Sept 10th

Fatima

DNA

Becky

Fauda

Gauguin: Voyage to Tahiti
Trailer - forthcoming James Bond movie No Time To Die

Still all the lucky ducks everywhere but Victoria are making forays into their local cinemas. We hapless Victorians must content ourselves with series, re-watches, and (lucky me), previewing a couple of feature films that will show interstate. It could be a whole lot worse, as there is so much wonderful content available. 

Fatima
Dir: Marco Pontecorvo
Length: 113 mins
Cinematic release (Victoria to come) 

© Rialto -  young, earnest, and full of adoration

Our spiritual tale starts off in modern-day Portugal where Professor Nichols (Harvey Keitel) visits nun Sister Lucia, now old, who recounts to him events that took place in 1917. As a 10-year-old girl, Lucia and her two cousins witnessed multiple appearances of the Virgin Mary, who tells them only prayer and suffering will end the First World War. Church and state officials try to get the kids to recant, but eventually news of the "miracle" spreads, and people flock to the town hoping to see for themselves. I've been to the town of Fatima, so it's interesting to see the "backstory" of how it became such a focal point for pilgrims (many of whom walk on their knees up to the main church). The film is a believable recreation of an era and nicely shot, if muted in its pallette. For me though it lacks the feel of magic and awe that such an event would be expected to hold. Nevertheless, it provides insight into issues of faith and should please devotees. 

DNA

8-part series of approx 45 mins (not including ads)

Streaming on SBS On Demand

© SBS - strong Danish drama 

If you like your Nordic police procedurals, this one's for you. I got captured from the first episode, by both the intrigue of the plot and the great acting, scripting and production. Danish Policeman Rolf Larsen loses his infant daughter, supposedly washed overboard on a ferry as he is en route to Poland to investigate a child kidnapping. The story then toggles constantly between past and present, with investigations involving dodgy adoption agencies, baby trafficking, Polish convents for unwed mothers, lies, betrayals and major doses of parental grief. The series strikes a great balance between the police investigative aspect, and the personal and highly emotional side of the story. Strongly recommended watching. 

Becky

Dir: Jonathan Milott & Cary Murnion
Length: 93 mins

Cinematic release (Victoria to come) 

© Rialto - what happened to this
sweet-faced young gal?

Becky (Lulu Wilson) is one angry young kid. Her beloved mother has died, and her Dad (Joel McHale)  takes her to the family holiday home, to introduce his fiance and her kid to the surly young 13-year-old. As if things aren't going badly enough, a group of escaped convicts turns up, looking for a mysterious key they believe is on the property. Think Home Alone crossed with every blood-splattering mode of murder imaginable and you've got this one - a gore-fest for lovers of the genre.  Definitely not everyone's cup of tea (or bucket of blood), but it actually provides a perverse level of entertainment, (well, for some of us!) especially since we all love to see the baddies get their just desserts - and from a sweet-faced, justifiably angry teen at that! 

Fauda

Series 1: 11 episodes each  approx 35-45 mins (not including ads)

Streaming on Netflix

© Netflix: adrenalin-fuelled political thriller

You may well have already watched this show, now heading into Series 3, and I'll be preaching to the converted. Upon the recommendation  of a friend, I binged it. Series 1 tells of an elite task force of Israeli operatives hunting for a Hamas leader known as The Panther. Criss-crossing from Israel into the Palestinian territories, the story focuses on Doron (Lior Raz) coming out of retirement to rejoin his crack team of anti-terrorists. The plot is action and suspense from go to whoa, with plenty of undercover dealings and disguises. There are deeper undercurrents, exploring the fraught relationship between Israel and Palestine, and to some extent trying to demonstrate the human aspect on both sides of the conflict. The series has raised controversy, especially among Palestinian viewers, but you be the judge. If a high-octane level of smartly produced, well scripted, acted and directed drama of this nature is your bag, this one's well worth a watch.  
  

Gauguin: Voyage to Tahiti

Dir: Edouard Deluc
Length: 104 min
2017

Streaming on SBS On Demand

© SBS: artistic torment and obsession

French painter Paul Gauguin (Vincent Casell) felt under-appreciated in Paris, so in 1891 took himself off to commune and paint with nature in the exotic location of Tahiti. There he hooked up with a (very!) young girl, and spent most of his days painting her and other Polynesian subjects, the works later becoming renowned the world over. This is a strangely hypnotic film, mainly due to Casell's brilliant immersive performance as the emaciated, unwell, obsessional artist. We never really get much of an overview of his life - more a narrow focus on this one era, nor do we understand anything about him, other than his passion for his craft. However, as a window into that artistic mind-set, the film is fascinating, and it also gives an insightful look at paternalistic French colonial life in the islands at the time.  The otherwise unknown Tuhei Adams  as Tehura, Gauguin's muse, is a major drawcard.   

No Time To Die: coming on Nov 12th

Ever suave and cool, never
shaken or stirred, Daniel Craig
reprises 007
in No Time to Die

From the look of the trailer, fans of James Bond will not be disappointed by this latest, soon to be released, blockbuster. The to-die-for cast includes Daniel Craig (naturalement!), along with Christoph Waltz, Naomie Harris, Lea Seydoux, Ralph Fiennes and many more wonderful faces. Every scene in the trailer looks action-packed (what do you expect from a Bond film?), slick, sexy and dangerous. Check it out, and start preparing the popcorn.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pBMY2rTz_VM