June 13th (and June 20th releases) 2024
The Koalas
Spanish Film Festival
Releasing on June 20th:
Picasso: A Rebel in Paris
Divertimento
The Promised Land
I'm taking a small break, so have included in this week's reviews films releasing next week. It's a couple of weeks of strong films, ranging from docos, to narratives that are epic and uplifting. Not to mention another great festival, this time, the Spanish.
The Koalas
Dir: Gregory Miller & Georgia Wallace Crabbe
Length: 91 mins
Nova June 18th (Q&A), Thornbury Picture House June 22nd, Elsternwick Classic June 30th
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© Film Projects - imagine a world without
this emblematic Aussie |
Governments constantly blither on about protecting our favorite furry friend, but when it comes to the crunch, these iconic marsupials are threatened by loss of habitat, climate change and disease. Greedy housing developers and loggers knock down their habitat, while bushfires and floods have cut a swathe through their numbers. The animal may in fact face extinction in the wild by 2050. This clearly presented doco shows how the koala population is faring, state by state, and outlines measures being taken (such as koala corridors, freeway underpasses etc) to protect them. Much work is done by devoted volunteers, but whether it will be enough, only time will tell. The film features plenty of great koala close-ups, clear explanatory diagrams, and information from volunteers and experts. We also follow the progress of specific individuals, being cared for after terrible burns, or having been orphaned after road accidents. This makes for engaging and informative viewing.4 - highly recommended
HSBC Spanish Film Festival
14th June - 3rd July
Palace Cinemas
This fabulous festival is back, featuring films not only from Spain, but also Mexico, Uruguay, Argentina and Chile. The festival has a focus on eight female filmmakers and also also features two restrospectives: one highlights the work of Isabelle Coixet, the other highlights Salvador Dali, with works ranging from the classic 1929 Un Chien Andalou, though to a recent doco examining his life. I've been able to preview the award-winning centrepiece film.
The Teacher Who Promised the Sea: Set in 1935 and the present day, this powerful film is based upon the true story of a teacher, Antonio Benaiges (Enric Auquer). Young, idealistic, and anything but traditional, he is sent to teach in a little school in the north of Spain. The kids love him, but when Franco's regime comes into power, he is definitely not on the approved list. In the present day Ariadna (Laia Costa) is searching for the remains of her great grandfather in one of the many mass graves in which people murdered by the Franco regime were buried. Just when I thought this story might become overly cute, it took a dramatic turn and became tense and moving, highlighting issues of progressive teaching, tyranny, and the importance of free speech.
Films releasing on June 20th
The Promised Land
Dir: Nikolaj Arcel
Length: 127 mins
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© Rialto - any film with Mads Mikkelsen in
the lead promises to be great! |
Set in mid 1700s Denmark, this co-production from Denmark, Sweden, Norway, and Germany is the sweeping tale of Captain Ludvig Kahlen (Mads Mikkelsen), who sets out to conquer the seemingly uninhabitable heathlands and build a colony there. He represents the king, but comes into deep conflict with landowner Frederick de Schinkel who believes he owns all the lands. Kahlen is determined not to succumb to the evil Schinkel, but standing his ground will be at the expense of people who have come to mean something in his life. Without giving away too much plot here, I find this an extremely engaging film, in an epic old-fashioned way that we don't see so much of nowadays. Its narrative is broad ranging (and loosely based on history), it is visually stunning, and performances are compelling - especially Mads (of course), and young Melina Hagberg as orphaned gypsy girl Anmai Mus. With such visceral themes as revenge, ambition, repression, self-worth, family and love, there are all the ingredients needed for a deeply rewarding film experience. (Note: it has 17 big wins to its name).4 - highly recommended
Picasso: A Rebel in Paris
Dir: Simona Risi
Length: 92 mins
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© Sharmill - an original take on one
of the world's most incredible artists |
Add to the film's title Story of a life and museum, and you have the idea that this is not just another standard biopic of the controversial artist. It is based around the biggest collection of his work, at the Musee National Picasso in Paris. The museum houses 6000 artworks and 200,000 pieces of archived material. We follow the Spaniard as he leaves his country of birth and joins the art scene in Paris, moving from a traditional style to his trademark ground-breaking style of painting. The doco is jam-packed with so much fascinating information and countless visuals of his work - the various periods, and pieces in styles and media that I had no idea he even worked in (think ceramics). In-depth insights are given by museum curators and art critics, along with glimpses into his personal life and his highly contradictory nature, ranging from positive traits to the highly questionable treatment of the women in his life. Included are also clips from films which were made of the man before his death. It's a real eye opener, and a must for art lovers.4 - highly recommended
Divertimento
Dir: Marie Castille Mention Schaar
Length: 110 mins
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| © Potential - uplifting and inspiring |
Two sisters, Zahia (Oulaya Amamra) and Fettouma Ziouani (Lina el Arabi) have big dreams. At only 17, Zahia hopes to becomes one of very few female orchestra conductors and her sister wants to become a professional cellist. Being of Algerian descent and living in the "burbs" of Paris, they will need to overcome many hurdles, both societal and patriarchal. After being accepted into a top music school, Zahia must face racial prejudice from uppity French kids, along with constantly fighting to be a woman in a traditionally male sphere. While following a reasonably predictable narrative arc, this true story is both uplifting and inspiring, and features lovely performances by the two lead actors. Augmenting the cast is Neils Arestrup as famed conductor Sergiu Celibidache, who sees the potential in Zahia and takes her under his wing. Of course, the music is simply lovely. Take a few tissues for the very emotional conclusion!
3.5 - well recommended
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