The art is lost in Dali biopic 'Little Ashes'

If the sight of Twilight hottie Robert Pattinson in a comical, pencil-thin mustache, oversized ruffly collar and maniacally bugged-out eyes piques your interest, then by all means go see Little Ashes.
But if you'd like to know about the famously eccentric psyche of surrealist artist Salvador Dali, whom Pattinson plays, you're better off consulting written biographies. Little Ashes does nothing to illuminate the iconic Spanish artist.
Pattinson's decision to play a young, sexually confused Dali seems a calculated attempt to separate himself from his dreamboat vampire character in tween phenomenon Twilight. Were he a more versatile actor, it might have been wise, but his blandly broad portrayal amuses more than enlightens. Co-star Javier Beltran, on the other hand, imbues his character, tortured poet/playwright Federico Garcia Lorca, with nuance and poignancy.
Set in Spain during the politically turbulent 1920s and '30s, the story focuses mainly on the youthful friendship and budding romance between Dali and Lorca. Filmmaker Luis Bunuel (Matthew McNulty) is a peripheral member of their artsy clique. Bunuel is portrayed as a homophobic manipulator who lures the malleable Dali away from Lorca with promises of fame in Paris. A brief re-creation of Bunuel's famous Un Chien Andalou is featured, highlighting the notorious razored-eyeball scene.
The meandering film has moments of urgency, particularly when it focuses on Lorca, his growing politicization and the mystery surrounding his disappearance. But that arrives too late to redeem what has gone before.

The dialogue is stilted in an attempt to be profound. Most of the actors speak English with Spanish accents, except Pattinson, who employs a pretentious kooky-speak, accompanied by wild-eyed expressions. When he's emotional, he throws dark paint on a canvas and all over himself. Rage, frustration, sadness? It's anybody's guess.
A long-delayed kiss between Dali and Lorca while swimming in a moonlit sea is beautifully photographed. While the visuals are stunning and the guitar-infused score evocative, they don't make up for the silly script.
Pattinson spouts such narcissistic baubles as: "Time and Dali wait for no man" and "Spain just seems so passé." Such pap can't hope to pierce the mystique of one of the 20th century's most influential artists. Little Ashes instead piques our interest in Lorca.


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