June 10th
The Mole Agent
Cousins
Heroic Losers
Percy vs Goliath
Looks like Melbourne cinemas are reopening tomorrow, so many of the films I've reviewed over the past couple of weeks of lockdown will now be on the big screen for your enjoyment. And today here are several more new releases to brighten the gloomy winter days. A couple to laugh with, and all of them, in various ways tackling social issues from old age, corruption, corporate oppression and cultural identity. A good mixed bag!
The Mole Agent
Dir: Maite Alberdi
Length: 94 mins
 |
© Madman - Sergio is a spy and a charmer
at the same time |
An Oscar nominee for this year's Best Documentary feature, this film is a total delight. Yes, it's a doco, filmed inside a nursing home, but it also plays out like a spy movie. Here's the framework: the daughter of a nursing home resident, Sonia, wants someone to be put into the facility as a "mole", to spy on her mother and check she is not being mistreated. 83-year-old widower Sergio applies for the job and is hired by private detective Romulo. Sergio goes to live with the old folks for three months. The residents have no idea the elderly gentleman is a "spy", armed with spectacles and an 007-worthy camera pen, and reporting in via mobile phone each day to Romulo. However they do know that a film crew is making a doco about life in the home (all the while also filming Sergio's exploits). Sergio is real; as are all the residents, which is what makes this film 100% engaging, uplifting, at times funny, and also just a little heartbreaking. What Sergio discovers is nothing we expect. Because he is such a charming and considerate gentlemen, all the ladies fall for him, and he soon uncovers the sadness and loneliness in their lives. With aged care in the spotlight the movie couldn't be more timely, and it also shows it's never too late to make new friends and have a bit of fun in your life. You'll definitely have fun with this film! 4 - highly recommended
Cousins
Dir: Ainsley Gardiner & Briar Grace Smith
Length: 98 mins
 |
| © Vendetta - Maori culture in the spotlight |
Three Maori cousins are inseparable as children, until one of them is given up to live in an institution. In adult life Makareta (Tioreore Melbourne) becomes a lawyer, Missy (Rachel House) remains as guardian of the family land, while Mata (Tanea Heke), the orphaned one, is subsequently taken in by a cold-hearted racist guardian, and later lives her adult life in befuddled, mentally disturbed semi-homelessness. Meantime the other two make it their mission to try to reunite Mata with her family. New Zealand film-making has always impressed me, and this one cuts to the heart of Maori tradition and family values, with much of the film in Maori language. The other two actors playing child Mata (Te Raukura Gray) and young adult Mata (Ana Scotney) are seriously impressive, and although at times the timeline is somewhat jumbled and tricky to follow, the film is deeply emotional and handles important themes of cultural identity, so relevant to many of today's First Nations peoples, struggling to overcome brutal pasts and rediscover their place in society.3.5 - well recommended
Heroic Losers
Dir: Sebastian Borensztein
Length: 116 mins
 |
| © Palace - some hugely funny moments |
Set in the time of the Argentinian financial crisis, this is the story of a small town group of neighbours who decide to pool their money to form a co-operative. But when a local lawyer Manzi, with the help of a corrupt bank manager, steals the money, the stricken investors must decide what they should do to get their money back. Fermin (Ricardo Darin) has formed the co-op, and in working towards justice (and revenge) for all, he employs his son (played by Darin's real-life son) to pretend to be a gardener tending to the indoor plants at Manzi's law-office. The film has won plenty of awards in the Latino world, so obviously strikes a chord for that demographic. Despite there being some predictability in the plot, the film has enough laugh-out-loud moments to make it a terrific distraction from the current woes of the world. 3.5 - well recommended
Percy vs Goliath
Dir: Clark Johnson
Length: 99 mins
 |
© Rialto - farmer takes on Monsanto.
Bring it on! |
Percy Schmeiser (Christopher Walken) comes from a long line of grain farmers who save the seeds from the strongest plants for next year's sowing. Out of the blue he receives a letter from agro-corporation Monsanto saying they have found evidence of their genetically modified canola seeds among his crops and that he must pay thousands of dollars as penalty for not having a seed license. With the help of local lawyer Jackson Weaver (Zach Braff) and environmental activist Rebecca Salcau (Christina Ricci) Percy decides to take the company to court. Most of us love stories of the underdog battling the behemoth, and this true story fits the bill. Although heightened dramatic tension is never quite reached, it is a solid and important story, underpinned by a fabulous performance from Walken, as the quiet but dogged Percy. Lovely cinematography of Saskatchewan farmland makes the film good to look at too. 3 - recommended
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