This Must Be the Place

"A former rockstar is hunting down a Nazi criminal. This could be his greatest hit."

2011 1h 58m EN

👍

7.0

SOLID

★7.0TMDB · 1,332

Drama

Synopsis

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A bored, retired rock star living in Ireland sets out to find his dead father's tormentor, an ex-Nazi war criminal who is a refugee in the U.S.

“A former rockstar is hunting down a Nazi criminal. This could be his greatest hit.”

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Cast

Sean Penn
Cheyenne
Olwen Fouéré
Mary's Mother
Eve Hewson
Mary
Johnny Ward
Steven
Sam Keeley
Desmond
Danielle O'Brien
Supermarket Girl #1
Margaret O'Reilly
Supermarket Girl #2
Frances McDormand
Jane

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Paolo Sorrentino
Writers: Umberto Contarello, Paolo Sorrentino
Languages: Hebrew, English
Countries: Italy, France, Ireland

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Earned back only 47% of its budget on initial theatrical — a commercial disappointment on release.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Released 15 years ago.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

Dialogue crosses 2 languages: Hebrew, English.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

International production across 3 countries: Italy, France, Ireland.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Paolo Sorrentino, shot by Luca Bigazzi. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by David Byrne. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Cristiano Travaglioli shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Sean Penn and Olwen Fouéré and Eve Hewson carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Paolo Sorrentino directs. Luca Bigazzi behind the camera. David Byrne scores. Cristiano Travaglioli cuts. A commercial under-performer on release. Produced in Italy, France, Ireland. Dialogue in Hebrew, English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Earned back only 47% of its budget on initial theatrical — a commercial disappointment on release.
2Released 15 years ago.
3Dialogue crosses 2 languages: Hebrew, English.
4International production across 3 countries: Italy, France, Ireland.
5Directed by Paolo Sorrentino, shot by Luca Bigazzi. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
6Original score by David Byrne. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
7Editor Cristiano Travaglioli shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
8Sean Penn and Olwen Fouéré and Eve Hewson carry the top of the cast.
9Marketing tagline: "A former rockstar is hunting down a Nazi criminal. This could be his greatest hit.".
10IMDB entry: tt1440345 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
11Classified under 16 themes, including "rock 'n' roll", "michigan", "parent child relationship", "rock star".

The technical file

Cinematography: Luca Bigazzi
Original score: David Byrne
Editing: Cristiano Travaglioli
Production design: Stefania Cella
Costume design: Karen Patch
Makeup / hair: Luisa Abel
Stunt coordinator: Blaise Corrigan
Runtime: 118 min · 1h 58m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $25,000,000
Box office: $11,790,979
Return: 47% of budget
Original language: EN
Certification (US): R
IMDB: This Must Be the Place (2011)

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Paolo Sorrentino

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Community reviews

What people are saying

Wuchak2026-06-27
★ 7/10
Penn as a soft-spoken Socrates-like retired Goth rocker, not to mention Nazi hunter His character is named Cheyenne, a weirdo-genius modeled after Robert Smith of The Cure with a dash of Ozzy and Edward Scissorhands. CC DeVille with a black wig is another comparison. Meanwhile, the band ‘Cheyenne and the Fellows’ was inspired by Siouxsie and the Banshees. Cheyenne is 20 years past his prime but is able to live off royalties in Dublin with his firefighter wife (Frances McDormand). While he’s sorta bottled up and fears flying, he’s compelled to take a sojourn to America due to his dying Jewish father and attend to his unfinished business. As he travels from state-to-state he unconsciously helps others, as well as personally grows. Highlights include: Cheyenne’s curious friendship with a young female that people mistake for his daughter (Eve Hewson); his softly spoken insights, which show that he’s in tune more than most, except when he talks with David Byrne and vents his buried issues; his brief relationship with a woman & her boy in rural New Mexico (Kerry Condon) and his corresponding respect for marital parameters. This is just a taste of the gems in this quirky, lyrical oddity. There are a couple of issues, however, such as the insinuation that smoking cigarettes is a sign of majority. I would offer that it’s a sign of nicotine addiction and folly, even immaturity. Then there’s the dubious closing message, which I’ll leave for you to discover. The eccentric flick’s not for everyone, but if you appreciate movies like “Easy Rider,” “Paris, Texas,” “Buffalo '66,” “Almost Famous” and “The Lucky Ones,” it’s worth checking out. It runs 1h 51m and was shot Aug-Oct 2010 in Ireland (Dublin,); Michigan (Bad Axe, Ubly, Kinde and Sterling Heights); and New Mexico (Bingham, Alamogordo, Carrizozo, Eagle Nest, Red River and Questa). Post-production work was done in Rome. GRADE: B/B-

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