May 3rd 2025
Tina
HSBC German Film Festival
South African Film Festival
Palestinian Film Festival
Festival frenzy is upon us. The German FF is the highest profile, but no less important are the smaller festivals that give audiences a great opportunity to see into worlds and cultures that are unfamiliar to us. There is also a Persian Film Festival on the go, but I couldn't snag any previews! Music lovers are in for a treat in a couple of this week's films, Tina and Old Righteous Blues.
Tina
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| © Madman - |
Teacher, Mareta Percival (Anapela Polataivao), suffers a tragedy when her beloved daughter is killed in the Christchurch earthquake. Feeling her life is over, she becomes reclusive, then reluctantly takes a job as a fill-in teacher at an elite local school, where her Polynesian style is the cultural antithesis of the privileged white students. After a rocky start, she decides to set up a school choir, and introduce her students to singing, and to her Samoan culture. In Samoan language, the word Tina means mother, and it is the rediscovering of being a mother, this time to her students, that is at the heart of this tear-jerker of a film. Yes it's emotionally manipulative, and the plot is at times predictable, but ultimately the film is so uplifting that you forgive it. Although Samoan culture is front and centre, universal themes of parenting, redemption, pride and identity extend to all the characters in the film. Students Sophie (Antonia Robinson) and Anthony (Zac O'Meagher) stand out in their roles as kids struggling to find their true calling, while head teacher Alan (Dalip Sondhi) with his gentle compassionate nature, is a great foil for Mareta's fiercely resilient character. While the choir gets amazingly good in a barely believable short time, the music sweeps us away. If you've ever been to Samoa and a Sunday church service (which I have), you'll know just how beautifully the locals sing, and how important music is to their identity. This celebration of the Samoan culture and of the role of the universal mother is done with such love, it's no wonder that the film is such a delightful crowd-pleaser and has been a smash hit in New Zealand.4 - highly recommended
HSBC German Film Festival
Melbourne: Now until 21 May
The largest festival of German films outside of Germany is back bringing the latest from German cinema, along with movies from Austria and Switzerland. And a special treat for those wanting a movie marathon: Rainer Werner Fassbinder's award-winnning Berlin Alexanderplatz screens over 3 weeks, with 5 episodes running 320 minutes per session! While I don't have the sitzfleisch (patience) for this one, I'm previewing several over the course of the festival.
Riefenstahl: Directed by festival guest Andres Veiel, this remarkable documentary features a woman whose middle name is surely "controversy". Leni Riefenstahl started life as a performer and actress who then went into directing, allying herself with the Nazi regime for whom she made one of its best-known propaganda films, Triumph of the Will, followed by Olympia. Veiel's two-hour doco is based upon films, letters, recordings and photos from Riefenstahl's estate. In the many old TV interviews used in this film it's amazing to note how she always denies having had close ties to the Nazi regime, yet so much other evidence points otherwise. The interweaving of all the material with the commentary makes for a totally thought-provoking and revelatory film, in which we must ask ourselves whether Riefenstahl's gifts as a filmmaker (yep, she was good!) can ever begin to counterbalance the evil of the people for whom she filmed. The filmmaker doesn't pass judgment, but gives his subject enough rope to hang herself.
I Want It All: As opposed to Riefenstahl's infamy, Hildegard Knef was simply famous; one of Germany's best known stage and screen actresses, a singer and a writer. Major scandal dogged her after a 1950s film revealed her breasts (duh!), but then she found a mix of success and failure overseas. Using archival footage and interviews, the film gives a most intriguing and engaging portrait of a talented and ambitious woman who simply never gave up. Her career spanned five decades, with her autobiography becoming a best-seller in Germany.
Hysteria: Billed as a conspiracy thriller, this rather convoluted story starts on the set of a movie crew who are making a film about a real-life arson attack. When a burned Koran is discovered on the set, all hell breaks loose. Accusations, lies, and possible big-time conspiracy by the film-makers themselves all converge to mask the truth. Except that the truth is perceived differently by all concerned.
South African Film Festival
In cinema 4-31 May at Classic Cinema Elsternwick
Not many South African films get released in Australia, so here's your chance to catch up with some. The festival runs online and in-cinema, with the majority showing online. Anyone looking for a fun opening night in the cinema, (tomorrow!) head off to see South Africa's submission for this year's Oscars (reviewed below). More to come next week when the festival is available online.
Old Righteous Blues: This award-winning drama deals with something I'd never heard about - in the Cape area of Sth Africa, marching bands take to the streets from Christmas time until March to entertain the locals and reaffirm bonds of friendship. This narrative tells of a fractured mixed ethnicity Christian community with past feuds and secrets to hide, along with two brothers who hold allegiances to different bands, leading ultimately to tragedy. Well-worn themes of reconciliation, redemption, ambition and, of course, love flow through the story, which also has an underlying Romeo and Juliet theme. It is genuinely interesting to see such a strong (and unfamiliar) tradition portrayed in a story that is warm, entertaining, and beautifully acted, with a winning soundtrack.
13th Palestinian Film Festival
Here's a small window of opportunity to get a great insight into a community that is at the forefront of today's news. Thanks to technical issues, I've only managed to preview one film, in fact a short film, called Upshot.
Upshot: A winning entry in a couple of short film festivals, this is the story of a couple with a carefully constructed routine and life, in which they regularly discuss their children's lives. Their seclusion is interrupted when a stranger comes to the door, bearing news that will rock their world. This is a fine example of telling a dense story in a short amount of time. The subject matter is both moving and relevant to today's horrific ongoing problems in the Middle East, and the cinematography is impressive, with the lighting and olive groves being especially memorable.
