Tony Manero

TONY MANERO (dir. Pablo Larraín) The film is set in Chile during the fascist reign of Augusto Pinochet, and focuses on a man who is obsessed with John Travolta's discotheque super-star character in Saturday NIGHT FEVER. This might have been played for laughs, but Pablo Larrain's film is an evil fantasy of disco glory that portrays an obsessive and twisted character who is willing to kill to to fulfill his grotesque vision of acclaim. The frenzied violence in this film is so sudden and inexplicable that it literally takes your breath away. The film seems to present a subtle metaphor that compares the highly stylized nature of disco to the uncompromising fascist posturing of totalitarianism. ABSOLUTE MUST SEE

THis film sneaks up on you - there is something unsettling and powerful about it. The lead performance is raw, real and sad. This guy is a low street thief who has a circle of whores and other lowlifes around him. It doesn't matter if you know a bit about the horrible regime of General Pinochet who was in power when the film is set - 1978 but the movie is a metaphor for this brutal dictator's control of the country - insane behavior creating insane results. The lead guy is obsessed with Travolta's film Saturday Night Fever - he watches it in a movie theatre endlessly - memorizing the dialogue and all of Travolta's moves and dance steps. A Chile TV Variety show has celebrity look-a-like contests and he was to enter and win the Tony Manero contest - white suit and all. This movie feels like a documentary - and there are moments of calm followed by shocking displays of violence. I can see that this film might not be for everyone but I found it to be incredibly powerful. I disagree with the summary on this page though that describes the guy as a "serial killer" - he is not a serial killer - he just makes sure to get anyone out the way who stands between him and his obsession.

In the midst of the social context of the Pinochet dictatorship, Raúl Peralta, a man in his 50s, is obsessed with the idea of impersonating Tony Manero, John Travolta's character in the movie "Saturday Night Fever". Raúl leads a small group of dancers, who regularly perform at a bar on the outskirts. Every Saturday night, he unleashes his passion for movie songs by imitating his idol. His dream of being recognized as a successful showbiz star is about to come true when the national TV station announces a Tony Manero impersonator contest. His anxiety to reproduce the idol leads him to commit a series of crimes and thefts.

It is an extremely ambiguous film, at the same time that we feel sorry for the protagonist in the first ten minutes we feel the incredible that pulsates and disgust for its violent and obsessive data, bordering on the sick... A very interesting film with a differentiated approach, obsession for a idol, the dream of pursuing a profession and aggression taking on realistic contours...

It is a very interesting Chilean film; it has a strange plot and the acting is good; it is a very bizarre experience.

This film has lingered in my mind for a very long time.

The lead character is probably one of the scariest and most disturbing I have seen on cinema . He is without any morality and empathy but for some reason you are captivated by him and his life. You want him to succeed at first but as the film progresses you ate repulsed by him but stills obtain a fascination in his life. This is due to the writing and directing.?

The conditions and larger political scope of the film are well thought out, to live in that kind of fascistic government one such as the lead of this film is created and thrives. He is the logical product of that environment.

The scene when he kills the old woman for the TV is so disturbing i still think about it to this day and I saw it about three years ago.

The most haunting aspect for me was when he gets on the bus at the end and watches the winner of the competition and we all know what will happen, what he will do and what is store for his prey. Brilliant ending.

This is brutal, disturbing and amazingly directed.