Film No. 38 (2024) June 22nd. 11:00 AM LUNA CINEMA, Cinema 1, Leederville.
"Writing is what happens when you've got nothing left." (Sidonie answers Kenzo's question about why she writes).
NOMINEE: Giornade degli Autori Award (Elise Girard) Venice FF 2023. NOMINEE: CineCoPro award (Elise Girard) Munich FF 2023.
Why has Japanese culture along with the actions and reactions of its people become so fascinating in the world of cinema? I'm not sure, but SIDONIE gives us yet another look into why this question is relevant.
The gentle melding of French and Japanese cultures through the shared emotional baggage of grief and loneliness via Sidonie (Isabelle Huppert) and Kenzo (Tsuyoshi Ihara), anchors most of the narrative here. There is no drama to speak of. There are silent moments with much to say. SIDONIE casts a meditative spell in the vein of PAST LIVES. But this time with a ghost. Sidonie's dead husband is by her side as she steps into a new future.
Due to the class of Huppert and the restraint of Ihara, the intended chemistry between the two fails. The fact that the film reverts to stills for their more intimate moments likely relates to this failing. SIDONIE is gentle, and gentleness, depending on your mood, may be just your tonic. 8GUMS.
Film No. 37 (2024) June 16th. 3:20 PM LUNA CINEMA, Cinema 1, Leederville.
"Artists are like fireflies, they have a light that makes them shine" (Maria's mother expresses an emotion to sum up her love of movies, as she strives to escape the drab world she lives in).
NOMINEE: Official Selection (Lone Scherfig) Toronto Int FF 2024. WINNER: Best Feature Film (Lone Scherfig) Valladolid IFF 2024.
Does a film like LA CONTADORA DE PELICULAS (THE MOVIE TELLER) prick our conscience about a need to quench a thirst for Chilean cinema? Yes, definitely, and thank goodness for foreign film festivals in English speaking countries.
Lone Scherfig is Danish, and here she is creating a South American story. THEIR FINEST and AN EDUCATION were both excellent British stories told by her, and TELLER is proof that she captures universal stories. Young Maria (AlondraValenzuela) starts us on this nostalgic journey through life in a grim mining town, where Sundays at the movies melds her family together. The uniqueness of this dynamic is the reason the film's first half is so superior to the second. The whole journey is worth it, never the less.
Are there shades of CINEMA PARADISO here? A little, but ultimately TELLER tries to explore multiple themes. The handsomeness of the film is diminished somewhat by the inclusion of characters extraneous to the real story; Maria and her coming of age. It's a worthwhile watch, never the less! 9GUMS.
Film No. 36 (2024) June 15th. 11:00 AM LUNA CINEMA, Cinema 1, Leederville.
"You can be my sherpa. Carry all my things. Make it to the top first, and get none of the credit" (Sam suggests the pecking order in which she sees Mallory helping her to the top of The Mountain).
Is it me, or is the New Zealand film industry leading the way when it comes to creating juvenile coming of age cinematic stories? It could just be me, but BOY, THE HUNT FOR THE WILDERPEOPLE, and now, THE MOUNTAIN, have been great show pieces for this genre.
Rachael House, the highly decorated, comedic N.Z. performer makes her feature directorial debut with MOUNTAIN. Does she reach the "peaks" of WILDER or BOY? No, unfortunately not. Cancer patient Sam (Elizabeth Atkinson) fails to truly engage us in her quest to fulfil a mystic ambition to climb the cloud covered mountain which shadows her district. For me, it's all too earnest. Its sweetness wore me down. But I did like being in the company of the three leads; Sam, Mallory (Reuben Francis) and Bronco (Terrence Daniel).
Themes relating to health, family redemption, coming of age and testing resilience will always win the hearts of film lovers. However, THE MOUNTAIN, failed to create new concepts to add spice to its story. Rachael Harris will make better films. 7GUMS.
Film No. 35 (2024) June 8th. 11:00 AM LUNA CINEMA, Cinema 1, Leederville.
"It is a frightening thing, that, knowing one day a great price may be demanded of us" (Munro delivers a eulogy during his passage at sea. His words may well prove profound for his own life passage).
NOMINEE: Most Anticipated Feature (Lee Tamahori) NZ Film Offerings 2024.
Does one of the industry's most popular actors, in this case, Guy Pearce, elevate a film like THE CONVERT (TC) to being a very watchable, melodramatic, period drama? Yes, most certainly. Pearce carries this film single-handedly, excepting the images of NZ's rugged coastal beauty!!
ONCE WERE WARRIORS' director, Lee Tamahori, is a proud Maori artist who always attracts a crowd. To tell a story in a time when his ancestors fought tribal wars (Muskat Wars 1830's) while colonials provided weapons for cash without favour, takes courage and artistic daring. The film is a melodrama set in must see New Zealand coastal landscapes, and incorporating immaculate set design. It is worth seeing for these qualities alone.
Good melodrama needs key leads. Guy Pearce as preacher Munro and indigenous new comer Tioreore Ngatai-Melbourne as Rangimai give us a sturdy handle on this entertaining romp. Pearce sits astride a silver steed to prove his hero status. TC is a solid flick. 9GUMS.
Film No. 34 (2023) June 5th. 6:45 PM PALACE Raine Sq, Cinema 3, Perth City.
"What you and your father do on this trip. It is not easy" (Warsaw local and newly found friend Karolina confides in Ruth).
NOMINEE: Best Spanish Film (Patricia Font) Sant Jordi Awards.
Is TREASURE an inoffensive, sometimes amusing road movie depicting a father and daughter gradually unfurling a deeper love and respect for who they are and where they have come from? Yes, but more innocuous than inoffensive.
While TREASURE plays out like a daughter's real life road adventure (Poland 1991) with a father she has never really known, this is only partially true. From the imagination of Lilly Brett (novelist), German director Julia von Heinz has created a quirky film which works in parts, but misfires in the main. Daughter Ruth (Lena Dunham) and father Edek, (Stephen Fry) grow on us as the ultimate odd couple, leading to a minor lump in the throat ending.
Brett's mother and father were holocaust (Auschwitz) survivors. Too Many Men, (the book TREASURE is loosely based on) uses aspects of the "field trip" to Poland that Brett took with her father. I've seen worse father/daughter road to redemption films. 8GUMS.
Film No. 33 (2024) June 3rd. 11:00 AM LUNA CINEMA, Cinema 5, Leederville.
"To not be afraid anymore." (Hilde answers the question of lover Hans, a question asking her to reveal her wish).
NOMINEE: Best Film (Andreas Dresen) Golden Bear, Berlin FF.
Is a heart-felt cinematic story more moving when it is based on a true story, particularly where war is the backdrop? In just about every case, yes, most definitely. HILDE will have you bawling your eyes out.
The story of a bookish looking Hildi Coppi becoming a naïve participant in the German resistance (The Red Orchestra) in 1942 which lead to her trial as a traitor, and then her subsequent execution, forms the spine of this story. It's the power Liv Lisa Fries exudes through Hilde, (a lover, a mother to a new born, and then a carer to fellow inmates) which builds to the power of the ending.Andeas Dresen(GUNDERMANN) brings off another brilliantly layered film.
In 2009 the German parliament pardoned those tried for crimes as members of The Red Orchestra. What took them so long? My heart continues to bleed for the likes of Hilde. See the film, and yours to will bleed. 11GUMS.
Film No. 31 (2024) May 25th. 11:00 AM LUNA CINEMA, Cinema 1, Leederville.
"Only I can save Musa, your honour. That is why I'm here." (Canan takes the bit between her teeth and approaches the judge in the lobby of the courts).
NOMINEE: WINNER: Grand Jury Prize; Narrative Feature (Babak Jalali) Independent Film Festival of Boston.
Who doesn't like a courtroom drama? But a courtroom drama told in a country (Turkey) not synonymous with traditional story telling of the legal kind - that is the magic that bleeds from HESITATION WOUND.
Selman Nacar showed us in, BETWEEN TWO DAWNS, that he likes to take us into a world where middle class, good people make stressful decisions which they make without fear or favour. Here solicitor, Canan (Tulin Ozen) is our champion. She is passionately persuasive over the innocence of her client, Musa (Ogulcan Arman Uslu). It's a murder wrap and she is also dealing with a corrupt legal system, and a dying mother. Despite her competent, intelligent nature - how does she cope?
Nacar tells dense, emotionally charged stories in 85 to 90 minutes. He takes us to a country we love for its exotic offerings, but we rarely get opportunities to view its social challenges. He is a seriously good film-maker. 10GUMS.
Film No. 32 (2023) May 29th. 6:30 PM PALACE Raine Sq, Cinema 6, Perth City.
"The more Emilio learns at school, the more opinions he will have in the future." (Benaiges tries, in vain, to convince a father of the values of education for his son).
NOMINEE: Best Spanish Film (Patricia Font) Sant Jordi Awards.
Does this beautifully told story give a sense of how a man such as Jesus Christ influenced people's lives in a way that both enriched and frightened people? Perhaps it is a long bow to draw, but this humble teacher's story brought that comparison to my mind.
The story of Antonio Benaiges,(Enric Augua) is full of, TO SIR WITH LOVE moments, as we meet him through the reflections of an ex-student; the grand father of Ariadna, (Laio Costa) who is searching for what became of her great grandfather. Antonio's radical teaching methods (e.g. the use of small print presses) where children expressed their interests, and told their stories, would have horrendous repercussions on the eve of the Spanish Civil War. The real story here, is held in the flashback sequences.
So, why did director Patricia Font use contemporary times to start and finish the story of Benaiges? I'm not sure, it is a distraction, and only works marginally. The power of this film is in Augua's work as Benaiges, the teacher who promised the sea, for sure! 10GUMS.
