December 8th
Moja Vesna
Avarice
Neptune Frost
The Good Nurse (streaming on Netflix)
Only one 4-star film from me this week, nevertheless an interesting and very mixed bag of cinematic delights.
Moja Vesna
Dir: Sara Kern
Length: 80 mins
Only at Lido Hawthorn, Sun Yarraville, and Pivtonian Geelong
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© delicate, understated and
packs an emotional wallop |
Ten-year-old Moja (Loti Kovacic) lives with her Slovenian immigrant father Milos (Gregor Bakovic) and older, pregnant sister Vesna (Mackenzie Mazur). Their mother has died and Milos is out of his depth, basically unable to support his girls emotionally. Vesna is in denial about her forthcoming baby while Moja takes on adult responsiblities way beyond her years. The only respite for Moja is Miranda (Claudia Karvan), the mother of a lively new friend she makes. This coproduction from Slovenia and Australia is a low-key gem of a film which was deservedly nominated for a couple of major awards at at the Berlin Film Festival. Young Kovacic is so impressive and intense in her role she will break your heart. Everything about the characters and their plight feels truthful. There is a lyrical sadness to the film, beautifully scripted and executed, that makes one sit up and take notice. If family drama and deep emotion is your bag, this one is well worth seeking out.4 - highly recommended
Avarice
Dir: John V Soto
Length: 88 mins
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© Backlot Films - they picked the wrong
family to terrorise here |
Kate Matthews (Gillian Alexey) is a champion archer. Her marriage to businessman Ash (Luke Ford) is under strain, so they head off with daughter Sara (Tea Heathcote Marks) for a much-needed weekend away in a remote bush area south of Perth. Terror strikes when a band of slick criminals mount a home invasion, tying up Kate and Sarah and abducting Ash. It's now up to Kate to see if she can save her family. The leader of the crims is a psychopathic woman, Reed, played menacingly by Alexandra Nell. It's great that the hero and the baddy are women for a change. Yes, many aspects of the film use the well-worn tropes of the genre, but tension is well maintained for most of the short run-time, and the dialogue feels natural and credible. As the characters move through their inevitable confrontations, a few plot-holes that bothered me appear, but I didn't see the major twist coming, and so remained reasonably engaged. Despite a rather lacklustre ending, the film is a fun diversion and a nice addition to the (Aussie) home-invasion genre.3 - recommended
Neptune Frost
Dir: Anisia Uzeyman & Saul Williams
Length: 115 mins
Exclusive to Cinema Nova
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© visually stunning with a complex
broad-ranging plot |
Billed as a punk sci-fi musical, this film's plot is near impossible for me to get a handle on. Set in Burundi Africa, it tells of a group of coltan miners who set up some sort of hacking collective, hoping to overthrow the authoritarian regime that exploits their labor and the region's natural resources. The film is a visual extravaganza of near hallucinogenic color and movement, crazed ceative outfits, and driving tribal rhythms. Several of the characters are transgender/intersex, and the themes range from examination of exploitation and capitalist oppression, through to love, resistance and so much more. I recognise the incredible ground-breaking creativity and innovation of a film like this, but, maybe due to my own failings, I find it nearly incomprehensible. Maybe I just need to see it once more?! Its fabulous cinematography saw it nominated for the Golden Camera at Cannes, and it garnered the Bright Horizons Award at this year's Melbourne International Film Festival. ??? - can neither recommmend or not - see for yourself!
The Good Nurse
Dir: Tobias Lindholm
Length: 121 mins
Streaming on Netflix
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© Netflix - based upon the true
case of a homicidal nurse |
Hospitals are daunting at the best of times. Imagine then, if a psychopathic nurse was on a killing rampage. Horror movie? No, real life. In 2006 Charles Cullen was convicted of the murder of 29 patients in hospitals from 1988 until his arrest in 2003. It's thought he possibly murdered way more, and is the worst serial killer in US history. This excellent dramatic recreation stars Eddie Redmayne as Cullen, and Jessica Chastain as Amy Loughren, a colleague who at first befriended Cullen, then helped police to nail him. Even though we know the historical outcome, the film remains gripping from beginning to end, with Chastain and Redmayne turning in strong performances. And if it really grabs you, you can follow it with the real thing, a Netflix doco called Capturing the Killer Nurse!3.5 - well recommended
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