January 20th

Ammonite

Country Music - 8 part series DOCPlay

Penguin Bloom

This week I review two very worthwhile films, plus a new series on DOCPlay that could be unmissable for music lovers. 

Ammonite
Dir: Francis Lee

Length: 120 mins

Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?reload=9&v=AnDhlrs3XVM

© Transmission - love blooms amidst the fossils

Based upon a true story, the film is set in 1840s England. Once-famous fossil hunter Mary Anning (Kate Winslett) now lives a relatively reclusive life with her aging mother Molly (Gemma Jones) collecting shells to sell to tourists.  When a wealthy fossil buyer asks Mary to care for his ailing fragile wife Charlotte (Saiorse Ronan), she reluctantly takes on the task. Gradually an intense bond develops between the two women. Impressive are the incredibly austere and bleak settings along the windswept coastline and Mary's manner is a perfect match. Winslett is wonderful as the dour, surly woman who gradually softens as attraction blossoms between her and her charge. My only gripe is that the film features a couple of intense and explicit sex scenes which seem a little at odds with the simmering sensuality pervading the rest, but as a portrait of forbidden love in those repressive times, and of two very different women discovering their deeper selves, it is powerful and engaging.

4 - highly recommended

Country Music
Dir: Ken Burns

Length: 8 episodes - 2 hours each

Streaming on DOCPlay

Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MVOZl671ssY

© DOCPlay - the most comprehensive history of 
a music genre imaginable

I've never thought of myself as a fan of "country music", but this doco series sho' as heck could convert me! It's totally gob-smacking the depths to which the director goes to trace the history of a music genre seen as so archetypically American. Starting in the early 1900s with Appalachian music, Burns shows us how country started as the Americanisation of the immigrant experience, and then how, drawing on other genres it evolved into its own unique thing, from hillbilly music through to the diverse genre we know  today. The biographies of seminal artists like The Carter Family, Bob Wills and his Texas Playboys, Gene Autrey, Jimmy Rogers and more are covered in the first two episodes, as is the birth of the iconic Grand Ol' Oprey in Nashville. As the saga progresses, wonderful, insightful commentary is added from the likes of Garth Brooks, Willie Nelson, Dolly Parton, Merle Haggard, Winton Marsalis, Marty Stuart . . . the list goes on and on. The narrative also seamlessly incorporates the critical moments of American history, such as the Great Depression, while throughout the photography is a major feature of the film in its own right. I'm only one quarter of the way through the series, but can't wait to continue watching. 

5 - unmissable

For those who want to explore the 100 or more photographers whose work is used in the film, check out this wonderful website:

https://www.pbs.org/kenburns/country-music/this-is-country-photographs-from-country-music/

Penguin Bloom
Dir: Glendyn Ivin

Length: 95 mins

Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q7eZEZHRrVg

© Roadshow - who is rescuing whom?

In 2013, real-life Samantha Bloom (played by Naomi Watts) was holidaying in Thailand with husband Cam (Andrew Lincoln) and her three sons. When a railing snapped, she fell many metres to the ground, resulting in her being paralysed from the chest down. Having been a keen sportswoman, Sam fell into a deep depression, wondering who she now was in her life, and how she could possibly move forward. Then her 11-year-old son Noah (Griffin Murray Johnston) found an orphaned baby magpie which he named Penguin and everyone's lives changed. This sweet and moving film is a testament to the indomitable human spirit, and to the healing power of caring for another creature. It's also somewhat of a homage to our excellent black and white feathered friends, who are so intelligent, and  are known to bond with humans who treat them well. I'm disappointed to see critical reactions from some reviewers who pan the film, calling it predictable and emotionally simplistic; even if it does consciously push plenty of those "weepy" buttons it really works for me on an emotional level. (except for the ever-annoying Jacki Weaver as Sam's mother, and the somewhat formulaic writing of Gaye, the kayak instructor, played by the excellent Rachel House.) Watts is splendid as Sam, Lincoln totally credible as her supportive but struggling partner, and the eight maggies who play Penguin are a credit to their bird trainer. Emotional satisfaction from the film is a 5/5 for me, but with my critical hat on I'll say . . .

3.5 - well  recommended