2021

 January 3rd 2021

The Dry

Midnight Sky (Netflix)

Untamed Romania (Netflix)

Obama The Final Year  (Netflix)

Happy New Year readers. Unfortunately as I write this, the dreaded Covid is reemerging in our two biggest cities, and the world is still reeling from the daily number of infections and deaths. Perhaps catch this terrific new Aussie film in cinemas if you can (or are brave enough), and if you want to hide away at home again, Netflix continues its excellent offerings. 

The Dry
Dir: Robert Connolly

Length: 120 mins

In cinemas

Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7X7KkP68RZE

© Roadshow - broody outback detective story

In a very faithful film adaptation of Jane Harper's novel, Connolly's film captures the mood of a small, dusty outback town reeling from an apparent murder suicide, and still grappling with a mysterious death from many years past. Aaron Falk (Eric Bana) returns to his boyhood town where his friend Luke is suspected of murdering his family then shooting himself. A past incident, the drowning of Luke and Aaron's teenage friend Ellie (Bebe Bettencourt), resurfaces, with its long-harboured suspicions and resentments. Sporting a fine cast, this is an intriguing mystery, which cleverly intertwines present and past tragedies and juxtaposes the carefreeness of youth with the heavy burdens of adulthood. Stunning cinematography makes great use of various Wimmera-Mallee locations, all of which reflect the harshness of Australia, and the despair generated not only by personal tragedy, but the endless drought affecting the land. This is top-shelf film-making reflecting an authentic side of Australia and its people not usually seen in more stereotyped films.

4.5 - wholeheartedly recommended

The Midnight Sky
Dir: George Clooney

Length: 118 mins

Netflix

Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DXUUqr3AFKs

© Netflix  - heartbreaking, tense, finely-acted
apocalyptic story

In a post-apocalyptic world (disaster indeterminate), it seems the few survivors who have been evacuated to underground shelters won't last long. In a remote Arctic outpost, scientist  Augustine Lofthouse (Clooney) is desperate to contact a spaceship returning to Earth from its mission two years ago to find a habitable planet as an alternative to Earth. His only companion is a small girl Iris (Caioilinn Springall) who has been left behind after the evacuations. As Lofthouse treks through icy blizzards to find a transmission satellite, up on the spaceship, the five astronauts (Felicity Jones and David Oloweyo among the actors) are having their own dramas, and the film toggles throughout between these two settings. Critics are mostly indifferent to this film, but I'm out on a limb here - I really liked it on many levels, even if it is reminiscent of other sci-fi films. Clooney is poignantly impressive as the desperately ill but determined scientist, the little (largely silent) kid is quite haunting, and the general special effects and creation of other worlds within the ship and outer space are visually strong. The depressing theme of the possible end of everything resonates, and overall I found the relentlessly gruelling, at the same time inspiring quest, just the right companion to today's troubling times.

4 - highly recommended

Untamed Romania
Dir: Tom Barton-Humphreys

Length: 92 mins

Netflix

Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zDHU1x3hkTs

© Nature, in all its glory in Romania

Lovers of nature rejoice - here's an exquisite documentary that tracks the fours seasons of change in the Carpathian Mountains in Romania, a land of which about 30% is still covered in forest. Show-casing the landscape, its animals and insects, the movie delivers one visual delight after another, from the cutest bear families, to fierce wolves, wild horses, lynxes, snakes, frogs, mayflies and more, along with the magnificence of green birch canopies turning to flaming russet in autumn, meandering river deltas, and towering craggy mountains. Employing countless cameras, and mountains of footage, the finished product has wondrous close-ups to make you gasp, abundant information, and  a subtle message about the dangers of potential  destruction, and the vital importance of preserving one of Earth's extraordinary treasures. 

4 - highly recommended

The Final Year
Dir: Greg Barker

Length: 89 mins

Netflix

Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4UUpnqvIwF4

© Fighting the good fight to the
bitter end

This earnest doco chronicles the last year of Obama's presidency  highlighting the work of his  foreign policy team, in particular John Kerry, Ben Rhodes and Samantha Power. The film counts down the last months, showing the issues they are frantically dealing with, such as Syria, Cameroon, Iran, and other hotspots in the world. Obama fans probably won't want to miss this, and as an insight into the workings of the White House, it is insightful. Somehow with its rambling style that is observational and conversation-based rather than formally narrated, it seems to have less structure and punch than I would have liked. However, knowing what was to come after Obama's eight years, it becomes almost a tragedy to see the decency and humanity with which Obama and his advisors acted, compared with the debacle that has been the Trump government.

3 - recommended