Three Lives and Only One Death

Three Lives and Only One Death is a French film directed by the renowned Chilean director Raúl Ruiz and released in 1996. The movie is a tangled web of absurd and engaging narratives elegantly strung together, brimming with a distinctive charm and whimsy. Raúl Ruiz, known for his singular directorial approach, offers a film that cleverly weaves four intriguing tales into a main narrative line, which keep its viewers guessing and second-guessing. Leading the spectacular cast is none other than Marcello Mastroianni, giving a splendid performance in one of his final roles before his death in 1996.

The plot's complexities are structured into an anthology of four short stories. One of Mastroianni's characters is a Parisian bourgeois professor who, suddenly and without apparent reason, decides to abandon his comfortable life to become a beggar. The second tale tells of an old man who returns to his wife twenty years after his inexplicable disappearance, acting quite peculiarly. The third tale portrays a serial killer whose victims are all owners of a specific Parisian bookshop, and the fourth is about a successful businessman approached by his double. Throughout the film, we watch as Mastroianni masterfully brings these diverse characters to life.

In many ways, Three Lives and Only One Death is an exploration of absurdity and chance, a nod towards the surreal and coincidental aspects of life. The whimsical elements of the narrative are intoxicating, and the stories, though separate, eventually converge in a fascinating and unconventional manner. It allows us to perceive that the separate tales are, in fact, interconnected, blurring the lines between fantasy and reality. The director's proclivity for the bizarre and and the unusual is prominently visible, and yet, all this fits together harmoniously to form an interesting and captivating piece of cinema.

Marcello Mastroianni was at his magnificent best in Three Lives and Only One Death. Lending his own charisma and unique acting skills to the diverse roles, Mastroianni makes each character believable and enchanting. The enigmatic air that Mastroianni brings to his multiple roles along with his innate screen presence is what truly keeps the viewers hooked. The film also features remarkable performances from Anna Galiena, Marisa Paredes, and Chiara Mastroianni, who help bring the peculiar tales to life.

The stunning cinematography by Acácio de Almeida contributes to the film’s overall allure, infusing each frame with a visual appeal that complements the film's narrative quirks. As the film progresses, the creative use of locations, lighting, and camera angles helps to build a fascinating and vivid world where the ordinary and extraordinary co-exist. Interestingly, Paris, the film's setting, is depicted as a city where truth and fiction effortlessly blend into one another.

The screenplay, written by Ruiz and Pascal Bonitzer, is intelligent and full of wit. It provides a fresh exploration of human experiences and eccentricities, challenging the audience's thinking at nearly every turn of the narrative. Topped with a wonderfully soft score by Jorge Arriagada, the film resonates long after viewing.

In essence, Three Lives and Only One Death is an avant-garde cinematic curio. It’s a movie that delicately walks the tightrope between the bizarre and the profound. It transcends viewer expectations and throws them into an immersive, strange world written masterfully with sharp and smart dialogue. Humorous, intellectual, and surreal, this Raúl Ruiz masterpiece is certainly a hidden gem of 90s cinema that deserves exploration. Appreciated by viewers for its originality and audacity, it will please film enthusiasts who are open to vagueness and ambiguity and those who like unconventional storytelling. Its interpretive narrative and jigsaw-like plot, combined with a fantastic cast, make it a remarkable piece that’s both enjoyable and thought-provoking.

Hence, Three Lives and Only One Death is a film that can be appreciated on various levels, as it weaves tales of mystery, surprise, and human relationships, often with an undercurrent of dark humor. It’s a cerebral film that not only entertains but also makes its viewers wonder about the beautiful randomness of life. The strong performances, especially Marcello Mastroianni’s, the skillful script, the picturesque cinematography, and the unique storytelling all come together to make it a compelling watch, going beyond the boundaries of conventional cinema to touch upon something truly extraordinary.