February 25th 2024

The Rooster

The Zone of Interest

Two excellent films have released this week. One is home grown- starring the marvelous Hugo Weaving, the other brings yet another take on the Holocaust. Both will challenge the viewer, but are absolutely worthwhile cinematic experiences. 

 

The Rooster

Dir: Mark Leonard Winter

Length: 101 mins

Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z_v9I6smU08&t=2s

© Bonsai Films - masculine friendship and frailty
under the microscope

Smalltown policeman Dan (Phoenix Raei) is seriously shaken up by the discovery of his childhood friend found dead in the woods in a shallow grave. He knew his friend was mentally unstable but failed to get professional help for him. Seeking answers, Dan heads into the woods to discover an alcoholic hermit, Tim aka Mit, (Hugo Weaving) living in a shack. The two strike up an unlikely friendship as Dan tries to get to the bottom of what happened to both his friend and to Tim. It's a refreshing change to see a film about masculine frailties rather than the endless masculine toxicity we see on our screens. Weaving has just been awarded Best Actor at the Aussie film awards (AACTA), and his incredible, rambunctious, loud performance is the perfect foil for the introverted and somewhat  depressed Dan. Even though Tim is blokey and "matey", he somehow gives Dan the space to articulate thoughts and feelings that plague him. When Dan talks of "regret, failure and shame" and even of wanting to end it all, Tim relates to this, but defiantly crows like a rooster, announcing a new day and that he is still alive on the planet. There are many tears and many surprisingly moving scenes, along with a great deal of silence, sublimely augmented with wonderful cinematographic use of the beautiful mysterious forest scenery around Mt Macedon. The soundtrack also deserves mention, with its mix of ethereal music, unusual vocalisations, and wild jazz. I actually watched this film twice and am very impressed by it. 

4 - highly recommended

The Zone of Interest

Dir: Jonathan Glazer

Length: 105 mins

Trailer: https://www.madman.com.au/the-zone-of-interest/

© Madman - monsters, or ordinary people
committing monstrous acts? 

Based upon the novel of the same name, this powerful and deeply disturbing film is the story of a German family, trying to live a happy family life. Except the head of the houshold is Rudolf Hoss (Christian Friedel), Kommandant of Auschwitz concentration camp, and the family home, with its gorgeous garden and playful children, is directly on the other side of the camp's wall. Wife Hedwig (Sandra Huller, who also stars in Anatomy of a Fall) wears fur coats stolen from Jewish prisoners who are about to go to their deaths, while the children play with teeth taken from corpses. Never once in the film does the camera take us into the death camp itself - but there is a constant sinister background noise of shots, screams, and a dull thrumming sound, along with smoke belching into the air. Camera work is often wide and distant, giving an observational feel.  There are some dramatically different touches - like the opening long scene of a black screen, and the intermittent dream scenes of one of the children, all in a negative black and white format. Everything conspires to pack an emotional wallop, but to also make the audience speculate on the seemingly dual nature of those who perpetrated such monstrous deeds. Like The Conference (about the planning of the total Jewish extermination), Glazer also includes scenes where Hoss approaches his murderous task with detached precision, then goes home to read fairy tales to his children. This amazing film is nominated for 5 Oscars and has another 157 nominations to its name! Ghastly, wonderful and unforgettable. 

4.5 - wholeheartedly recommended