Manipulation
There are the faces believed to wield power, and there are those behind the scenes, unseen but in many ways holding true control through manipulation of politicians, judges, the media, Matteo Miller the latest initiate into the secret society of which his father Robert is a powerful member, a young man of wealth and connection who grudgingly accepts the life of devotion which is expected of him in pursuit of “the noble end.”
The Grand Master a shadowy figure, rarely seen and always masked, his will is enacted by his immediate subordinate who metes out favour and punishment, Matteo blithely stepping into a world far murkier than he anticipated, initially sent to establish dialogue to strengthen ties between the order and the church but soon witness as a member who has strayed is reminded of the cost of dissent.
A visually stylish Eurothriller shot in the magnificent locations and classical architecture of Prague, Bologna and Ferrera directed by David Balda, Manipulation posits that knowledge and information are power, old men in dusty chambers who relieve the weak of the burden of making decisions, cities of fog, mystery and deserted cobbled streets which intersect with no avenue of escape, the Master (Pawel Lawrynowicz) issuing commands from his chambers while the Archbishop (James Faulkner) holds council and debate, much of the film occupied by the shuffling of papers on desks.
Presented almost entirely in stilted English, there is a sense had the ensemble performed in their native languages rather than translation the mechanical dialogue might not have been so awkward, ideas and positions enunciated rather than anything akin to conversation, the characters all speaking in a singular style as though they were all facets of the same hydra rather than individuals and their actions as inexplicable as their blind spots.
Matteo (Radoslav Gavlas, dubbed by Oskar Hes) apparently oblivious to what lies beneath the privilege he has conspicuously enjoyed, he continues to make decisions without thought of the consequences and is forced on the run, cleverly sheltering with his best friend from university and making no attempt to disguise himself other than donning a hoodie, not even bothering to tie back his long blond hair and staying in contact with his girlfriend who loves him but doesn’t actually like him as well as contacting investigative journalist Ivan Jansa (Arnaud Binard) to offer incriminating stories.
Approached by a symbologist (Pavel Kríz) who delivers lectures lifted from Dan Brown novels and grooms him with the subtlety of Sheev Palpatine courting Anakin Skywalker, the stale script is vague to the point of incomprehensible, and beyond references to the legacy of Holy Roman Emperor Rudolph II which never manifest other than another tool for manipulation there seems to be no goal other than the preservation of the unnamed order, existing in parallel with their old enemy the church yet seemingly interchangeable with them, perhaps the intention of the piece or perhaps something crucial lost in translation.
Manipulation will be in UK cinemas from Friday 6th November
