Film No. 61 (2014) August 26th. 10:30 AM THE JAFFA ROOM Claisebrook.
Sitting next to the writer / director of this taut thriller at this screening was a great privilege. John Soto is a friendly, easy going chap who was viewing his film for the 40th time and was keen to get a feel for how yet another audience would react to his work. Having him so close, and knowing how keen he was for feedback, I was hoping the film would live up to it's high energy trailer and tight production notes. Well, it did and I was pleased to talk with him about how well he'd layered and paced The Reckoning.
More about our conversation later. The film itself tells the story of a young girl Rachel (Hanna Mangan Lawrence) who seeks retribution after her best friend Abbie (Chelsea Williamson)is killed in a hit and run accident. Now while the premise of this story has been used before it's the techniques Soto employs to unravel the layers of this sometimes violent film that leads to a thought provoking and satisfying experience. The streets of Perth have never looked more familiar and at the same time menacing.
The Reckoning is layered because the investigation is told in real time, with another dimension added. An SD card (No.1) is found on a victim early in the film. The card is used to electronically transfer evidence to the detectives Robbie Green (Jonathan LaPaglia) and Jane Lambert (Viva Bianca) working in the field. Green is grappling emotionally with something, his closet drinking is a clue to something running deeply in his psyche. Of course we find out, with just the right amount of cleverness.
Once the credits began to roll I congratulated John Soto on the subtlety with which he allowed his story to unfold. Each scene gradually built on the next and he asked us to figure out some of the earlier issues which may have helped to shape the characters and their relationships. If I had a criticism it was that the initial incident which triggered the drama had a coincidental connection.I put this to Soto who responded that coincidental incidents happened in Perth all the time. I couldn't argue. 9GUMS.
No comments:
Post a Comment