April 19th 2023
The Giants (releasing Thursday 20th)
Sand Storm (streaming on Netflix)
Beast (streaming on Netflix)
Navalny (streaming on Docplay)
Aside from the wonderful new doco The Giants in cinematic release this week, I've gone all in on streaming offerings.
Dir: Rachel Antony & Laurence Billiet
Length: 110 mins
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© Madman - stunning interweaving of stories of a giant of
a man and giant trees so essential for life on Earth |
Bob Brown - now there's an ordinary name for a most extraordinary man who has changed the face of political and environmental thinking in Australia. The stunning documentary is revelatory, inspiring and salutory. It cleverly explores the life of the iconic activist and politician, while interweaving Brown's story with critical environmental issues, with a focus upon the story of trees and their intertwinedness with all life on Earth. Shots of the magnificent trees in what is left of Tasmania's wilderness are spellbindingly beautiful, and combined with some high-tech animation, the life cycle of those trees and their importance in connecting all of the forest is cleverly portrayed. Commentary from iconic scientists like David Suzuki further the narrative. So many important issues are covered, from the original drowning of Lake Pedder for a dam, to the first major win for environmentalists in stopping the damming of the Franklin River, a campaign that brought Brown to prominence. In telling Bob's story, there are many nostalgic shots of his early life, fascinating commentary from his twin sister, the story of his struggles to come out as gay, and the rise of Brown as a politician who founded The Greens and eventually attained a seat in the Senate. The film-makers' over-arching and vital message is this: Australia is a major culprit in animal exticntion and deforestation, and that must be stopped today. Hopefully this film may wake some people up before it is too late. (Sadly, such films often preach to the converted, and those who should most see it simply don't!)4.5 - wholeheartedly recommended
Sand Storm
Dir: Elite Zexer
Length: 87 mins
Streaming on Netflix (2016 film)
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© Netflix - the patriarchy and oppression of women
is alive and well in parts of the Middle East |
With 16 highly prestigious wins to its name, this may be an oldie, but it's a goodie! Interestingly, the director is Israeli/Jewish but she sets her story in a Bedouin village in the Negev Desert. There, father Suliman (Hitham Omari) is teaching his teen daughter Layla (Lamis Ammar) to drive. One could almost be deluded into thinking things were progressing for women, that is, until Suliman decides to take a second wife. However distressed, first wife Jalila (Ruba Blal) just has to grin and bear it. Then everything goes pear-shaped for Layla when her parents discover messages from a male school friend on her phone and start planning to marry her off. This is such a fascinating (and depressing) insight into the ordinary lives of such tradition-bound people, and a sad and sorry picture of a paternalistic society that puts women down at every step of the way. Strong performances and a powerful story make for compelling viewing. 4 - highly recommended
Dir: Daniel Roher
Length: 99 mins
Streaming on DocPlay, HBO, Prime Video
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© DocPlay - a revelation of a corrupt, dare I say,
evil system and a man brave enough (or
foolish enough) to stand up against it. |
The winner of this year's Oscar for Best Documentary Feature is a most worthy and highly disturbing film. From the news, we know the outcome, but even so, the director manages to present it as a gripping thriller. We are constantly on the edge of our seats expecting the worst for the brave Russian politician who tried to go up against Putin. As Navalny and his team work to expose the plot that resulted in him being poisoned, one especially striking scene has the group recording a conversation in which a chemist virtually confesses to the whole plot, believing the man on the phone is one of his co-conspirators. (It is in fact Navalny.) Investigative journalist Christo Grozev features large in his attempts to assist Navalny via his organisation Bellingcat. Navalny's wife Julia and his two kids add a very heartbreaking element to the story. Knowing what we now know about Russia, the invasion of Ukraine, and Navalny's ongoing persecution in prison, makes the film all the more powerful. Dark days indeed! 4 - highly recommended
Beast
Dir: Baltasar Kormakur
Length: 99 mins
Streaming on Netflix
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© Universal - Elba scrubs up well as
a hero fighting for everyone's survival |
Sometimes it's a lot of fun to just surrender to the excitement of an adventure that stretches credibility but nevertheless has you on the edge of your seat. Beast sees widowed father Dr Nate Samuel (Idris Elba) take his two daughters on a trip to visit his old friend Martin (Sharlto Copley) who manages a South African game reserve. Martin is a friend to a pair of lions he raised as cubs, now living wild with their pride. But it is another large lion, a survivor of an attack by poachers, that has turned rogue and starts striking terror into the hearts of all the humans in its vicinity. I had a good time with this film, despite some plot holes and seriously unbelievable happenings. The landscape with its majestic animals and gorgeous views comes up very well on the screen, and the moments of heart-stopping terror make for a lot of vicarious fear and excitement. Just the film for a Saturday night in. 3 - recommended
