So Jarmusch plus Hartley plus Fellini equals Tetro, the new intimate little movie from Francis Ford Coppola? Yeah, I think so, and I’m good with that. Really good with it, in fact. The new trailer for the film, which will appear out of competition at Cannes, begins to show off Vincent Gallo (no, really, give the guy a chance, as he’s not quite doing the old Gallo schtick here) as a guy who fled to Buenos Aires to escape his relationship with his father. His brother, played by Alden Ehrenreich (who I almost mistook for Anton Yelchin at first glance) shows up looking for Gallo, setting a little family drama back into play.
“This is not an epic about immigrants in 1905, like ‘The Godfather’ or anything,” said Coppola to Empire last month. “This is a real, specific drama, albeit poetic drama. I think ‘Tetro’ is the most beautiful film I’ve ever done in terms of how it was made. I don’t know what people will make of the picture, but just the filmmaking part of it, I’ve learnt to put it together beautifully.”
This is Coppla’s first fully original script in decades — the last time he wrote a script alone and from his own original idea was The Conversation. The script and film went through some changes. Gallo’s role was originally intended for Matt Dillon, and Carmen Maura’s role was originally written as a male, to be played by Javier Bardem.
If this trailer isn’t enough, Apple has the first three minutes of the film for your viewing pleasure.