No. 16 (2023) TO LESLIE March. 4th.

 

Film No. 16  (2023)  March 4th.  10:40 AM  LUNA LEEDERVILLE,  Cine 1,   Leederville.

"I don't know; maybe buy a house, buy something nice, buy somethging for my boy, I don't know, just have a better life" (Leslie responds to a reporter's question about what she might do with her lottery winnings).

WINNER : BEST FEATURE (Michael Morris); Capri, Hollywood Festival 2022. NOMINEE : BEST PERFORMANCE BY A FEMALE ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE (Andrea Riseborough) Academy Awards 2023.

Are you after a film to put you through the wringer? A wringer so tightly bound that you might find yourself looking at the screen through your fingers?  But one where ultimately, (after the squeeze that TO LESLIE has put you through) there is hope? More hope than you could ever have imagined considering the early scenes.

It's a shame that so much of the publicity surrounding TO LESLIE is wrapped up in the ructions relating to Andrea Riseborough's nomination as best actor in a lead female role by The Academy.  Forget the ruckus, Riseborough's performance is of the highest quality. She holds her audience in her hand with such assurity, the film could have slipped into a cliché of "yeah sure, that's a bit convenient!" 

The realistic approach to this shoot has it's roots in Ryan Binaco's screenplay. While Binaco has not spoken publicly about his life with his mother, he has based the story on his experiences as the son of an alcohol dependent loved one. In the hands of director Michael Morris the film pushes our empathetic response, our "fear the worst" then "ultimate hope" buttons with perfect timing. And while we only want the best for Leslie, and maybe there is a convenience to the concluding stages, we never quite know where we might finish up. It clicks, the film works on all levels. 

But perhaps mostly, when it comes to the satisfaction TO LESLIE brings, the character Sweeney brings those sweet moments. He is the character who controls the compassion sensor.  Marc Maron (RESPECT, WORTH) plays the reluctant motel manger who offers Leslie a chance when her life is surely broken beyond repair. Maron and Morris (BETTER CALL SAUL) come to this film from mainly T.V. work.  Quality T.V. work. I hope TO LESLIE leads to more big screen work for them both.   10GUMS.