifelike as it seems.
