The Benefactor: A Dive into Philanthropic Guilt

So, pals, the other day, I found myself tangled up in The Benefactor, and I’m not sure what just hit me. You’ve got Richard Gere (yes, Mr. Pretty Woman himself) seemingly stuck in a perpetual loop of mood swings, and I couldn’t help but question, what’s the deal here? Alright, so Gere plays some rich philanthropist who’s all tangled in emotional knots. I think maybe the director, Andrew Renzi, was trying to dig into the soul of such a character. But I gotta say, it feels a bit like he missed a few shovels full.

Anyway, Gere’s character is this Flim Flan—no wait, it’s Franny—who’s, like, drowning in his own guilt but with a damn deep wallet. It’s kinda like watching a cat chase its tail but with more money and less fur. Dakota Fanning, maturing beautifully on screen, and Theo James, our Divergent heartthrob, play a couple entangled in Franny’s web of charity and manipulation. Not very cheery, eh?

You know, the story got me thinking ‘bout the time I borrowed my neighbor’s snowplough in the dead of January, without asking. I felt guilty as a fox caught in a henhouse. After returning it slightly worse for wear, I brought over a bottle of glögg to make amends. Much love, little awkward. Kind of Franny-like in his gestures but minus the wealth, eh?

The flick’s a mishmash of redemption and sorrow, but does it strike gold? Not quite. It’s got that artsy feel Renzi’s known for, but sometimes you’re just kinda left dangling, like a faded Vadstena curtain. The cinematography’s lush and intimate, but the narrative? It left me feeling like I’d forgotten something on the stove—unsettled, yet vaguely hungry.

So folks, it’s worth a look for Gere’s intriguing performance alone, but don’t expect it to warm you like a Swedish köttbulle on a winter’s evening. There might be lessons in there about guilt and mercy, but they’re a tad muffled. Maybe, just maybe, you’ll find a murmur of resonance from when you borrowed that plough—or whatever nagging guilt lingers in your own closet.

Check the trailer below