This Week: 
Mr Gaga
The Wait
Measure of a Man

All three films this week are absolute winners. Get yourself to Cinema Nova for two of them, and have a warming pasta and red wine in Carlton while you're there!  You've never seen modern dance the likes of that in Mr Gaga, Juliet Binoche gives her all in The Wait, while Vincent Lindon will move you with his knock-out performance in Measure of a Man.

Mr Gaga
Director:  Tomer Heymann
Length: 100 mins
Exclusive to Cinema Nova

© HotDocs & Cinema Nova

I mentioned this film briefly in my HotDocs reviews a couple of weeks back. Now, thankfully (thanks Nova!) it has a full cinematic release. If you are a lover of modern dance it is unmissable (even if you are not a dance-o-phile, I can't imagine you wouldn't love it!) It reveals the life, the loves, the genius and the passion of Ohad Naharin, the artistic director of Israel's Batsheva Dance Company. If dance can be seen as a wordless expression of deepest emotions, then Naharin absolutely nails the communication. The fluidity and sheer physical beauty, along with the self-abandonment of the "Gaga" style of dance, is something that must be seen to be believed. It is moving, exquisite, surprising and inspiring all at once. The excerpt shown in the film's trailer, where a stage full of dancers perform one of the Passover prayers in a primally confronting and exhilarating way is one of the best bits of modern dance I've ever seen.  

5 - Unmissable!

The Wait
Director:  Piero Messina
Length: 100 mins

© Palace

Juliet Binoche is one of the finest actresses of our era. Here's a chance to see her in a broody and compelling film about a distressed woman who receives a visit from Jeanne,  her son's girlfriend. Anna (Binoche) tells Jeanne that Giuseppe is not home, and that she should come in and wait. As the time stretches into days, the women form a friendship, but a dark secret underlies everything. Set in glorious Sicily, and with stunning cinematography throughout,  this is a slow and intriguing film that at heart is also a fascinating psychological drama.  

3.5 - Recommended!

For my full review:
http://www.cinephilia.net.au/show_review.php?movieid=6046


The Measure of a Man
Director:  Stephane Brizet
Length: 95 mins
Exclusive to Cinema Nova

© Sharmill Films

Thierry (Vincent Lindon) is retrenched from his job. He faces retraining programs that prove useless, unsympathetic bureaucratic people around him, and has a wife and disabled son dependent upon him. He finally gets a job in store surveillance, helping to catch customers and employees who either shoplift or rort the system. Gradually he becomes aware that many are doing what they do because they are simply unable to get by in life. This film is deliberately slow, and incredibly subtle in its message - building a picture of a man, his morality and his life priorities. It is a heartbreak to watch, made totally compelling by Lindon's self-effacing performance that won him a Cannes Best Actor. I found myself utterly engrossed and pondering the harsh vicissitudes of life that should lead us all to the more compassionate stance of "there but for the grace of God go I". 

4 - Highly recommended!

For a full review from Chris Thompson:
http://www.cinephilia.net.au/show_review.php?movieid=6047