No. 72 (2022) TRUE THINGS August 29th.

 

Film No. 72 (2022)  August  29th.  6.45 PM   Cinema 1.  LUNA,  Leederville.

 

"You need to find your tribe" (Blond makes a deep statement in the form of this suggestion to Kate. What shape will this take for life?)

Winner Best Original Film Score (Alex Baranowski) at the Les Arces European Film Festival.  Winner Best Actress (Ruth Wilson) Stockholm Film Festival.    

While I'm never keen to read a complete review of a film before I see it, I'm always enthused by sentences like "It's a film that will grab your attention and not let go". This is the only sentence I read in a concluding paragraph of a TRUE THINGS review recently. So, was I grabbed? Was I not let go? Mostly, except for some meandering moments, late, before a satisfying ending!

A nomination for the best actor awards issued by the British Independent Screen Institute are much sort after by players. Ruth Wilson's best lead female performance for her role as Kate is well deserved. She has a captivating presence as a thirty something slacker in a dead-end local government desk job. Even before Blond (Tom Burke) turns up to tempt her into a relationship she craves, Wilson has us on edge simply because we want the best for her; but does she? And, is the handsome but edgy Blond the best fit for her romantic future?

TRUE THINGS is very independent by nature. Low budget; remembered as part of the "shot during the pandemic" catalogue, along with films like GOOD LUCK TO YOU, LEO GRANDE and THE OUTFIT. A minimalist cast and scenes full of close-ups and atmospheric silences punctuate a film which could have done with a 10 minute re-cut.

Ruth Wilson occupies every scene as her Kate tries to find love and some fulfilment in life. Burke's Blond is never going to be her saviour but her skill in taking us on this small journey, a journey many young lovers experience, is worth taking. It's Wilson's film and she has a beguiling presence.  9GUMS.