August 14th  2025

Life of Chuck

Mr Burton

40 Acres

Indian Film Festival

From the sublime, to the theatrical to the apocalyptic - it's all here this week, plus the packed program of the Indian Film Festival. I'm wondering whether the upsurge in horror and apolcalyptic films of late is a sign of our troubled times. 

The Life of Chuck

Dir: Mike Flanagan

Length: 111 mins

Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PyR7D60Dqf8

© Studio Canal - you won't see a film as
original as this one. So much to unpack! 

Charles "Chuck" Krantz (Tom Hiddleston), an accountant, is your average guy. This is his story, but the film is anything but average. In fact it's quite extraordinary, and is ultimately everyone's story. Told backwards in three chapters, the first opens with what is basically the end of the world. America is physically falling apart and the universe is imploding, yet people try to keep up a sembance of normality despite their fear. Then the reverse narrative (based surprisingly on a Stephen King novella) explores some of the most profound questions we'll ever ask in life. What makes our lives meaningful from the largest things to the tiniest moments? What does it all mean? If we knew it was the end, who would we want to be with? For teacher Marty (Chiwetel Ejiofor) it's his ex-wife, nurse Felicia (Karen Gillan.) As Hiddleston says in his interview (referenced below), "moments of spontaneity, joy and connection" are what we remember and what must be constantly sought out.  Marty, in the opening sequence discusses with his students a Walt Whitman poem Song of Myself, in which the poet speaks of us all containing multitudes - we are the sum of all we see and experience, and we must wonder what happens to all that when an individual life ends or the world ends. Chuck is the sum of his life, and moving to the middle chapter (based around a drumming busker) we see him going for broke in a moment of unbridled spontaneity, as reflected in an unforgettable dance sequence that had me rejoicing and crying at the same time. Then we experience Chuck's youth, with three brilliant young actors embodying the character at different points in his early life: Cody Flanagan, Jacob Tremblay and Benjamin Pajak. (Thankfully each young man looks as if he could grow up to look like Hiddleston!) We see how Chuck's grandma (Mia Sara) taught him to dance, with other mesmerising sequences featuring Chuck and his schoolfriend Iris (Violet McGraw) immersing in the joy of dance. But Chuck's grandpa (Mark Hamill) wants him to pursue a practical career. Being Stephen King, it's no surprise there are a couple of near supernatural moments, involving seeing into the future, but the true focus of the film is something both mysterious and pragmatic, profound and basic - life and how we can all celebrate ourselves, our internal universe and the wonders of the cosmos around us.

5 - unmissable 

For an inspiring interview with the director and three of the lead actors, go to:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DWUTVAgSuMA&t=1306s

Mr Burton

Dir: Marc Evans

Length: 124 mins

Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aukrF28US7E

© Kismet - the teacher who inspired
iconic actor Richard Burton

Richard Jenkins (Harry Lawtey) is the son of a drunken Welsh coalminer. Since his mother's death when he was two, Rich has lived with his sister Cis and her husband Elfred. His cheeky but gifted nature draws attention from his schoolteacher Phillip Burton (Toby Jones), who sees something promising in the lad. When Rich declares he'd like to become an actor, Mr Burton takes the boy under his wing, bringing his passion and dedication for theatre to the  relationship. The young Richard Jenkins is destined to become one of the greatest actors of the 20th century, Richard Burton. The depiction of life in Wales in the wartime 1940s is excellent, except where certain smoke-filled mining backgrounds appear digitally inserted. Also at times the musical score becomes overwhelmingly histrionic and the time leap from Richard's first successful performance through to eight years later feels too abrupt. However, despite these criticisms, I find much to love about this film. This is probably one of the best, most moving performances I've seen from Toby Jones, who embodies a complex character whose motivations we can never be 100% sure of. Lawtey inhabits the young Burton, and he so gets the voice, the sneer, and his eyes could almost be those of the great thespian.  Lesley Manville is a winner as Ma, the very proper landlady with whom Mr Burton and, for a time, Richard live. The film gives an insight into a very talented man destined to self-destructive behaviour and excess, while celebrating the inspiring role a single teacher can play in determining a life's journey.

4 - highly recommended

40 Acres

Dir: R.T. Thorne

Length: 113 mins

Exclusive to Cinema Nova

Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ajH1DuwITZ8&t=1s

© Rialto - a fierce mother will do anything to
protect her family

In a post-apocalyptic world, a fungal plague has wiped out animal life and most crops. Famine reigns. Small groups of isolated farmers defend their properties against roving bands of survivors who see other humans as a food source. Hayley Freeman (Danielle Deadwyler) lives on a property with her partner Galen (Michael Greyeyes), their three daughters and her teenage son Manny (Kataem O'Connor). Being ex-army, Hayley runs their lives like a general. Everyone must learn to defend the perimeter and to kill when necessary. Strangers are inherently mistrusted. When beautiful young woman Dawn (Milcania Diaz Rojas) turns up injured, Manny decides to help her, imperilling all their lives. This film is an interesting mix of somewhat predictable plotlines and none-too-credible outcomes, but it also has some excellent and unexpected ideas for a narrative grounded in this gory genre. Hayley's former slave ancestors and Galen's indigenous Cree ancestry make for an interesting take on their fierce defence of their land. The action and tension are constant, and though the gore quotient gets pretty bloody, the story had me constantly engaged and invested in the little family's survival. Deadwyler is a standout as the tough matriarch; she is the film's driving heart, though all the cast are an excellent support. Unfortunately at times I found the dialogue a little muffled and hard to follow, but the content of the film is so viscerally frightening, it really works as both a vision of a potentially horrific future, and a celebration of family bonds, family both of blood and of choice.

4 - highly recommended

Indian Film Festival of Melbourne (IFFM)

August 14-24

Various Cinemas - Hoyts Docklands, Hoyts Chadstone, Village Crown, Geelong, Bendigo, Shepparton and more

To explore the festival, discovering films by language and theme, visit: https://www.iffm.com.au

The best of Indian cinema hits Melbourne and regional cities, with 75 films screening. I remind you each year, Indian films are much more than Bollywood. Here are movies reflecting the diversity of cultures and languages throughout the vast country, even heading overseas to reflect stories of the Indian diaspora. Many of the films in the festival are only on for one or two sessions. Of course there are many special events - dance competitions, retrospectives, and special guests. With so many excellent films, it's hard to choose, but a couple I've been lucky to preview come highly recommended.

 

Letters from Wolf Street

Aug 16th only 

This excellent documentary already has plenty of awards to its name, including Best Documentary, Best Cinematography and Audience Award at various festivals. Director Arjun Talway has left Delhi and been living in Warsaw for about 10 years. He documents life on the street where he lives, recording the rounds of postman Piotr, and interviewing locals as to how they see their country and how they feel about immigrants. Arjun speaks excellent Polish, but still feels like an outsider searching for a sense of belonging. The nearest he gets to feeling connected is meeting a Polish gypsy family, as they talk of a common heritage. In trying to capture the migrant experience, he also interviews Feras, a Syrian refugee who has married a Polish woman, and Chinese immigrant Mo who helps him with the sound recording. His disarming way of questioning folks on the street gets them to open up, and old prejudices emerge. All is underscored by a cheeky soundtrack of jaunty music that belies the seriousness of  change in modern Europe, especally with the rise of right-wing groups. A terrifically insightful, film which is also funny, poignant and entertaining. 

We are Faheem & Karun

Aug 15th and 22nd

It's not often I've seen Indian films exploring gay sexuality, but this, set on the Kashmiri border between India and Pakistan, does so delicately and movingly. Karun (Akash Menon) is an Indian border security guard and a Hindu. Faheem (Mir Tawseef) rides through the border checkpoint on his motorcycle heading home to his Muslim family. The two men's eyes meet and a spark is ignited. But this is conservative Kashmir where mothers are trying to arrange marriages for their sons, and border conflict is ever-present. It's a bit of a Romeo and Juliet story, but with a serious message about prejudice - both towards gay people and those of other faiths and nationalities. Set in the stunning Gurez valley, the film features awesomely beautiful cinematography, and the opening scene, with its haunting music, is memorable. The two lead performances exude a lovely chemistry, making this a very watchable and moving story which is also politically resonant.

I the Song

Aug 15th only

From the tiny country of Bhutan comes their top film, which has also won directorial awards in Europe. It's the story of  young teacher Nima who is assumed to be the star of an explicit sex video. Deeply upset, she goes in search of her lookalike or doppelganger, Meto. What she encounters highlights the clashes between traditional Bhutan and the influence of the modern world, also epitomised by the theft of a sacred song which has been commercially exploited. Tandin Bhida plays both woman, effectively differentiating their opposing personalities, but somehow the use of flashback renders the plot at times confusing. Regardless, the depiction of this traditional world is fascinating, but it is also a world falling into conflict with modernity and digital exploitation.