Film No. 85 (2015) A Perfect Day November 26th.

Film No. 85 (2015) November 26th.  8.00 PM THE PINES Outdoor Cinema Joondalup.

"But sir, the water is not functional with a body lying in it" (Sophie (Melanie Thierre) responds emotionally to a UN commander after he directed the retreival team not to meddle in village affairs)

I rarely reflect on a film's title as often as I have since seeing this entertaining yet poignant film. There was nothing perfect about the day I witnessed, but then again the final 5 minutes give the film the conclusion it deserves. Having just spent 100 minutes sharing the frustrations and humour with characters we'd grown to like, in a complicated war zone, there is relief and satisfaction in the film's conclusion.


From the first scene director Leon de Aranoa, directing his first English language film, takes us to the Balkans where life as an aid worker has its complications especially when it comes to removing a body, of huge proportions, from a village water supply. There is a touch of Altman about de Aranoa's work as Mambru (Benicio Del Toro) and B (Tim Robbins) go to work with a script which is punctuated with black humour to show us the way. 


Then there is Bond girl Olga Kurylenko as Katya a UN advocate who's had an inconsequential (to the story) affair with Mambru, French up and comer Melanie Thierre playing Sophie a rookie, adds a touch of likable naivety to the narrative. It is, however, the role of Eldar Residovic as Nikloa which gives the film a grounding. Nikola is a young victim of war, he is "adopted" for the day by Mambru as they work towards solving their dilemma at the village well. This boy is instantly taken into the hearts of everyone, most importantly the audience.


The rhythm of APD is controlled by the sharp sarcasm of Robbins and the brooding, rugged manliness of Del Toro. The day is not perfect, our characters have been frustrated from all angles as they try to make small gains but the concluding scenes would suggest hope.   Maybe it is the characters of Mambru and B (like Hawkeye and Hunnicutt in M*A*S*H) who are best equipped to deal with the real frustrations of yet another pointless war. 9GUMS.