April 20 2017 - Part A:  
Young at Heart - Seniors Film Festival

You'll get two blogs from me this week - Part A and Part B. Yet another film festival opens in Melbourne tomorrow. It is short and sweet and features a number of very worthy films. Further releases for this week to come in a later blog!

Seniors Film Festival
Young at Heart 

Showing Melbourne April 20 - 26, Palace Brighton Bay and Palace Balwyn
For other states, and program schedules, visit www.youngatheart.net.au

I'd better say up front I don't totally understand the concept of targeting a film festival at a specific age group - but given that anyone over the age of 60 will only have to pay $7 it is a rather stunning opportunity to binge on some very fine films. Note: younger film fans will also really enjoy these movies! Four that I've been fortunate enough to preview are:

Sophie and the Rising Sun
Director: Maggie Greenwald
Length: 116 min

This gentle and moving film, set in 1941, is the story of Mr Ohta, a second generation Japanese American, who mysteriously turns up, injured, in a small Nth Carolina town. Local matriarch Mrs Morrison, a keen gardener, gives him board in exchange for gardening work, but it is Sophie Willis, young unmarried artist, who befriends him. When Pearl Harbour is bombed, small-town bigotry surfaces, threatening life and love. This is a film with more relevance than ever in today's fraught times, where prejudice reigns! 

This Beautiful Fantastic
Director: Simon Aboud
Length: 100 min

Bella is an aspiring children's writer who suffers OCD, and a brutal boss at the local library where she works. When she is threatened with eviction from her rented home because she has let the garden go to wrack and ruin, her grumpy old neighbour Alfie  (Tom Wilkinson, don't you love him!), steps in to lend a helping hand. In archetypal British style this film manages to combine humour, eccentricity, romance, and simply gorgeous English cottage gardens in a way that couldn't help but play on my heartstrings! It's a real gem! 

Viceroy's House
Director: Gurinder Chadha
Length: 106 min

The last Viceroy of India was Lord Mountbatten, charged with the challenging task of overseeing the handover of the country from the Brits back to the Indians. His personal household, made up of Hindus, Muslims, and Sikhs find themselves caught up in a cultural conflict when Partition turns one nation into two. Hugh Bonneville and Gillian Anderson are wonderful as Lord and Lady Mountbatten. The production values and sets are lavish and authentic. What starts as an interesting slice of history, turns into a moving, personal drama which is at once intimate, and all-encompassing. 

Looking for Infinity: El Camino
Director: Aaron C Leaman
Length: 60 min
This documentary is in the immersion style - as an audience we are taken on a journey along the Camino, hearing reflections from pilgrims who make the walk, and learning about the spiritual, emotional, and physical challenges involved. 

Other films featuring in the festival are:
Their Finest - starring the fabulous Bill Nighy (releasing generally tomorrow and to be reviewed separately)
Whiteley - Aussie doco on the iconic artist
Neruda - story of the Chilean poet
The Secret Scripture - a romantic drama about mental health and the Irish troubles
Tommy's Honour - Set in the early period of professional golf and featuring Sam Neill
There is also a small retrospective featuring such fine films as The Lion in Winter, The Tales of Hoffman and The Third Man. 

Overall this festival is wholeheartedly recommended!