April 5th
Woman at War
The Happy Prince
Shazam
Indonesian Film Festival

What a contrasting bunch of movies this week! From Icelandic droll environmental comedy, to a literary biopic, to a superhero adventure, and another Festival featuring films from our near neighbour Indonesia. 

Woman at War
Director: Benedikt Erlingsson
Length: 100 min

© Hi Gloss & Limelight  - quirky yet with 
serious undertones

49-year old Halla (Halldóra Geirharðsdóttir) looks as if she wouldn't harm a fly. She conducts a choir of angelic voices in her local town, then strides out across the adjacent Icelandic hills to destroy local power lines in an attempt to stop the local smelter from destroying the environment. You like Scandi-quirky? Then this could be a film for you. With its dry humour, left-of-centre happenings (like a band constantly playing in unexpected places or a trio of Ukrainian singers turning up) and undercurrent of political commentary, it's a truly unusual film. Described as an "eco-thriller", it definitely has an agenda to spruik - namely that activism could be the only way to prevent wholesale destruction of a beautiful environment like Iceland. A sub-plot of Halla applying to adopt a Ukrainian orphan underlines the thematic threads of saving the world, one orphan at a time and one blown-up power pylon at a time.
4 - highly recommended!

The Happy Prince
Director: Rupert Everett
Length: 105 min

© Vendetta- Oscar Wilde sure knew
the meaning of living life to the full

Acclaimed playwright Oscar Wilde (Rupert Everett) lies on his deathbed, dying of syphilis and recalling the happier moments in his life, along with the circumstances that led him to this point in time. It's blatantly obvious that this is a project extremely dear to Everett's heart. His passionate performance in the role is simply divine (dahling!) and he plays flamboyant and witty for all it's worth. In an era where being gay was a crime, and despite Wilde's celebrity, he suffered grievously from the derision of many in society, and was indeed jailed for his "offences". The tumultuous love affair with the arrogant, younger Lord Alfred Douglas (Colin Morgan) broke his heart. Production values of the period are terrific and international settings scrub up well. Colin Firth and Edwin Thomas as close friends, and Emily Watson as Wilde's long-suffering wife are uniformly strong. The film's title derives from a famous short story of Wilde's, one that is very close to my heart, but there is a certain slightness to the film that doesn't totally reflect the great writer's enduring legacy.
3 - recommended!

Shazam!
Director: David Sandberg
Length: 132 min

© Roadshow / Marvel - a teen finds himself becoming
an instant superhero at the drop of a word!

Regular readers will know that I don't go to many films of this nature, but the trailer of this piqued my interest (and offered a chance to enjoy something light-hearted, after all the deep and meaningful films I watch). I'm pleasantly surprised and strongly entertained by this addition to the pantheon of superhero films. This time the hero is a kid who can immediately and at will attain the status of adult, and the accompanying superpowers by simply hollering the word "Shazam"! The plot is of course way more convoluted than that and, as is the rule, deals with the ultimate battle between good and evil, and the challenge of saving the world and one's friends and family.  Our hero is teen orphan Billy Batson (Asher Angel) who has moved from one foster home to another. In his adult incarnation (played by strong screen presence Zachary Levi) his superhero physique still houses a teenage brain. The challenge is to rise to his new role, and so with foster brother and sidekick Freddy (Jack Dylan Grazer), Billy, alias Shazam!, takes on the might of the evil Dr Sivana (Mark Strong) whose backstory opens the film. This is loads of fun, with witty dialogue, endearing characters, and of course compulsory totally unbelievable happenings that simply add to the fun and games.
3.5 - well recommended!

Indonesian Film Festival
April 5-10
ACMI
For details visit: https://www.acmi.net.au/events/14th-indonesian-film-festival/

The IFF is now in its 14th year, and with such a short season you need to be quick to catch the films you want. 
My only previewing has been of an award-winning film called Night Bus. This is gruelling watching about a group of passengers on the night bus to the village of Sampar. The bus gets mixed up with armed rebels who are fighting the state army, and it is the innocent who are the casualties of this bitter fight. Unfortunately the cinematography is very dark hence it is hard to always make out what is happening. However, as with many films of this nature it is strong viewing and a harrowing testimony to the futility and brutality of conflict. 
For other films in the festival visit the link. For added value, each screening is accompanied by a Q&A with Peter Krausz, and festival guests.