March 10th
Wash My Soul in the River's Flow
Bergman Island
Facing Monsters
Friends and Strangers
Exhibition on Screen: Frida Kahlo
Chef Antonio's Recipes for Revolution
Parallel Mothers
More JIFF - The Meaning of Hitler; Here Today
What a blockbuster week for film reviews. I have square eyes! Half of this week's films are Aussie (or have the Oz connection); half of them are documentaries. A truly eclectic selection of movies.
Wash My Soul in the River's Flow
Dir: Philippa Bateman
Length: 90 mins
Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kN9ZgIwiPbQ  |
© Bonsai Films - haunting music,
a timeless love story, and Indigenous pride |
In 2004 singers Archie Roach and Ruby Hunter performed a concert at Hamer Hall: Kura Tungar - Songs from the River. It was a collaboration with the Australian Art Orchestra and its leader Paul Grabowsky. The songs in the concert told the story of Ruby and Archie, their lives, their love and the grief that came from being members of the Stolen Generation. This wonderful film takes parts of that concert, plus behind the scenes footage from rehearsals, and weaves these into an incredibly moving whole. The doco also features exquisitely shot scenes of the Murray River and of the Coorong area from which Ruby, a proud Ngarrindjeri woman, came. Many of the songs are hauntingly beautiful, while Archie's present day reminiscences, combined with Ruby's intense connection to her culture, makes for captivating viewing that should help white Aussies to better understand First Nations Australians. 4 - highly recommended
Dir: Mia Hansen Love
Length: 112 mins
Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nrlVHVid-20  |
© Umbrella - creative couple hit
a rocky patch |
Married couple Chris (Vicky Krieps) and Tony (Tim Roth) are film-makers who head to the island of Faro, off the Swedish coast, to stay and work for a while. Famously, Swedish director Ingmar Bergman had lived and worked there and the couple hope to get inspiration for their latest creative endeavours. Tony is forging ahead but Chris feels blocked. She tells a distracted Tony about the screenplay she is working on. Chris's film plot features Amy (Mia Wasikowska), who goes to a wedding on Faro, and runs into her ex-lover Joseph (Anders Danielsen Lie). Though a certain spark is rekindled, the complexities of both their lives make a relationship unlikely. A film within a film always makes for a few mind games, and this one certainly has them. In the initial story Chris and Tony seem to drift further apart as their stay on the island progresses, especially when Chris stands him up for the Bergman Safari. Soon, as viewers, we find ourselves suddenly enmeshed in the film version of Chris's script, and the whole moves between the Chris/Tony story and the Amy/Joseph one. The intriguing ending is open to interpretation. A nominee for the prestigious Palme D'or at Cannes 2021, this is a deceptively quiet film, with several much deeper themes bubbling under the surface. Examinations of creativity, marriage, women's recognition, love and of course Ingmar Bergman weave through the film. The four leads are wonderfully authentic in their roles, and you don't have to have seen Bergman's films to get a lot out of this deviously enticing film where fiction and reality somehow blur into one another.4 - highly recommended
Facing Monsters
Dir: Bentley Dean
Length: 90 mins
Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cZkQ8Nwn9yw  |
| © Garage - sure is a monster! |
Kerby Brown is one of those guys who just has to push himself to the limit. In this feature doco the filmmaker explores what makes Kerby tick (not that we really discover it; he believes if he doesn't surf he'll revert to drugs and drink). And so the guy sets out to surf a monster "slab wave" in the south of WA, a wave that no-one has ever surfed before. Although films like this tend to be a bit self-indulgent, what impresses me is the remarkable work done by the cinematographer, whether it be in the water, from helicopters or drones. Every angle of these vicious waves is explored, and my adrenalin sure got pumping. The movie also looks at Kerby's relationship to his beloved family, and how having kids changed him. Now he has to consider more than his own passion if he want to be around for a long time for those who love him. For surfing fanatics it's probably a must-see.3 - recommended
Friends and Strangers
Dir: James Vaughan
Length: 82 mins
ACMI 10-20 March; various other dates Australia wide
Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Zmn4y0dfAE  |
© Bonsai Films - 30-somethings
under the spotlight |
This film is billed as "a surreal comedy-drama that explores displacement, disconnection and ennui in contemporary Australia
through the eyes of two upper-middle class millennials". Young video-maker Ray (Fergus Wilson) meets Alice (Emma Diaz) wandering around Sydney and the pair spontaneously head off together on a camping trip. No romance develops, Alice disappears from the film and we go along with Ray as he heads off to interview for a wedding video job. Fans of deadpan films which show up society's flaws may well be intrigued or even engaged by this one; I am simply not on the wavelength of this type of film; perhaps I fail to grasp the subtleties of the satire. Several characters offer observations that show themselves to be either total bozos, or culturally ignorant and inappropriate. The film-maker seems to want to comment upon Aussie society, but it's simply too obscure for me. It is however beautifully shot, with an opening scene like a Manet painting, and subsequent scenes alternating between showing the beauty of Australia, its countryside and cities, often using very creative camera angles. Other scenes and episodes depict the visual and psychological underbelly of urban life and the total disconnect of those living it.
2.5 - maybe
Exhibition on Screen: Frida Kahlo
Dir: Ali Ray
Length: 90 mins
Releasing at Melbourne's Palace cinemas Friday 11 March
Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D76y2YhjV8A  |
© Exhibition on Screen - a
revealing biopic of an
iconic artist |
Exhibition on Screen are renowned for their wonderfully detailed films on various artists. Now, to coincide with the recent International Women's Day, they have brought us this insightful doco on one of the world's most amazing painters. Framed with a recreated voice-over narration by Diana Bermudez, the film examines all aspects of Frida's short life (47 years old at her death). She contracted polio as a child, and had a bone-shattering accident as a teen, which marked her poor health from thence on. Her fraught marriage to fellow artist Diego Rivera is explored, and of course we also discover her incredible body of work; 143 paintings, of which 55 were self-portraits. Various art critics commentate upon the symbolism and deeper meanings of many of her paintings, which are also often a celebration of her indigenous Mexican heritage. The film is visually extremely beautiful, meticulous in its research, and a wonderful tribute to an artist who redefined the role of modern female painters.4 - highly recommended
Chef Antonio's Recipes for Revolution
Dir: Trevor Graham
Length: 99 mins
Special screenings with Q&A:
Nova Carlton March 12 4pm & Pivotonian Geelong March 14 7.30 pm
Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FxMVve-_fDo  |
© Antidote Films - an absolute delight;
full of compassion and inspiration |
Antonio de Benedetto is a big man with a big heart and huge, life-changing ideas. His mission has been to change the lives of people living with disability through food and work. So, in 2009 he set up a restaurant and hotel in the picturesque village of Asti in northern Italy, employing people with Down Syndrome. The aim is to train them in all aspects of hotel management, table service, cheffing and kitchen work, depending upon their abilities. This uplifting and totally heart-warming film traces the journeys of several of the people working there - with focus on particular individuals, especially Mirco who has a fiancee and a lot of big dreams. The film works on every level - as a foodie film it is a mouth-watering advertisement for the local fare of the Piedmonte region, but most importantly it is a living, breathing testament to the power of inclusion, patience, and love. This Aussie Italian co-production from the director of Monsieur Mayonnaise is a delight. PS: if you're thinking of a visit to gorgeous Asti, you can check out the hotel at:
4.5 - wholeheartedly recommended
Parallel Mothers
Dir: Pedro Almodovar
Length: 121 mins
Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cL6JDYkRa2g  |
© Sony - wonderful plotting; brilliant
acting from all, especially Cruz |
Janis (Penelope Cruz) is about to turn 40 and is delighted when she becomes pregnant to Arturo (Israel Elejalde), even if he is married and she is to be a single mother. In her hospital birthing ward she meets19-year-old Ana (Milena Smit), alone and scared. The woman bond and give birth at the same time. What ensues will change their lives forever. Almodovar is a master film-maker and this latest is high up there in his filmography. His plot deftly weaves many disparate threads, including the dark times of Spanish history, and the disappeared people under Franco's regime. Cruz, nominated for a Best Actress, gives a performance that is a career highlight, but equally, all the cast and their characters are compelling. I love the humanity of this film - it never goes into melodrama, even when situations are complex and fraught, and the sense of human connection is a standout. The film has a vibrantly gorgeous color pallette which somehow heightens all the emotions. Stunning film-making. 4.5 - wholeheartedly recommended
More: JIFF - Jewish International Film Festival
Melbourne until 4 April
For other states, dates, venues and programming, check out the website: www.jiff.com.au
JIFF is off to a flying start. Since last week's reviews I've caught a couple more for you.
Here Today: Billy Crystal plays aging comedy writer Charlie Burns. Though still working, Charlie is battling early onset dementia, and endures a fraught estranged relationship with his adult children. Singer Emma Paige (Tiffany Haddish) wins a dinner with Charlie and, after a catastrophic start, a friendship grows. This is classic sweet, schmaltzy and traditional fare, yet Crystal is such an appealing and enduring screen presence, while Haddish is a breath of fresh air. The film makes for light diverting and emotionally touching viewing. Also, against expectations, it redefines notions of care, trust, love and compassion. The Meaning of Hitler: This confronting and thought-provoking documentary examines why our culture remains fascinated with Hitler and the story of the Nazis. Historians and writers weigh into the argument, while modern Holocaust deniers like David Irving are shown up for what they are. There is actually so much jam-packed into the doco, that it is almost fodder for several separate films: the re-emergence of white supremacist groups, Anti-semitism and Trumpism, the rewriting of historical truth, Hollywood's love affair with Hitler, scenes from many Hitler movies, archival clips from the Hitler era and more. There are even small moments of black humour amidst all the darkness, and ultimately no definitive answer is given. But this doco sure gives you something to chew on.
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