Oh, Margot, I so wanted to like this documentary. I like Margot Nash. She’s a Melbourne filmmaker who was a bolshie anarchist feminist in the 70s and has made or written several films, such as Vacant Possession in the 90s, which I remember enjoying. Continue reading
Category Archives: Reviews
Being 14 (2015)
StandardI really enjoyed this French drama that follows three 14 year old girls, Sarah, Louise and Jade, through a year where they fall in and out of friendship, fight with parents and teachers and try to find their way. Continue reading
Phoenix (2014)
StandardI quite enjoyed this German drama about a woman, Nelly, disfigured in a concentration camp whose facial reconstruction surgery alters her so much her husband fails to recognise her. She has been physically and emotionally shattered by her experiences, all her family have perished but her husband has survived. She is desperate to find him only to discover that he was the reason she was arrested. Sensing her similarity to his wife, who he believes is dead, he persuades her to pretend to be his wife and so he can inherit her fortune. Continue reading
Sleeping with Other People (2015)
StandardTonight’s film was a change of pace for me as it was a very mainstream US romantic comedy. The main actors were all a bit familiar, I think some were from Parks and Recreation, and it revolved around the tried and true When Harry Met Sally storyline about men and women not being able to be friends. Jake and Lainey meet and briefly hook up. Around 15 years later, as she tries to extricate herself from an affair and he refuses to commit to any women, they become friends. I won’t tell you how it ends but it is a mainstream American romcom so you’ve probably already worked it out. Continue reading
Gayby Baby (2015)
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All the way home on the tram I thought about whether to give this outstanding Australian documentary about the children of same-sex parents 4.5 or 5 stars. For me, it was a perfectly crafted documentary, how docos should be made (and I’m talking to you George Gittoes). Engaging subjects who feel safe enough to be real on camera, a story and a message that slowly unfolds, that we observe and understand without the need for exposition, and no sign of the film maker, we are totally absorbed into the world of the subjects. Continue reading
Speed Sisters (2015)
StandardAt last a good documentary. And about women. I really enjoyed this Palestinian film. It follows five young, Palestinian women who compete in the male-dominated car racing scene. We meet Marah, Betty, Marsoon, Noor and Mona as they compete in a series of races to be the fastest women champion and also the chance to compete in Jordan. Although all five are competitive, it is Marah and Betty who are the key protagonists. They are the fastest two and winning the championship, we can see, means more than being in a team together. Continue reading
Red Amnesia (2014)
StandardIt’s only at the end of this slow, quiet Chinese drama that you realise the significance of the title. I won’t explain it here, it’s something worth finding out for yourself. It takes a while for this film to reveal itself. You follow an older widow, Deng, as she leads a solitary life in urban Beijing. She turns up at her sons’ houses unannounced to cook them food, much to their annoyance and the chagrin of one daughter-in-law. She visits her aged mother in a nursing home. The sense is that she is pragmatic, maybe something of a martyr. She talks to her dead husband. Sometimes we see him there too, listening in silence. There is a thread here about generations and the obligations of child to parent, so intrinsic once but now changing. Continue reading
Corn Island (2014)
StandardI’ll call this a Georgian film, although it was made through collaboration by film companies from a range of countries. It is a slow, lyrical and quiet drama that unfolds at the pace of the seasons. The Inguri River runs between Georgia and the disputed territory of Abkhaz. Every year after it floods, small islands of fertile soil are formed and local farmers stake their claim and grow corn, until the next flood washes them away. Continue reading
Fassbinder – To Love Without Demands (At elske uden at kræve) (2015)
StandardThis would be a hagiography if Fassbinder wasn’t so unlikeable. Rainer Werner Fassbinder had too much freedom as a child. Rainer Werner Fassbinder had unusual ideas about having sex with your mother. Rainer Werner Fassbinder believed all relationships were power plays. Rainer Werner Fassbinder never grew up. Rainer Werner Fassbinder was a sadistic misogynist. Rainer Werner Fassbinder just wanted to be a father. Rainer Werner Fassbinder was a workaholic. Continue reading
Snow Monkey (2015)
StandardThis Australian documentary by war photographer and all round good guy, George Gittoes, could more aptly be titled “I’m George Gittoes and I’m doing really great things for the poor children of Afghanistan.” I’ll say upfront that I don’t really like documentaries where the film maker makes themselves a part of the story. Louis Theroux pulls it off because you can see he is the catalyst for those on the societal margins to feel safe enough to reveal themselves. With others, it often comes across as a vanity project. Continue reading
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