November 22nd

The Children Act
Widows
I Used to be Normal: A Boyband Fangirl Story
Japanese Film Festival - Melbourne
JIFF encore season

My standout this week is The Children Act, a wonderful marital/legal drama starring Emma Thompson and Stanley Tucci. JIFF is almost over, but there is a popular encore week to come. The Japanese Film Festival offers a great opportunity to see the sort of films we so seldom get here in Oz. And don't forget Cinelatino Film Festival runs until 28 Nov (see reviews last week).  

The Children Act
Dir: Richard Eyre
Length: 105 min 

© Roadshow  -  Emma Thompson gives her 
all as a judge juggling a failing marriage
with some weighty courtroom decisions

Here's another film adapted from an Ian McEwan novel. Fiona Maye (Emma Thompson) is a high court judge, specialising in family law cases. Her husband Jack (Stanley Tucci) is fed up with Fiona's neglect of their marriage, due to work commitments. Against the backdrop of marital disaster, she must rule on the case of Adam (Fionn Whitehead), a young Jehovah's Witness boy of 17, dying of leukemia and refusing a blood transfusion. This is heart-breaking stuff, with sadness and frustration the dominant emotions. But it's not all doom and gloom, as recognition of the major role one person can play as mentor and life changer for another eventually come to the fore. Thompson and Tucci are simply sublime in their roles, and Thompson has such poise and grace, making her utterly believable in her role as "my Lady". Whitehead as the dying boy imbues his role with youthful self-righteousness and  compassion, while underneath the whole story is a deep universal sadness at lost opportunities in life, balanced by transcendent moments. As you can guess, I loved it. 
4 - highly recommended! 

Widows
Dir: Steve McQueen
Length: 129 min 

© 20th Century Fox - women kicking ass -
the actors are worthy - plot more a maybe

A criminal gang of four, led by Harry (Liam Neeson) are killed by police in a heist gone wrong. Harry's widow Veronica (Viola Davis) is pursued for her husband's debts. In fear of her life, she musters the widows of the other three men and suggests they should mount their own heist. I simply love the cast of kick-ass woman here; turning bad along with Davis are Michelle Rodriguez, Cynthia Erivo, and Elizabeth Debicki, all wonderful in their own right. BUT . . . I can't believe so many aspects of this plot. How did these gals get so professional at this criminal stuff so easily and quickly? This is a plot hole I just can't recover from. The side-plot with Colin Farrell and Robert Duvall as father and son corrupt politicians is in fact more credible. This is not so say I wasn't entertained  and it's inspiring (or is it depressing?) to see these women behaving just as badly as a bunch of blokes. If you can overlook the plot issues, there's a lot to be enjoyed - I just couldn't seem to.   
2.5 - maybe! 

I Used to Be Normal: A Boyband Fangirl Story
Dir: Jessica Leski
Length: 93 min 

© Madman - Dara confesses her youthful obsession 
with Robbie Williams' band Take That. 

Anyone who's ever fallen madly in love with a boy band will relate to this charming documentary. The obsessions of four women are showcased. New Yorker Elif, now 16, reflects on the time a clip of her crying hysterically over the band One Direction went viral. Sydneysider Dara, now 30-something, looks back on her 12-year old obsession with Take That. Sadia, of strict Pakistani background was a fan of Backstreet Boys, while Melbourne film producer Susan is now 64, and still treasures her Beatles fan memorabilia. All the women openly reminisce on how those bands were a huge factor in their lives, shaping ongoing directions for them, and how they still secretly carry a love for "the boys" in their hearts. This is a sweet look at a seminal part of so many girls' lives which marks a point where awareness of the opposite sex manifests in relatively innocent band worship.
3.5 - well recommended! 

Japanese Film Festival
Melbourne: Nov 22 - Dec 2
ACMI and Hoyts Melbourne Central
For other states, times, and program visit www.japanesefilmfestival.net

Not enough Japanese films get released into the Aussie mainstream, so here is a brilliant opportunity to see them. (Having said that, check out Shoplifters which I reviewed last week.) From docos, to drama, comedy, animation, crime, and more, there is so much to choose from. I'm very partial to what I call "slice of life" films, which I find the Japanese do so well (Think Departures, An). Two I've reviewed here are no exception. 

© JFF : A foodie film with a gentle

heart - lovely blend of Chinese and 
Japanese culture

Ramen Shop: Masato is the son of a Japanese father and a Chinese/Singaporean mother. After the death of both parents, he heads off to Singapore to find someone to teach him how to make his beloved mother's pork chop soup. The people he meets and the things he discovers about his family and their mixed culture are a revelation. This is sweetly sentimental, and a mouth-watering food fest. There is much heart, sadness and hope in the film, and it's a great choice, if you can only see one. 

Summer Blooms: Another low-key delicate film about a young woman, Hatsumi,  whose boyfriend died some years before. She has given up teaching and now works in a noodle shop. She seems unable to get on with her life, and when a new boy expresses interest she shies away from him. It is only when she decides to confront her past, that she has a chance of moving forward.

River's Edge: No sweet, gentle characters her in this disturbing story of aimless teen schoolkids set in Tokyo of the 1990s. Yamada is constantly beaten up because he's gay, but he is soothed by his "secret" - a skeleton he has discovered down by the river. Kannonzaki is cruel but insecure, Kozue is a bulimic fashion model, while Rumi is free with her sexual favours. Only Wakakusa seems to be able to distance herself emotionally and survive the nihilistic life, which lacks parental input and seems destructive all round. There is plenty of violence and explicit sex, and this, for me, is very different from the usual Japanese fare.

JIFF - Jewish International Film Festival
Encore Season
Mostly at Classic Elsternwick, some at Lido Hawthorn
Visit www.jiff.com.au for times and sessions

From Thursday 22-Wed 28 Nov, JIFF screens its encore sessions. Included, from those I have already reviewed in the past couple of weeks are:
Sobibor, Redemption, Budapest Noir, Who Will Write Our History; Sam Spiegel; Let's Dance; Dreaming of a Jewish Christmas, The Interpreter. 

© JIFF - moving performances, plenty of tension

in this excellent thriller, Shelter

Shelter: From Eran Riklis, the director of the fabulous Lemon Tree, comes a strong and compassionate thriller. Mossad agent Naomi is called upon to guard Lebanese informant Mona, who is recovering from surgery to change her face, so her Hezbollah ex-husband cannot track her down. The women form an unexpected bond. Shelter is beautifully acted, tense, moving and thought-provoking. 
JIFF comes highly recommended; it's been a remarkable festival of top-notch films. If you've missed them, now's your chance to catch up.