Identity theft
Beauty has many faces but rarely does one come across a work of art so stunning that it fills the mind with waves of consolation. Michelangelo Antonioni’s Professione: Reporter (aka The Passenger) every bit, every fiber breaths this type of beauty – the brilliant photography, the subtle colors and the perfect depiction of several void locations like a Munich airport, the Sahara desert and the rooftops of Barcelona, nothing escapes the master’s eye.
Jack Nicholson is journalist David Locke who assumes the identity of a fellow traveler who died suddenly of a heart attack. It is up to beautiful Maria Schneider to understand why, during a roadtrip in which Locke’s past slowly catches up with him. The philospophical angle of the story is mainly carried by the absence of dialogue. The little conversation that exists is merely meant to help Locke and the viewer to understand his fear for commitment, a fear so great that he rather takes a dead man’s name than responsibility for his actions. As timeless as the story is, the world it shows is long gone. This is a world where airports weren’t infested with terrorists and hordes of tourists but were quiet meeting grounds for arms dealers, and where travelling through Europe involved carrying a passport, a myriad of currencies and the knowledge of several languages. This Europe must have died along with Mr. Antonioni.
