November 7th 2024
The Pool
British Film Festival - four reviews
The new Aussie doco is a winner, while the four I've previewed so far for the British Film Festival are absolutely worth the watch.
The Pool
Dir: Ian Darling
Length: 95 mins
 |
© Shark Island - a love letter to a lifestyle,
and a swimmming pool. |
"Everyone is equal in their swimsuits." So goes the tagline for this richly rewarding Aussie documentary about the world-renowned Bondi Icebergs swimming pool in Sydney. You might ask yourself how a film about a swimming pool could be so engaging, but I assure you it is! Various elements combine to make the film more than the sum of its parts. First we have the fascinating folks who go to swim there - from young beauties, through to the old and wise, those swimming for pleasure, fitness or to help them through inner crisis. Newcomers and those who have swum there for decades. The many characters have small stories to tell, and no one person dominates - it's the pool itself that is the central character. Then there is the sheer filmic beauty of the setting: stunning sunsets, awe-inspiring crashing waves, the light at different times of the day, human bodies like dolphins stroking through the water. The cinematography is mesmerising. Add a magnificent and nostalgic 60s-inspired surf music soundtrack, and you have a film that celebrates the human state and the joy of belonging and pursuing something together. The doco is an utterly refreshing change from the often dark fare I watch, and is like a meditation on people, beauty and the simple joy of being alive.4 - highly recommended
Russell Hobbs British Film Festival
Melbourne: Until 8 December
Venues: Palace cinemas
This is always a much-loved festival, featuring many actors we know and love. Centrepiece film Hard Truths comes from iconic director Mike Leigh. The festival guest, Aylin Tezel, director of Falling into Place, will feature in a Q&A, while much-loved acting royalty Ralph Fiennes features in two highly-anticipated films, The Return and Conclave. Brit music gets a run too, with films on Blur and The Rolling Stones. As well as the latest British movies, this year's sidebar, entitled "History Restored" rescreens several iconic films with a historical slant. A Lion in Winter, Heat and Dust, A Man For All Seasons and more. My previewed films so far:
Falling into Place: When Kira (Aylin Tezel) and Ian (Chris Fulton) meet by chance on the remote Scottish island of Skye, they joke that they are each on the run. And they are - from themselves. Kira has had a traumatic romantic breakup and Ian has ongoing family dramas around his suicidal sister. It is obvious they are soulmates, but after a brief fun 24 hours together they return to their lives, and we are left wondering if their paths will ever collide again. This is exquisite filmmaking - visually evocative, with sweeping scenes of the rocky island in counterpoint to the bustle of London life. The non-linear narrative keeps you constantly engaged, while the hauntingingly lovely soundtrack stays in the mind. Best of all the two leads conjure up a magical chemistry that is so authentic, sweet and poignant. Don't imagine this is just another romance; it's also a deeply touching exploration of the soul-searching journey of what one wants of life and the courage required to grasp it.
Hard Truths: Mike Leigh reunites with his lead actress from Secrets and Lies, Marianne Jean-Baptiste, who gives a searing performance as Pansy, a wife and mother who constantly complains, criticises, picks fights with strangers, and generally alienates everyone around her. Her hardworking husband Curtley and slacker son Moses are always in her firing line, and the only person who seems to have a shred of compassion for Pansy is her sister Chantal. When the sisters visit their mothers' grave, there seems to be a slight shift in Pansy, encouraging us to question the whys of her endless malcontedness. We may laugh at her incessant griping, but what starts out as vaguely humourous settles into a darker and deeper look at what makes people tick, and tolerate each other. A typical Leigh "slice-of-life" drama that may well lead us to examine our own attitudes to life in the "glass half full or half empty" department.
Poison: Lucas (Tim Roth) and Edith (Trine Dyrholm) meet in a graveyard after having not seen each other for ten years. While waiting to meet someone there, they talk, and gradually all is revealed to the viewer, as they unearth past memories, grievances, hurts and loves. Both have experienced a profound loss, but deal with it completely differently. Based upon a play, the film remains fairly cinematically contained, but its strength lies in the immense power of the performances. Roth and Dyrholm display the sort of chemistry that only people who have been through so much together can have. A sad, lovely and reflective film, that sensitively handles the deepest of human emotions.
The Stones and Brian Jones: Renowned documentarian Nick Broomfield, (who made memorable films about Leonard Cohen, Whitney Houston and Aileen Wuornos) now tackles the story of Brian Jones, the man who founded The Rolling Stones. Broomfield has gathered a lot of footage never before seen, from Jones' early schooldays, through to rare interviews and videos of the Stones in their very early incarnation as a strictly blues band. Interviews with Jones' many ex-girlfriends (and mothers to his five kids!), reveal the tumultuousness of his lovelife, while commentary from Bill Wyman gives wonderful insight into Jones versatile musicianship which added such distinctiveness to so many of the Stones' songs. All this is set against the background of the 60s, a time of sweeping societal change. This highly entertaining story of a tragically curtailed life is a wonderful addition to the pantheon of music docos. The British Film Festival is, of course, highly recommended!
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