No. 42 (2021) FIRST COW. MAY 24th.

 

Film No. 42 (2021)  May 24th.  4:50 PM  Cinema 7  LUNA,  Leederville. 

"History isn't here yet. It's coming and maybe we can take it on our own terms" (King-Lu explains to Cookie a philosophical view on their entrepreneurial destiny).

Kelly Reichardt fans, specifically those who loved MEEK'S CUTOFF, are going to take absolute delight in her latest offering, FIRST COW. But Reichardt films are difficult works to recommend. Simple plots, depicting unexceptional people eking out ordinary lives makes for difficult selling points. But with Reichardt it's all in the detail and boy, is FIRST COW chock-full of detail!

As with MEEK'S CUTOFF, Reichardt takes us into the past, but not before the important opening stanza set in contemporary times. I say important because as we meet and take this low key entrepreneurial adventure with Cookie (John Magaro) and King-Lu (Orion Lee) in frontier times, an inevitable outcome looms and sends our thoughts back to that beginning.

FIRST COW is about true friendship. Two bright young men who meet and share their aspirations. In times where they  eke out an existence amongst dirt and grime we are of the opinion that their plight would seem utterly hopeless. That is, until a cow turns up. With a cow (to milk) and Cookie's skills (baker) the creation of a tasty delight with addictive qualities (Krispy Creme like) becomes reality.

But the cow belongs to Chief Factor (Toby Jones), the landed gentry in these parts. To take this milk is stealing. Stealing and getting caught means Cookie and Lu will put paid to their business, but the worst of it will be the punishment meted out. The price paid for stealing in these earthy times is high. No matter, Reichardt draws the curtain on FIRST COW by giving our heroes a respect and dignity they deserve. Friendship and loyalty is the lubricant.  11GUMS.             

  

No. 38 (2021) CROSS THE LINE. (No mataras) Palace Spanish Film Festival. MAY 16th.

 

Film No. 38 (2021)  May 16th.  4:00 PM  Cinema 5 LUNA,  Leederville. 

"He's gone, it's over." (Dani's first words). They are prophetic because his father's passing, as he informs his sister Laura, announces a situation about to punctuate his life, over and over.

Mild mannered man, Dani (Mario Casas) has a life changing meeting, recalibrating him into the A TYPE personality he thinks he could never be; the risk taker, that person who tugs on the tail of life expecting new and exciting moments. This could be one description of NO MATARAS. It's a rollicking ride that won't give Tourism Spain a boost, but will add a new dimension to the Spanish film making landscape.

Hand-held camera work is not for everyone and the mere mention of this film technique stops potential viewers in their tracks. It can affect those vulnerable to episodes of vertigo. If this is the case then No MATARAS is not for you. BIRDMAN came to mind on this, my one and only viewing. No MATARAS would most definitely have been shot and then cut(as BIRDMAN was) but it takes clever editing to give us a sense that this white knuckle ride is all taking place in real time.

There is little need to retell the story here. It's tough, it's gritty and probably has a WAKE IN FRIGHT aura. It is a "Is This A Nightmare? When Will I Wake?" type scenario if you get my drift?  If this fits the profile of cinema you dig then catch No madaras. Don't miss it! 9GUMS.     

   

 

No. 41 (2021) BREAKING BREAD. MAY 22nd.

 

Film No. 41 (2021)  May 22nd.  11:00 AM  Cinema 1 LUNA,  Leederville. 

"I don't give a f**k that he's Arab, like he doesn't give a f**k that I am Jew. The only thing we're going to give a f**k about is making art" (One featured chef makes a point; a point key to all that BREAKING BREAD stands for).

Could a film like BREAKING BREAD have an impact on the psyches' of the Middle Eastern population? On that minority of people who have mostly hate on their minds? Perhaps not, but in the words of Arab  MasterChef (Israeli version)      winner  Dr. Nof Atamna, little steps might help.

So sets the premise of emerging documentary film maker Beth Elise Hawk's first feature, BREAKING BREAD. Hawk uses the A-Sham Food Festival as her force for intrigue. This growing festival began in 2015 after Atamna decided that if an Arab could win a Jewish food competition then maybe creating food has a power to unite people. Then, just maybe, politicians would take notice. Atamna is never optimistic when it comes to politicians but she has a belief in taking small steps forward!  

The delight that is BREAKING BREAD comes in the balanced message Hawk delivers. It is neither preachy nor bombastic. The images of food and the stories of cultural melding are tantalizing. Then there are the stars; the chefs, foodies from multiple middle eastern countries working together to make magic and producing tastes to tantalize.

Haifa, Israel's 3rd largest city is the other star of BREAD. The food festival is just one activity the city supports in its work towards reconciliation. Mayor Yona Yahav (since replaced by Haifa's first female mayor) discusses, with a legitimate positivity, the virtues of living in a city like Haifa. 

As Atamna says, 90% of Israelis want peace, but it's the other 10% that make the news. BREAKING BREAD just might help, it certainly can't do harm. The other good news is that a cookbook based on dishes from the film  will be released soon. The essence of BREAKING BREAD will gain a longer life with this news. Great news! 10GUMS.

          

  

No. 40 (2021) I BLAME SOCIETY. MAY 19th.

 

Film No. 40 (2021)  May 19th.  6:45 PM  Cinema 5 LUNA,  Leederville. 

"I just can't sit back and wait for some guy to give me permission to make a movie. No one wants to make a movie as much as you want to make one yourself" (Gillian's opening monologue to camera, setting in motion this dark, funny movie).

The idea of a young film-maker pitching ideas and then becoming sick and tired of the way she is treated by film executives, thus taking fate into her own hands, is tantalizing.

So, does the charismatic Gillian Horvat Wallace nail it with her low budget I BLAME SOCIETY? Does she what! She executes this personal project so well film executives are likely to be beating a path to her door in coming months. This personal "little" revenge film has charisma and Wallace has a screen presence that suggests she will have choices as to which side of the camera she stands on. Given the promotional interviews she has given, she has a firm idea about her creative trajectory.

Gillian, playing herself, is the central character in her role as a serial killer. It is her film, the one she has been pitching to studios. We are an audience to her antics because it was suggested to her, once, that she would be good at murder. So maybe she would, but is it just an idea for a film? A fictional film that would gain studio backing and would thus launch her career? Or, was the screening of her pitch the actual depiction of murders she had carried out? Will the executives believe in her project? And what happens if they don't? All will be revealed, that is if you decide SOCIETY appeals to your curiosities.  

The film's clever trailer appealed to me. It asks all the questions I raise. I for one was keen to unravel Horvat Wallace's gruesome but funny film. There are plenty of others who are finding her a force to be reckoned with, and that's with a camera in hand, not a knife! 10GUMS.              

 

   

No. 39 (2021) ANTOINETTE dan les CEVENNES. MAY 18th.

 

Film No. 39 (2021)  May. 18th.  2:10 PM  PALACE Cinema 8,  Raine Square,  Perth City. 

"You must be assertive Antoinette. You must show him who's boss"(Patrick's handler gives Antoinette advice on how she will need to keep her donkey in check on her journey).

Those who are familiar with Laure Calamy in her role as Noemie Leclerc in the Netfix hit CALL MY AGENT will delight in catching her in this latest pleasant, feel-good delight that is ANTOINETTE dan les CEVENNES. Calamy, is the easily distracted Antoinette, a primary school teacher with eyes for the father of one of her students. We go on summer break with her, along with a donkey named Patrick and a plan she has clumsily concocted to meet up with her lover (his family included) while walking through the Cevennes.

So while we understand her quest, we never believe she will get her man. The whole "chase this shallow man" thing is silly but her walk with donkey Patrick through some of France's most beautiful countryside provides plenty of easy entertainment. As the beautiful countryside passes, Patrick becomes Antoinette's four legged psychologist. The trials of love and life in general roll from her lips with only Patrick's pricked ears to talk to.

CEVENNES has played in city festivals all over the world since its French release, pre COVID, Jan 2020. It continues to play to packed houses in cinemas lucky enough to be open. Real crowd pleasing films, highlighted by a beautiful damsel (Calamy has real screen presence) and a loveable animal, both without malice in any form, is popular fodder, particularly in these strange times. This crowd pleaser continues to please cinephiles around the globe. It's fun! 9GUMS.

          

 

No. 37 (2021) LAPSIS. MAY 15th.

 

Film No. 37 (2021)  May 15th.  11:00 AM  Cinema 5 LUNA,  Leederville. 

"The best cablers are the ones who aren't afraid to challenge their status quo" (The automated voice-over drumming company mottos into the psyches of their employees).

LAPSIS is not to be taken literally, but it's to be taken seriously, even with it's dry, tongue in cheek delivery.

This film is a comment on where our business community has led us (western world). How did we get here and why did we fall for the corporate smoke screen? The key to this low-key, science fiction powder keg of a film is the subtle technique Noah Hutton (DEEP TIME) uses to make his point. It's clever and makes me wonder; if more documentary film makers turned their hands to fiction would more magic happen?

Meet Ray (Dean Imerial), he wants to provide the health care his ailing brother needs in a system where only the wealthy thrive. Ray begins his quest to make extra dollars by accepting a job with a veracious telecommunications giant laying cable by the most primitive means possible, towing a spool through wilderness. Absurd I know, but LAPSIS is not to be taken at face value. It's to be taken seriously, because once Anna (Madeline Wise) appears in Dean's "wheelhouse" as the voice of reason Dean himself begins to question his predicament.

LAPSIS requires a second viewing if you leave the cinema impressed but replaying scene after scene in your head trying to reconcile the concluding sequences. I need to view it again.  Ray is an innocent everyday man who is being taken for a ride without his knowledge. There are characters we meet along the way who aren't who we (or for that matter Ray) think they are. I need to meet them again so that I can unravel more strands of the puzzle that is LAPSIS.  10GUMS.

     

   

    

No. 36 (2021) THE WRATH OF MAN. MAY 14th.

 

Film No. 36 (2021)  May 14th.  4:00 PM  EVENT CINEMAS   Cine No. 3   Whitfords.

"He's not a cop. So if he's not a cop than what is he". (A work compatriot comments on H's cool attitude to taking bad guys out in his new workplace).

Guy Ritchie teams with Jason Statham here for the first time since LOCK STOCK AND TWO SMOKING BARRELS. The anticipation was tantalizing considering the cult following LOCK STOCK has maintained through the years. The term "never get your hopes too high" is the phrase that comes to mind most readily after viewing WRATH OF MAN.

When the star of a film is the soundtrack and not Statham then deficiencies in scripting are in play. The dialogue is wooden; the dry wit that often plays out in a Ritchie film is missing. But when Jason Statham is the "go to" screen hero then action is what audiences crave and that's what they get. There's no disappointment on that level and while there are a couple of surprises when it comes to who dies you can be sure the body-count is plentiful.

Put simply, the story revolves around H (Statham), yes H. H is someone special when it comes to any protection/security matters. The deep resonance of the soundtrack along with the layering of time sequencing stemming from the "one shot" opening stanza, gives some Ritchie sophistication to WRATH. Anyway, I digress; the tale soon plays out. We witness a heinous crime inflicted upon someone close to H and from here it's game on!!

In summary, I went to this revenge drama with a bunch of mates, as we exited we laughed aloud as we requoted some of the absurd lines from WRATH. "You alright Dave? Or did you make poo poo?" to mention one. So maybe get a bunch of mates, a large popcorn, put your brain in neutral and enjoy the ride. But Ritchie doesn't show all his wares here. 7GUMS.        

  

No. 35 (2021) FATALE. MAY 12th.

 

Film No. 35 (2021)  May 12th.  2:30 PM  EVENT CINEMAS  No. 1,  Innaloo.

"Life is a road, straight and narrow, stay on the road and it will take you safely home, take a wrong turn and you will meet the darkness". (Derrick delivers a monologue early in the film setting the scene for what's to come).

The phycological thriller has always been part of popular Cinema. I don't know many that hit our big screens which don't stem from a good idea. Most of these scripts (because there are so many presented to studios) are finely sifted and scrutinized. FATALE, passed the first hurdle (idea) with a well credentialed star in tow; Hillary Swank. So why is it that it could have been better?

Well, for starters ... FATALE is a B Grade thriller, and from that POV it works fine. Hillary Swank has just the look and intrigue the main star of a noir thriller of this ilk should have. The light, the silly twists and the breathy dialogue fit the bill perfectly. Swank plays Detective Val Quinlan whose private life is fractured.  When she meets Derrick (Michael Ealy) in Vegas and they have a lustful one-night stand, we know they will meet again and violent crime and infidelity will be at the seat of that meeting. 

It's a pity that Ealy, who has the looks, couldn't match Swank's screen presence. Valarie shows Derrick shocking things about his wife, his business partner and much, much more. His reactions or better still, over reactions, lacked the finesse needed to match Swank's delivery. But Ealy has his fans and I'm sure they won't concur with these slight criticisms. 

Meanwhile, FATALE is no BODYHEAT but it's good fodder for the thriller noir buffs and .... Hillary Swank fans.  8GUMS.            

 

   

No. 34 (2021) DEATH OF A LADIES MAN. MAY 8th.

 

Film No. 34 (2021)  May 8th.  11:00 AM  Cinema 1 LUNA,  Leederville. 

"Dead father and singing students aside, any changes in vision?" (The question asked of Samuel by his oncologist; to which he replies "only when I'm really drunk").

This movie takes Gabriel Byrne (and Leonard Cohen for that matter) to a new level in this strangely experimental but highly enjoyable film. If you like your films to vary in themes, texture, script and in any other way, then THE DEATH OF A LADIES MAN is likely for you. Plus if you are a Byrne fan, he's at his best here.

Put simply, Samuel O'Shea (Byrne) is diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumour. O'Shea, is a professor of poetry who drinks heavily, and has strayed in many aspects of his life (particularly when it comes to attractive younger women). Well that's the impression we get from a film that leads us "down the garden path" due to the fact director Bissonnette sets up many delightful scenes which seem real, but are figments of Samuel's imagination.

The strongest scenes created through Samuel's imagination come in the form of visitations from his father, played brilliantly by Brian Gleeson. So why is a much younger Gleeson playing Byrne's father? It won't take you long to figure that little puzzle out. It's all a part of this potpourri of little pleasures LADIES MAN offers up. In Samuel's real world, his relationship with daughter Linda (Carolina Bartczak) is a loving one but maybe his inability to have always been there has had a price. A beautiful woman, Charlotte (Jessica Pare) becomes his new girlfriend. She's perfect in so many ways, and we wonder, is it likely for such a beauty, 30 years his junior to appear so suddenly and fall for him? 

Through all of this (including singing, dancing and irreverent images) Samuel is writing his memoir. We are taking a journey through the pages of some of his life. But Samuel is not always in charge of his thoughts. And what does Leonard Coen have to do with all of this? Well the soundtrack is dominated by his songs, not always sung by him, but undeniably Leonard. LADIES MAN is a delight, with a cracking ending. 10GUMS.           

 

No. 32 (2021) SPIDER (ARANA) Palace Spanish Film Festival . MAY 4th.

 

Film No. 32 (2021)  May 4th.  10:30 AM  Cinema  5 LUNA,  Leederville. 

"I would like to have been born a man. A man with a bad boy face." (A young Ines, auditioning as a beauty queen, answers her chaperone's question about what she would change in her life, if she could).

When Augusto Pinochet became ruler of Chile in 1973 he had assistance from many right wing forces, from the young to the elderly. These people were radicals who intimidated the democratic socialists in ways that would have made them criminals in other civilized societies. ARANA takes us on a journey into the lives of three such radicals from the 70's, paralleling their past with how they live now.

Ines (Mercedes Moran) is a respected business woman living a comfortable city life. Gerardo (Marcelo Alonso) is the radical who continues to seek justice, his justice, as the opening scenes suggest. Justo (Felipe Armas) is married to Ines and exists with the help of alcohol in their comfortable suburban house. We meet them after Gerardo is arrested for an act of brutality while driving the city streets.

Most of the rest of ARANA is told through the eyes of Ines as we transition between era's, learning why we need to get to know how this volatile trio of Pinochet foot soldiers came to be who they are. Ines, becomes more and more unlikeable with every scene. She has obviously thriven during the 17 year regime with little conscience and is wary of Gerardo's predicament. Her previous relationship with him was complicated. She wants no ripples.

Director Andres Wood is in control of this pot-boiler. He takes us between eras without any confusion and the young trio of Maria Valverdo (Ines), Pedro Fontaine (Gerardo) and Gabriel Urzua (Justo) deserve the same accolades as their older versions. Wood asks the question; who is still out there hiding, with secrets festering? ARANA, from all reports pricked the consciousness of Chilean natives after its release. It was fitting that it was Chile's choice as their Academy nomination in 2020. It was worthy of becoming one of the 5 nominees, sadly it wasn't. 10GUMS.             

   

No. 33 (2021) HEROIC LOSERS (LA ODISEA DE LOS GILES) Palace Spanish Film Festival MAY 6th.

 

Film No. 33 (2021)  May 6th.  10:30 AM.  Cinema 2  LUNA SX Fremantle.

"But one day the abuse that us fools are used to turns into a real kick in the balls" (Fermin's voice over sets the scene for the two hours we are about experience with his partners).

I have experienced very few Argentinian films over time. More is the pity, I think to myself, after spending a fun couple of hours in the hands of one of the country's star performers Ricardo Darin. HEROIC LOSERS is a crowd pleaser. There is nothing new in the plot-line to this heist drama but like all cinema where we know what's going to happen, it's all about the execution.

So much of the slightly long, feel-good film belongs to Darin as Fermin. His slept in demeanour and optimistic outlook make him the perfect hero. Fermin and wife Lidia (Veronica Llinas) have an idea to re-open the local cooperative, thus stimulating the local economy and breath life back into their community. But to make it happen they need to form a cooperative of another kind; investors to buy the land an buildings.   

When the Argentinian economy collapsed in the late nineties the hurt it created was vast, the repercussions can still be felt in the country. So what if some of those hurt fought back and regained (with interest) what was taken from them? And what if the heroes are the likable working class, not too bright but hearts the size of footballs, the sorts of footballs Fermin used to kick about as a local star years prior? Well then, the seed for this film is planted.

What's not to like about LA ODISEA? The English translation to HEROIC LOSERS isn't too flattering because our heroes are anything but losers in my eyes. Likeable ruffians more like. There is nothing ground breaking here but OCEANS 11, while Hollywood slick, was no less engaging than LA ODISEA and certainly less grounded. Fermin and his fellow investors are definitely engaging. 9GUMS.     

           

 

 

No. 30 (2021) THE MAN IN THE HAT. MAY 1st.

 

Film No. 30 (2021)  May 1st.  11:00 AM  Cinema 1 LUNA,  Leederville. 

"And all the little things, the smallest things remind me of you" (Lyrics of the very memorable song played throughout. Song sung by Mathilda Homer).

I'm imagining the French Tourism Commission (if there is such a thing) advertising expressions of interest for a film maker to create a feature film, displaying creative ideas, but with a focus on showing off rural France in as many different and varied locations as possible. And so The Man In The Hat was created. It's an easy watch but don't be in the mood for a meaty story about human endeavour and intrigue based on true events! 

For those of us who are familiar with the genius of Jacques Tati, France's most gifted visual comic director, there are shades here. Mix the visual antics with a Bear of a Man (Ciaran Hinds) traveling through rural France in search of who knows what and you have a very sweet film. It's a film with hardly a bad word to say about anything. The opening scenes might suggest otherwise but by film's end, nice overrides everything gone before.

Co Directors Davidson and Warbeck are elderly statesmen of British story telling, mainly T.V., using travel as a platform. Steven Fry and Michael Palin are typical front men for their work; the BBC their employer. With Warbeck's composing skills and Davidson's passion for visual slapstick they have devised a work that's been on their minds for a while. Maybe COVID times freed them up to chase a dream similar to the dream Hinds pursues while wearing a hat.

The Man In The Hat is a meditation piece. If you love your cinema,(and let me tell you this needs to be seen on the big screen) and you just want to escape the world for 90 minutes trapping all that is good in the world, then don't miss this film about a big fella wandering about the countryside in his little car while wearing a hat. Lots of people are falling in love with TMITH. 9GUMS. 

   

 

        

 

No. 31 (2021) JUNE AGAIN. MAY 3rd.

 

Film No. 31 (2021)  May 3rd.  6:30 PM  EVENT CINEMAS  No. 4,  Innaloo.

"All this control you seem to think you have over this company, well you don't. It dissolved a few years ago". (David explains to June that she no longer had any control over the wallpaper screen print business she once ran).

This is such a great idea for a film: a vibrant A Type personality, who negatively affected family and friends, rises from the ashes of dementia to a changed world and spreads their wings again. Has this new world moved on from her influence? And how long will this mind-reboot last? Simplistic I know, but a great idea don't you think? So why does JUNE AGAIN only nearly fulfil all its promise?

Don't get me wrong, JUNE AGAIN is good, it's just that it could have been so much better. Noni Hazlehurst as June and Claudia Karvan as daughter Ginny working together with a moderately meaty script gave JUNE some bite. Stephen Curry (son, Devon) had the funniest lines and the saddest story to tell, making the mini road-trip for the three as they resolved differences, work. Hats off to writer/director J.J. Winlove (LIFE IS RISKY) on his best feature to date.

We know at some stage June is going to make us feel sad. Seeing June in action suggests that her narcissistic tendencies have shaped the lives of family, friends and workmates. It's a mirror June is not ready to look into as she walks back into life not quite as she left it. Dementia works like a time machine here, hopefully Noni's June will right some wrongs, but without a fairy-tale ending. She does to a point but overplayed theme music intrudes somewhat. 

I'm a Nash Egerton fan, so when he turns up as Ginny's hubby Kyle I was expecting a character with dimension. There was no script nourishment for Nash on this occasion, mores the pity. The real relationship which gave little for us to hook onto came from June's past, but I won't be spoiling this part of the story. It's clever, but for me not fully developed. This was disappointing but not disheartening ...... JUNE AGAIN is worth a watch. The preview audience we watched it with loved it. 8GUMS.     

            

       

No. 29 (2021) ROSA'S WEDDING (LA BODA DE ROSA) Spanish Film Festival. APRIL 29th.

 

Film No. 29 (2021)  April 29th.  4:00 PM  Cinema 5 LUNA,  Leederville. 

"Sometimes you have to push the nuclear button and start from scratch" (Rosa describes her feeling of need for change in her life to sister, Violeta).

The opening night film for Western Australia's annual Spanish Film Festival is often a crowd pleaser with little to no offensive themes or content. LA BODA DE ROSA, opening night film 2021, reflected all of those qualities in spades. Silly, funny, self effacing, brilliantly cast and above all an easy watch sums up LA BODA.

We know from the outset that we are in Rosa's corner. In the opening 10 minutes this mid forties single mum is everyone's whipping girl. She has said 'yes' to so many friends and family, so often, sacrificing herself and her life that any hope of  living out her dreams and ambitions is fast fading. Rosa needs to decide in what direction she'll take her life.

So with a title like Rosa's Wedding it's obvious what event will change her path. Well no, it's not what you think. Rosa has a wedding of a very different nature in mind. But importantly she needs to be open and honest with friends and family about her new aims and ambitions. What better way than to invite guests to a ceremony? 

Here is where the silliness steps up a notch. Her vibrant family consisting of daughter Lidia (Paula Usero), sister Violeta (Nathalie Poza), brother Armando (Sergi Lopez) and father Antonio (Ramon Barea) decide to invite all and sundry to what Rosa had hoped was to be a small, discreet affair. It instead  becomes a major event and the event is not what it seems. See, it's silly. The cast however is perfectly blended and the joy of the premise is infectious. There are plenty of film goers loving what ROSA'S WEDDING has to offer. 8GUMS.     

 

   

No. 28 (2021) THE SOUND OF METAL. APRIL 26th.

 

Film No. 28 (2021)  April. 26th.  9:00 AM   AMAZON PRIME,      Mt. Hawthorn, West Australia. 

"You have to understand, your first responsibility is to protect the hearing you have" (Ruben is advised by his audiologist that returning to his professional life is not an option).

Here is another film most cinema lovers will stream at home. On one hand I'm saddened, METAL is my favourite film of 20/21 and a viewing on the big screen would have enhanced my viewing even further. On the other hand however, many more viewers will have access to this quality film on tv.

Director Daruis Marder (LOOT) directs his first feature film in SOUND OF METAL. The idea of heavy metal drummer, Ruben (Riz Ahmed) losing his hearing and having no back-up plan in life, poses a highly original screenplay. While Ahmed excels as the lead the real stars are the technical producers creating the world we get to experience along with Ruben. We are there and have a first hand understanding of Ruben's panic. It's no coincidence that METAL has taken out the two prestigious technical Academy Awards for sound.

Quality cinema experiences often stem from a journey we take with a central character we have empathy for who is forced into transitioning their life. The transition is inevitable, the loves of their life are compromised and they find unexpected joy in a life they never expected. ETERNAL SUNSHINE OF THE SPOTLESS MIND came to mind as the perfect ending to METAL unfolded, so uniquely, in the final minute. 

Olivia Cooke's (Lou) acting agenda usually revolves around T.V. drama (BATE'S HOTEL). Her fresh work as Ruben's girlfriend adds to the film's emotional depth. Bill Thorpe, plays The Man, (an odd title but it make sense in the context of the film) is perfect as Ruben's mentor when he's at his lowest. Part of the film's magic lies in its casting and the very naturalistic style adopted by Marder.

If you love quality feature length drama then I recommend that you click on your Amazon Prime App and search Sound of Metal. If you don't have Prime, then take out a free 28 day trial. It will be worth it, in my opinion.  11GUMS.