The Whistlers: A Mystery Within A Mystery

I watched this  2019 thriller online via Curzon Home Cinema and found it intriguing, albeit difficult to follow. It is always stylish and Catrinel Marlon is sensational as Gilda: just her name tells you she is going to be a classy noir female and so it proves.  The setting on the Canary Island of La Gomera makes you want to visit, and the whistling language used throughout the film really does exist.

Then from the film’s Wikipedia page I discovered that the films director, avant-garde Romaninan film-maker Corneliu Porumboiu, has edited the film so it plays non-chronologically. Would it make more sense if I watched it in the “right” order ? I bought a DVD on eBay with English subtitles and investigated.

The answer is yes, it makes more (but not complete) sense watched in the chronological order. And there is a happy ending (I think)

Here is the chronological order, together with start times for each chapter:

1. Szolt 15:47

2. Mama 40:17

3. Gilda 4:03

4. Kiko 27:44

5. Whistling language 12:26

6. Pako 49:56

7. Magda 56:37

8. Cristi 80:00

Chapters 6, 7 and 8 are in the “right” order. I don’t know when you are supposed to watch 0:00 to 4:02 so I suggest you start with this piece.

It is worth the hassle – the film it reminds me of most is Christopher Nolan’s Memento, which played similar tricks with time and that is praise indeed.