October 20th 2024
Memoir of a Snail
He Ain't Heavy
From Hilde, With Love
Greek Film Festival - until October 27
Japanese Film Festival - opening Melbourne October 21
Irish Film Festival - online now - in Melbourne cinemas from October 24
This week it's festival-central! The three featured festivals give us a glimpse into Greek, Irish and Japanese lives. The seasons do not have very long cinema runs, so I suggest moving fast to secure tickets for your preferred films. PLUS . . . yet again three really excellent films are on mainstream release, every one a most worthy watch.
Memoir of a Snail
Dir: Adam Elliot
Length: 94 mins
 |
© Madman - sad, funny, beautiful, even uplifting:
- a story of the challenges in life |
Grace Pudel has suffered a traumatic childhood. Her mother died giving birth to her and twin Gilbert, her father became a drunk and paraplegic, and when he dies she is separated from her beloved brother and put into foster care. Grace becomes a hoarder, collecting every manner of thing to do with snails. Her loneliness and anxiety threaten to destroy her until she meets an old lady, Pinky, whose optimism keeps Grace afloat. Fifteen years ago I saw a sublime claymation film, Mary and Max, which won the top award at the world's biggest festival for animation (Annecy). Now Elliot has won this award again. Technically it's a labor of love - absolutely no digital effects, everything made of paper, paint, clay and water by 20 artisans working for almost a year. Using stop motion, every single movement (310,000 of them!) is shot, and the film boasts almost 7000 individual items. The story itself is a heart wrencher, sourced from so many inspirations in the director's life. He incorporates pathos, tragedy, humour, love, issues around hoarding, along with day-to-day uniquely Aussie things, to make us feel deeply for the sad little character with the hare lip, who narrates her life story to a snail called Sylvia. Elliot acquired a memorable cast for voicing the characters, chief among them Sarah Snook as Grace, Kodi Smit-McPhee as Gilbert, Jackie Weaver as Pinky, along with Eric Bana, Magda Szubanski and Tony Armstrong in other roles. The film has so much truth, warmth and boundless creativity; it really is a total delight. 4.5 - wholeheartedly recommended (PS it's NOT a kid's film!)
From Hilde, With Love
Dir: Andreas Dresen
Length: 94 mins
 |
| © Palace - a true story of courage and dignity |
Berlin 1942: Hilde Coppi (Liv Lisa Fries) is heavily pregnant when she is arrested by the Gestapo. She has been assisting her husband Hans (Johannes Hegemann) who is a member of the Red Orchestra, an anti-Nazi resistance group who post flyers protesting the war and who also attempt to send messages to German soldiers imprisoned in Russia. This true story follows Hilde, as she gives birth in prison to Hansy Jnr, her beloved baby who is 80 years old today and who has the final words in the film! At the same time we follow, in reverse chronology, how she and Hans met, fell in love, and ultimately came unstuck at the hands of the Gestapo. Beautifully scripted, acted and shot, this true story is heart-wrenchingly told, but without melodrama or heavy reference to the Nazi side of history; its focus is more on love, friendship and youthful idealism. Fries' performance is unforgettable, as a decent, almost unassuming woman who displays dignified courage in the face of horror and who is transformed by love for her baby son. Hilde even manages to soften dour prison guard Frau Kuhn (Lisa Wagner), and is somehow a calming influence on all those round her. Some scenes pack such an emotional wallop, and are extraordinarily harrowing. Others scenes focus on basic kindness (the prison pastor and the prison midwife) while moments of youthful frolicking and sensual lovemaking manage to balance the ghastliness of what is really happening. This is a stunning film that reminds us of both the good and the evil in the world, and was a nominee for the Berlin Golden Bear.4.5 - wholeheartedly recommended
He Ain't Heavy
Dir: David Vincent Smith
Length: 102 mins
 |
© Bonsai - gruelling but authentic picture
of addiction and family love |
Jade (Leila George) is 30, and feels her life is ruined, as so much of it has been dedicated to rescuing her younger brother Max (Sam Corlett) who is a heavy-duty meth addict. Mother Bev (Greta Scacchi) is beyond coping, and locks herself away from her son. Jade decides upon a desperate course of action and kidnaps Max to lock him up for a week in their deceased grandpa's empty house, in the hope of getting him clean. The director has based this story upon events in his own life, and wow! - does it feel authentic. Essentially a three-hander in the acting department, all three leads give their all to their roles, in this tragic story of what happens to families when drugs take over, and when there are insufficient medical and governmental supports to assist people. But it's also more than a drug addiction story - it is a tribute to sibling devotion (or is it sibling enablement?), and the lengths to which a woman will go to try to save her beloved brother. The film is beautifully made in every regard (performance, scripting), though people who have experienced this scenario may find it somewhat traumatic.4 - highly recommended
Greek Film Festival
Melbourne: Until October 27th
Venues: Palace Pentridge, Como, Balwyn, Astor
Last week I reviewed Brando with the Glass Eye, which still has two more screenings. This week I bring you a fine film that has won six awards at the Thessaloniki Film Festival, and further awards from the Greek Film Academy. There are still several screenings to available this week for you to catch it.
Murderess: This gripping film, directed by Eva Nathena, is set on a barren Greek island around 1900. Hadoula (Karyofyllia Karabeti) is a midwife and general healer, who witnesses the endless disappointment of mothers when they give birth to female children. In this patriarchal society, where men beat their wives and kids mercilessly, boys are valued, as girls are not considered fit to work the land and can only be married off if they come with an attractive dowry. The movie jumps around in time from Hadoula's memories of her youth with a mother who rejected her, to the present, where the tormented woman sees a way, in her world view, to relieve female children of the burden of future mistreatment in their lives. The film is relentlessly grim, with a grey color pallette and severe landscape that reflects the brutality of life. The fine cast all inhabit their roles, the women stoicially suffering, and the men oppressing. The director is unflinching in her depiction of the harshness of daily life, and the trauma of childbirth. In today's world where, in many lands, the patriarchy still devastates women's lives, the film retains a relevance and resonance, and though at times had to watch, it is an example of some of the best of Greek film-making.
Japanese Film Festival
Melbourne: October 21st - November 3rd
Venues: Kino, ACMI
For lovers of all things Japanese, this is always a festival to please. Whether it's a zany comedy, a human relationship drama, a thriller or a classic from the past (several are featuring this festival), you should find something of interest here. I've caught a couple:
Mom Is That You? The Festival's opening night film is a real winner. The Japanese have a gentle touch with films about interpersonal relationships, and this is no exception. Salaryman Akio is malcontented, with his job, his daughter Mai and his divorce. But he's unable to talk about any of it, and to annoy him further, his normally conservative widowed mother Fukue is lively, looking great, doing charitable work and apparently in love. There is so much warmth and gentle humour in this delightful story of intergenerational family ties. And of course our protagonist Akio may discover some truths about what is really important in life.
Matched: If you've ever worried about dating apps, this film will give you even more cause for concern! Rinka is a wedding planner, and when she joins a dating app and meets Tom, her life rapidly becomes a nightmare. Several couples who've met through the app are being mysteriously murdered, and Tom sends countless odd messages which makes Rinka think he may be involved. The twists and turns of this plot are numerous - a new development constantly emerging, making for an entertaining thriller.
Irish Film Festival
Online Australia-wide until November 3rd
At Cinema Nova Melbourne October 24th-27th
The Irish Film Festival in Australia celebrates its 10th anniversary. The films all look highly appealing, with interesting docos, narrative features, and, what caught my eye, several films featuring Irish music. The in-cinema Melbourne season is short, so get yourselves organised!
Farewell to Hughes's: Much-loved actor Brendan Gleeson visits a pub that has been a Dublin institution for decades, and a haven for traditional Irish music. The pub is now closing down and Brendan interviews musicians, dancers and patrons who have made the venue such a warm and inviting space. There's great archival footage of grand times in the pub over the years, along with some wonderful performances. Also we learn a bit about the local history, with vintage film clips of the Dublin surrounds, especially the produce markets. The film is like a warm embrace, and Gleeson is so natural and unassuming. A bonus is we get to see his skills on the banjo and fiddle. Lovers of traditional Irish music should definitely get along to this one.
Lie of the Land: Matthew and Kath Ward are struggling Irish farmers, deep in debt. They meet smooth-talking Gabriel who offers a solution that will help them walk away from their troubles with a new identity, but for a fee. When the Wards decide to pull out of the deal, their very lives are at risk from Gabriel, who it turns out is a conman of the worst sort. Normally accepting of their fate and submissive, the Wards must lift their game, as a horrific and very frightening game of kill or be killed develops on their property. The film is nail-bitingly tense, with terrific suspense created by the gloomy night-time setting, and smart editing in which each scene builds upon the previous to a climactic resolution.
No comments:
Post a Comment