Art, Mystery, obsession , betrayal. That’s “The Best Offer”, a Hitchcockian film that gets in your head and stays there. Geoffrey Rush, erasing all memories of “The Pirates of the Caribbean” series, delivers yet another memorable performance as Virgil Oldman, an art auctioneer who is well-known in the art world, so much in fact that his services are difficult to procure. One day, an elusive young girl named Claire (Sylvia Hoeks) calls upon him to oversee the auction of a vast collection she has inherited. And that’s where things get interesting. No fair revealing more. But if you can get past the confusing first 20 minutes or so, this mind-bender ought to prove two things: 1) Geoffrey Rush is still one heck of an actor and 2) Director Guiseppe Tornatore (“Cinema Paradiso”, “Malena”) never runs from a challenge. And it is a challenge to absorb the tone of this film at first and acquaint yourself with its “bizarre” characters. But once you do, “The Best Offer” has many twists in store. It’s easily one of the most unusual movies of the year. And I mean it as high praise.

Rating: 3/4