Schultze Gets the Blues surprises in its ability to take randomness to the next level. I can say with sincerity that this film is perhaps the most comically bizarre piece of cinema I have seen to date. Frame follows frame and scene follows scene with as much impetus as a child headed to the principal’s office. The director seems in no hurry to get anyway fast, or really, anywhere at all. Dialogue is so sparse in the film and provides so little insight into the inner realities of the characters that one (almost) wishes there was no dialogue at all. The beautiful cinematography can certainly stand alone and carry what little story there is to bear. I was surprised, however, by the lack of sound in a film that bills itself as being about music.
Now, as to whether Schultze Gets the Blues is an enjoyable movie to watch, the answer is emphatically “NO.” It is worse than watching paint dry because it seemingly promises so much more than dry paint. It promises, according to its tag line, a glimpse into the re-tuning of a person’s soul. That’s a pretty hefty claim, but I was open to the possibility; however, as random scene followed random scene I slowly lost track of Schultze’s soul, my soul, and really the idea that souls exist at all. It was that painful.
And, if the “Most Random Film” prize wasn’t enough, Schultze Gets the Blues certainly deserves the blue ribbon for “Most Anti-Climatic Film.” What an ending!?! I actually laughed out loud as the credits began to roll . . . partially because the conclusion mocked me for having hoped for something more meaningful, but mostly out of glee for finally coming to the end of this miserable film.
