Sal

10/26/2012

I have a soft spot in my heart for movies about making movies. Whether you go back to Fellini’s “8 1/2” or point to modern efforts such as “Adaptation” or “Seven Psychopaths,” I rarely grow tired of the meta-frameworks of the usually self-referential films. They serve as constant reminders that no matter the seriousness, toil and drama poured into cinema, there’s always room for levity. That said, Argentinian writer-director Diego Rougier’s “Sal” hit me just the right way with its mix of Western iconography, gorgeous photography and limitless sardonicism. To simply make the comparison between this darkly comic Western thriller and “No Country for Old Men” seems insufficient, even though the Best Picture winner immediately springs to mind while watching “Sal.” The influence of the