See Sean Penn as an aging rock star hunting a nazi war criminal in This Must Be The Place trailer

August 31st 2012, 2:38pm

Last Updated on August 5, 2021

I’m still kind of reeling after what I just saw in this trailer for THIS MUST BE THE PLACE. Sean Penn as an aging rock star hunting down a nazi war criminal, while looking almost identical to Robert Smith, the lead singer of The Cure is something my brain is still trying to process. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, as this film looks absolutely fascinating. The film premiered at Sundance earilier this year with mixed reviews (read Chris Bumbray’s here), but that doesn’t stop me from absolutely having to see this incredibly odd-looking film.

Take a look:

Directed by Paolo Sorrentino, the film also stars Frances McDormand, Kerry Condon, Judd Hirsch, Shea Whigham, with a cameo from Harry Dean Stanton. The music in the film is by David Byrne of The Talking Heads, which will likely give it some ’80’s flavor, coupled with Penn’s look. For me, this is a train wreck I can’t avoid, whether I catch it in theaters on video. It’s just too damn odd to pass up.

Here’s the synopsis:

Cheyenne, a wealthy former rock star (Penn), now bored and jaded in his retirement embarks on a quest to find his father’s persecutor, an ex-Nazi war criminal now hiding out in the U.S. Learning his father is close to death, he travels to New York in the hope of being reconciled with him during his final hours, only to arrive too late. Having been estranged for over 30 years, it is only now in death that he learns the true extent of his father’s humiliation in Auschwitz at the hands of former SS Officer Aloise Muller – an event he is determined to avenge. So begins a life-altering journey across the heartland of America to track down and confront his father’s nemesis. As his quest unfolds, Cheyenne is reawakened by the people he encounters and his journey is transformed into one of reconciliation and self discovery. As his date with destiny arrives and he tracks down Muller, Cheyenne must finally decide if it is redemption he seeks …

THIS MUST BE THE PLACE opens in theaters on November 2, 2012.