Dalíland (2022)

Dalíland is special because it doesn’t try to “explain” Salvador Dalí so much as let you spend time in his orbit, where genius, performance, and self-mythology blur into one glittering spectacle. Mary Harron brings a wry, compassionate eye to the late-career Dalí and the formidable Gala, pairing lush period design and evocative cinematography with a story that feels like being ushered through velvet ropes into a private circus. Ben Kingsley is mesmerizing—funny, brittle, and oddly moving—while the film quietly slips in sharp ideas about aging, narcissism, and the strange power of personality cults. If you’re looking for a conventional cradle-to-grave biopic, this may feel more like an impressionistic backstage pass, but if you want a smart, stylish character study with real bite and tenderness, it’s well worth the ticket.

Dalíland wants to be a backstage pass to the chaos and glamour of Salvador Dalí’s later years, filtered through a young assistant’s wide-eyed perspective. The problem is it often feels oddly conventional for a man synonymous with provocation, with a formulaic structure that documents the scene more than it reveals anything sharp or surprising about the people in it. Ben Kingsley brings committed, watchable energy and the period vibe is pleasant enough, but if you’re hoping for a daring, mind-bending character study, this plays it safer than it should. Worth a look if you like mild, anecdotal biopics and 1970s art-world atmosphere; skip it if you want the film to be as fearless as its subject.