Only Harmony Korine could weave Michael Jackson, Marilyn Monroe, her daughter Shirley Temple, and flying nuns into a hypnotically funny and truly poignant tale of the instability behind fanaticism and the redemption we can hope to find in one another. The film follows a lonely Michael Jackson impersonator who is invited by a beautiful Marilyn Monroe to a commune in the Scottish Highlands full of other impersonators, including the Queen of England, Madonna, Sammy Davis Jr., and James Dean. In a parallel storyline, the incomparable Werner Herzog plays a Latin American priest who learns his missionary of nuns can literally fly.

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Video Quality

Mister Lonely debuts on Blu-Ray at long last with a welcome 1080p video presentation after being released on DVD exclusively back in 2008. Harmony Korine captured this one using a mixture of 35mm and 16mm, and this new transfer retains its beautifully filmic nature while resolving well. There is a world of peculiar production design flourishes and iconic outfits as we tumble further down the rabbit hole. All of these elements provide crystal clear textural details. The presentation provides a notable amount of depth on the open compound.

The image is clean with some intentional cinematic processes to inject some personality into the job. The color palette faithfully saturates the screen. The film employs deep splashes of colors within the design elements which never lack for something appealing. Black levels are appropriately deep with no observable digital noise. The flesh tones are natural with a serious amount of detail in close-ups. This Blu-Ray will prove to be worth the wait for fans.

Audio Quality

This Blu-Ray comes with an effective DTS-HD 5.1 Master Audio track that captures the dreamy nature of the story through distinct sound design. Dialogue and connection is a major part of the film, and it always emanates clearly without being subdued by any competing sounds. There is not really anything in the way of grand kinetic moments, but the environmental sounds of the world in the city and on the compound engage the surround speakers in a truly effective way.

When the characters are walking around with the animals, some nice ambient details flesh out the scene. This film is buoyed by its soundtrack consistently, and every tune is granted rich fidelity on this disc. These sounds fill the speakers in a wonderful, well-balanced way. Certain sound effects such as the plane engine engage the low end of the track in a way that supplies a vital texture to the proceedings. The audio track delivers on all fronts.

Special Features

Audio Commentary: Director Jay Cheel (How To Build A Time Machine) provides a fun new fan commentary in which he discusses the career of Harmony Korine and his love for the film with a good mixture of personal insights and broad creative observations.

Deleted Scenes: A 37-minute collection of unused material is provided in an unfinished form. There are some engaging moments contained within this worth exploring if you like the movie.

Archival Making of Featurette: A 12-minute featurette in which the cast and creative team discuss developing the seeds of the idea, settling on which figures to include in the film, the performers that were gathered, the layers of the characters, and more.

Harmony Korine – A Director Under the Influence by Samm Deighan: A 17-minute video essay in which the film historian discusses the influences on Harmony Korine, the French New Wave, the unexpected ties to vaudeville, and more.

Original Trailer: The two-minute trailer is provided here.

Booklet: A multi-page booklet featuring the essay “Heavenly Bodies: Stardom and Transcendence in Harmony Korine’s Mister Lonely” by Kyle Turner is provided that explores the concept of identity and archetypes and how it ties into the themes of the film.

Final Thoughts

Mister Lonely is an unusual film that feels like a safe entry point into the world of Harmony Korine. Some more intense thematic developments occur, but there is an underlying gentleness to the proceedings that might surprise those who only know the director by reputation. Through taking up the life of an impersonator, we explore characters who are processing who they are in a way that makes sense to them. There are some heartbreaking moments, but they are balanced with moments of beauty and humor. In the hands of anyone else, it feels like this concept would not be able to work in the same way. Yet, when viewed through the lens of Harmony Korine, you get something truly memorable. IFC Films has released a Blu-Ray featuring a wonderful A/V presentation and a good selection of supplemental features. If you are a fan of this film, it has finally been treated with the proper respect. Recommended

Mister Lonely is currently available to purchase on Standard Edition Blu-Ray or with a Limited Edition Slipcover exclusively through Vinegar Syndrome.

Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the Blu-Ray.

Disclaimer: IFC Films and OCN Distribution have supplied a copy of this disc free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.