Thursday, 21 May 2026

May 22nd 2026

The Richest Woman in the World
Becoming Kafka
Mother Mary
The Sheep Detectives
Life Could be a Dream

This week's films are a very diverse lot with my faves being the latest French film starring the wonderful Isabelle Huppert, along with a zany, beautiful story of a flock of sheep who have more brains than one would ever imagine.


The Richest Woman in the World
Dir: Thierry Klifa

© Palace - based upon a true French scandal
Marianne Farrere (Isabelle Huppert) is a billionaire heiress to a vast cosmetics company. A magazine photo-shoot sees her meeting larger-than-life photographer Pierre Alain Fantin (Laurent Lafitte) who suddenly injects a hefty dose of joie-de-vivre and irreverence into her regimented life with staid husband Guy (Andre Marcon). Pierre quickly charms his way into Marianne's affections, and she is soon gifting him vast amounts of money to prop up his life and career. Marianne's daughter, Frederique (Marina Fois), legal heir to her mother's fortune, is horrified, as is her husband Jean-Marc (Mathieu Demy) along with the family's loyal butler Jerome (Raphael Personnaz). What they all decide to do about the situation will have far-reaching ramifications. This story is a free adaptation of a true scandalous case which captivated all of France back in 2007, known as the Bettencourt Case, and revolving around the L'Oreal cosmetics empire. While I recoil at the character of Pierre, with his boorishness and vulgarity, I'm blown over by Lafitte's blustering performance which still manages to make us see his appeal to the stitched-up Marianne. And of course Huppert is simply perfect in this role, as she goes from ice-queen elegance to a woman besotted by this "charmer", and rediscovering her inner devil. This film has been much loved in France and thoroughly enjoyed by yours truly.
4 - highly recommended 

Franz: Becoming Kafka
Dir: Agnieszka Holland

© Sharmill - very original film-making style
for a very original writer
Most people know the name Kafka, but not all have read him or understand his philosophical world view. And that includes me, making it hard for me to review this much-awarded film by an iconic director. The film is described as a "kaleidoscopic mosaic" of the writer's life, and that certainly sums up the daring and innovative style of the filmmaking. We meet Franz at age 7 (Daniel Dongres), dominated by his overbearing father Hermann (Peter Kurth). Then we are introduced to the life and writings of the adult Franz (Idan Weiss). Absurdism, surrealism and existentialism are translated into many of the visuals employed, these scenes transmitting the feeling  of the man and his unconventional take on life. And of course we also get the actuality of his life, especially his fraught relationships with significant women, and his early death from tuberculosis. The film is visually excellent, and every performance feels real. I have the suspicion that this is a seriously good attempt to filmically capture something almost unfathomable, but without having read him, I'm left a little bewildered and less enlightened about the man than I would wish. 
3.5 - well recommended

Mother Mary
Dir: David Lowery

© VVS - some strong acting but a
scattered plot
Gaga-style pop icon Mother Mary (Anne Hathaway) has a new song, and to perform it she needs a new dress. For some years she's been estranged from her loyal costume designer and former closest friend Sam (Michaela Coel), but now she comes back to ask Sam to make the dress for her. Rain-bedraggled, almost plain without her stage makeup, and totally at Sam's mercy, Mary is subjected to all Sam's hurt and wrath over having been sidelined and rejected. There is a ton of strong psychological fodder to be mined in this story, and that's where it works best - an examination of artistic insecurities, the cult of fame worship, but mostly the dynamics of friendship. However, after an impressive start, which features a couple of glitzy set pieces of Mother Mary's stage performances, the film veers off into an irrelevant, contrived, quasi-supernatural nonsense involving a seance - and that's where it lost me. Yes, Hathaway impresses in that she does her own singing, but her performance lacks the power of a real-life diva. Coel is full-on impressive as the spurned friend, but the argy-bargy talk fest that ensues, followed by the pseudo exorcism of Mary's inner demons feels contrived and plain silly. The film doesn't know what is wants to be, and, while I enjoyed it in parts, I didn't ultimately care about the characters! 
2.5 - maybe

The Sheep Detectives
Dir: Kyle Balda

© Sony - so lovely - for all ages
George Hardy (Hugh Jackman) is a caring shepherd who lives in the quaint English village of Denbrook. Every night he gathers his flock around him and reads aloud to them from murder mystery books. Little does he know they understand everything and discuss the cases among themselves! When George is found dead, the distraught sheep decide to solve the mystery themselves. Before you go dimissing this radical idea, let me tell you, within minutes I was drawn into the plot wholeheartedly, so appealing are the sheep characters, and so cleverly written is the script. Using a mix of real sheep, computer-generated imagery and animatronic puppets, the film brings its woolly stars to life with humour, philosophy,  and sheer delight. While there is plenty of fun, underneath it all are wonderful life lessons for children and indeed all ages: moving beyond one's comfort zone, accepting others' differences, even coping with the concept of death. The film boasts a top-notch role call of actors. Among the live action cast are Nicholas Braun (who played Greg in Succession) as the local bumbling police officer, Molly Gordon (Claire in The Bear) as Rebecca, George's daughter, and the ever-splendid Emma Thomson as George's lawyer.  The sheep are voiced by such well known actors as Bryan Cranson, Rhys Derby, Bella Ramsey and more. Despite some levels of predictability, this is a gorgeous film everyone can enjoy and is much-needed in today's fraught world.
4 - highly recommended

Life Could Be a Dream
Dir: Jasmin Tarasin

© Maslow - good theme not given
serious enough treatment
Sarah (Maeve Dermody) is a real estate agent and mother of 40, with a 13-year-old son Otis (Sonny McGee). Through a series of flashbacks, we learn that she has been enduring an abusive marriage involving financial coercive control. She decides to flee with Otis, taking refuge in an opulent mansion that she is in charge of selling. Together the pair hang out and strengthen their bond, with Otis being a vital support for his mother. The issue of domestic violence is such a serious one, and yet the film's style is too languid, its cinematography too beautiful, to reflect any of the horror and fear. Plot-wise my credibility is totally stretched being asked to believe that the pair would be able to move into this home, let alone that it is still a fully functioning liveable house! Performances are fine, but again the sweet interlude of Otis meeting local lass Sati (Noam Sen-Gupta) seems to detract from the main intended theme. Unfortunately, despite all the good intentions of tackling a relevant and important issue, the film ends up being too flimsy for its purported subject matter. 
2.5 - maybe





 

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Thursday, 7 May 2026

May 8th 2026

All My Sons (National Theatre Live)
The Rip (streaming on Netflix)
HSBC German Film Festival
A Private Life - opening 14th May

A stunning piece of filmed theatre, a tense Damon/Affleck cop thriller streaming, plus the German Film Festival, with the wonderful new film from Fatih Akin. One of next week's releases is reviewed here, as I'll be taking a small, much-needed break from blogging, and will return with reviews on May 21st. 

All My Sons
Dir: Ivo Van Hove
© Sharmill - stage to film: a sweeping success!
In 1946 legendary American playwright Arthur Miller wrote All My Sons, inspired by a true story he read of a woman who reported her father to the FBI for some alleged underhand business dealings during the Second World War. Eighty years on this story still stands the test of time, and the wonderful production by the National Theatre is one of the best theatre-to-film pieces I've seen. If you're expecting a filmic experience you won't get it, but you will get the best seat in the house to a stunningly performed play. Bryan Cranston plays Joe, married to Kate (Marianne Jean-Baptiste; the couple's son Luke went missing in the war but Kate refuses to believe he's dead. Second son Chris (Paapa Essiedu) is in love with Luke's ex-fiance Ann (Hayley Squires). But as certain truths start to emerge, the seemingly solid family starts to crack. The emotion generated by all four leads is phenomenal, and close up camera work reveals it all on their faces. With a minimalist stage setting, one can concentrate on the characters and themes, all of which remain still so relevant. The arc of the story will pull you in right up to its shattering conclusion. A definite must-see for lovers of fine theatre. 
4.5 - wholeheartedly recommended

The Rip
Dir: Joe Carnahan
Length: 113 mins

© Netflix - the Damon-Affleck team do it again!
In this latest action cop thriller from Netflix, Matt Damon and Ben Affleck reunite as police buddies on the Miami-Dade narcotics unit. Lt Dumars, known as LD (Damon) and Sgt Byrne (Affleck) follow a crimestopper tip to a house where they discover a vast amount of cash has been stashed by a Colombian drug cartel. Desi (Sasha Calle) who is inheriting the house from her grandma claims no knowledge of it. Detectives Ro (Steven Yeun), Baptiste (Teyana Taylor) and Salazar (Sandino Moreno) are in on the raid, but gradually each member of the police squad begins to distrust each other, suspecting each other to be potentially dirty and aiming to steal the cash. The film doesn't break any new ground, has several convoluted and credibility-stretching plot points, and settles for a typically American "neat" ending. Despite that, it provides some seriously entertaining thrills. With a moodily-lit and claustrophobic setting, strong editing, and a couple of good shoot-out and car-chase scenes, there's no lack of excitement. The script is cleverly constructed with twists and surprises. Best of all, Damon and Affleck are, as expected, excellent together. 
3.5 - well recommended

HSBC German Film Festival
Melbourne: May 8-27
Palace Cinemas
For all information re films, bookings, other states visit germanfilmfestival.com.au 

This is Australia's only festival dedicated to German language cinema. And once again it features some of the latest films from Germany, including The Sound of Falling, which won the prestigious Cannes FF Jury Prize. The festival also features several films from Austria and Switzerland, along with a spotlight on acclaimed director Fatih Akin, who has helmed the centrepiece movie Amrum. Kids get their own sidebar of four special screenings, and the director's cut of the classic Das Boot will close the festival. 
I've previewed a couple, with Amrum being a standout.
Amrum
Dir: Fatih Akin
© - unusual and poweful WW2 drama
With plenty of nominations at the German film awards, and several wins at other international festivals, this is a powerful, true, drama about a young lad who learns he is on the wrong side of history in Germany in the final months of World War 2. Nanning (an extraordinary performance by Jasper Billerbeck) comes from a pro-Nazi family. His heavily pregnant mother and her children have been forced to flee bombed-out Hamburg and live on the North Sea island of Amrum, while the father is fulfilling his duty as a colonel in the Reich. After the baby's birth, his mother refuses to eat and Nanning sets about trying to acquire barely available bread, butter and honey which she apparently craves. While the parochial islanders are hostile to the Hamburg residents, Nanning gets to know them and see another side of life than the blindly pro-Hitler stance of his family. This is understated, gentle and inspiring film-making, beautifully shot, and not without its dark and tense moments. It subtly examines themes of indoctrination, and youthful awakening to harsh truths. Diane Kruger is notable in a small but strong role as a local farmer opposed to the Nazi regime. Definitely one for lovers of fine film.
4.5 - wholeheartedly recommended 

Gavagai: An modern "black" adaptation of the Greek tragedy Medea is being filmed in Senegal. Maja is in the lead role and is almost the only white person in the cast. Off-screen she starts a brief affair with her Senegalese co-star Nourou, who plays Jason. Months later, at the film's premiere the couple remeet, and tensions arise when Nourou is subjected to racism by hotel staff. There seem to be plenty of cerebral ideas and philosophies underpinning this unusual film, with such issues as the wisdom of modern adaptations of classic stories, and much around intercultural misunderstandings. At times the film is a little too clever for its own good, but strong performances from the two leads keep it engaging.

Hello Betty: Another true story, this time from Switzerland. Back in the 1950s, Emmi Creola worked as a typist at an advertising agency. When she started coming up with ideas of her own to promote cooking products for a client, she found herself blocked by her patriarchal male bosses. However, as any Swiss person of a certain vintage will know, Emmi went on to become a national superstar. Under the public persona of Betty Bossi she rose to stardom as a culinary and household name. While the film has light and fluffy moments, with a wonderful "vintage vibe", there's underlying serious exploration of women's aspirations, roles and identity, as Emmi (Betty) juggles her professional life with her family one. A sweet, entertaining and informative film.

A Private Life - opening May 14th
Dir: Rebecca Zlotowski
Length: 107 mins

© Transmission - Auteuil and Foster are
so good together
Lillian (Jodie Foster) is an American, living and working in Paris as a psychiatrist. When one of her patients Paula (Virginie Efira) commits suicide, Lillian becomes convinced it was really a murder, and begins to suspect Paula's husband Simon (Mathieu Almaric). She then co-opts her ex-husband and ophthamologist Gabriel (Daniel Auteuil) in trying to "crack the case". I find this film a little disjointed, in that it doesn't quite know what genre it is trying to be. On one level it's a  "whodunnit", on another it's about Lillian herself, her distant, disengaged nature, and tackling change. Then, almost out of the blue, themes of Nazis, Jews and WW2 are introduced. The episodes where the pragmatic Lillian undergoes hypnosis and imagines herself to be living some sort of past life as a man are bizarre and fail to convince me plotwise. However, what does stand out is Foster's impressive performance, inhabiting her character, along with her ability to speak flawless French. Her relationship with her ex is also a high spot of the film as she and Auteuil conjure up some lovely intimacy and moments of humour. So, for the performances of those two alone, I say . . .  
3 - recommended

 
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