July 18th 2025
Trifole (Truffles) - one night only 20 July
The Divine Sarah Bernhardt
One to One: John and Yoko (cinema and streaming)
Scandinavian Film Festival
This week's films all target different groups of enthusiasts: Fans of John Lennon, lovers of Italian cinema, Scandi movie enthusiasts, and theatre afficionados - there's something to delight you all!
Espresso Cinema
In a collaboration between Cinema Nova Melbourne and Luna Palace Perth, along with ABCG Films, Espresso Cinema brings to viewers some top-notch Italian movies they would otherwise not get an opportunity to see. The trick is, each screening is a one-night opportunity. For more info on Melbourne screenings, visit: https://www.cinemanova.com.au/events/espresso-cinema. And here's a beauty:
Trifole (Truffles)
Dir: Gabriele Fabro
Length: 100 mins
One-off screening sunday 20th July at at Cinema Nova
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© ABCG - grandfather, granddaughter,
a cute dog and stunning scenery! |
With plenty of nominations for awards at various international festivals, this gentle film adds to the growing oeuvre of movies about a much-sought-after mushroom - the truffle. Young Dalia (Ydalie Turk) comes from London to the Piedmont area in northern Italy to care for her 90-year-old aging grandfather Igor (Umberto Usini). He has been a passionate truffle hunter all his life, but his way of life is being threatened, as large grape-growing corporations are destroying the forests where truffles grow to plant commercial vineyards. Igor is suffering dementia, at times mistaking Dalia for his daughter Marta (Margherita Buy). When Igor hurts his leg he sends a reluctant Dalia out with his beloved truffle dog Birba to see what she can dig up, hopefully finding a big truffle to show at the annual Alba White Truffle Fair. OK, we have the set up for what I believed would be a fairly predictable plot, but surprises galore abound. The film heads off into a quasi-fairytale direction, with superstitions abounding and mysterious happenings in the night. Dalia returns from her ill-fated truffle hunt to become bizarrely involved in the pageantry and tradition that surrounds the celebrated Truffle Fair. The sudden jump from a delicate story of family ties to the loudness of the festival may jar for some viewers, but it does highlight a colorful longstanding tradition, even if there is a weirdness in Dalia's involvement. It also underscores the contrast between Grandpa's deep connection to the land as opposed to commerciality of the festival. Most striking are the breathtaking visuals of the Piedmont landscape - glowing autumn forests, mists over the vineyards, winding village streets. This gorgeous insight into tradition, love of land, and a dying way of life make for a memorable movie experience.4- highly recommended
The Divine Sarah Bernhardt
Dir: Guillaume Nicloux
Length: 98 mins
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© Rialto - lavish period piece highlighting
France's famed actress |
With a 60-year career, Sarah Bernhardt was one of France's most celebrated and scandalous actresses, starting her career in the Comedie Francaise in 1872. She toured Europe and the USA, rising to international fame by the 1880s. In this lavish production we first meet Sarah near the end of her life, in the Paris of the 1920s and dogged by illness. It was a decadent era, filled with Bohemian artists, and Sarah was their darling. The film's timeline moves back and forth through several pivotal eras in her life, to portray a most volatile and flighty personality, along with the most scandalous episodes in her life. I believe a more chronological timeline would serve the film's narrative better. It feels as if we don't get to know enough of the trajectory and detail of her amazing career and that the emphasis is on style and era over substance. Regardless, Sandrine Kiberlain gives a strong performance as the woman once considered to be the finest stage actress in the world. Her undying love affair with fellow actor Lucien Guitry (Lauren Lafitte) is a central part of the story, along with the countless sycophants and colorful characters that waft in and out. Settings and costumes are absolutely sumptuous, and for fans of theatre history this is a worthwhile watch.3 - recommended
One to One: John and Yoko
Dir: Kevin Macdonald & Sam Rice Edwards
Length: 101 mins
Various digital platforms from the 21st July, also still screening at Cinema Nova
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© Madman - a great insight into
a rare talent and a world-famous relationship |
Ah, the nostalgia for the 1970s! After the break-up of The Beatles in 1970, John Lennon went on to forge a solo career, in which he only ever performed one live concert, One to One, to raise money for disadvantaged children. This in-depth doco is about that wonderful concert and much more; it delves into the time in the early 1970s when Lennon lived with Yoko Ono in New York, a time of creativity, counterculture and vibrant activist lifestyles. Making excellent use of archival footage and old interviews, the filmmakers give us a deep insight of the couple's views on politics, music, and each other. We learn how committed Lennon was to social justice, and, in that turbulent time, just how influential his music was in promoting his world view. (Think, Imagine, an iconic plea for world peace.) John's fascination for TV also serves as a backdrop, with crazy ads, talk shows and clips of the Vietnam war reflecting the feel of the era. I learned a lot about the man that I never knew, and for any fans of Lennon this is no doubt a must-see.4- highly recommended
Hurtigruten Scandinavian Film Festival
Until 3rd August - Melbourne
Palace Cinemas
The best cinema from the chilly Nordic lands is always something to look forward to. I'm often impressed by strong scripting, impressive settings, and an originality that is very different from many of the Hollywood mainstream offerings. Again, some recommendations from me.
Number 24: A thrilling true story of bravery, resistance and espionage. World War 2 has erupted and the Nazis have invaded Norway. 22-year-old average guy Gunnar Sonsteby (Sjur Vatne Brean) immediately signs up for the resistance. He heads up the Oslo Gang, and, with support from British MI5, mounts daring acts of sabotage throughout Norway. Gunnar is the country's most decorated resistance hero. His story here is told with an interesting framing device, as the now elderly Gunnar (Eric Hivju) gives talks to students about what it was like to fight for your country's very survival. The morality of wartime killing is explored via students' questions, and it is obvious many issues haunted Gunnar for the rest of his life. The film is beautifully executed, with plenty of tension, but never played for shock value. Through the lens of one man dedicated to his cause, the greater issues of freedom, justice and war are powerfully explored. Excellent scripting, acting and period recreation. The Mountain: An unusual Icelandic film about an astronomer Maria, her husband Atli and their teenage daughter. When Maria heads off on a trip north, attempting to photograph a comet, her husband and daughter are both too busy to accompany her. When tragedy strikes, the father and daughter must come to terms with their guilt over how they could have influenced a different outcome. Although the ultimate resolution is predictable, the film paints a realistic portrait of grief, loss and guilt, with strong believable scripting. Shot among Iceland's highlands, the film also makes terrific visual use of the light and stark dramatic landscape.
