The Necessary Death of Charlie Countryman, Frederik Bond's debut film, is an exquisite delight. A zig-zag flight of fancy into the eerie corners of exotic Romania, a gritty, genre-defying mash-up of surreal spiritualism, requited love, quirky humour and vicious violence. The chemistry between Shia LeBouf and Evan Rachel Wood is electrifying and magical, with an elemental force of mysticism. Stuck in a brooding limbo of grief and memory, trying to cope with the loss of parents, they discover each other, within and without. What really works is the spontaneous impulsiveness of the characters despite the incoherent incongruity of the narrative. From the visual intrigue of the trippy LSD ride, the story moves into violent action centering around the propulsive, Heathcliff-like underworld crime lord. Intensely ruthless and unpredictable, Mads Mikkelsen is outstanding with the chilling efficiency of a methodical terroriser and an agent of disruption. The soundtrack is arguably the best of this year, woozy, haunting and techno-classic-melodious.
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