Not a MIFF film. I took a detour at ACMI this morning as I waited for my first film session of the day and watched Del Kathryn Barton’s sumptuous animation of Oscar Wilde’s short story, The Nightingale and the Rose. Continue reading
Tag Archives: Australia
Madly (2016)
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Madly is six short films, each by a different director and based in a different country. They all explore some aspect of love and are stylistically and emotionally diverse. It’s hard to choose a single rating for six such different films and I struggle with the episodic nature of anthologies of short films; no sooner have you engaged with the story than you have to leave. They are all interesting, the first three – from India, Australia and the US (though directed by a Chilean Sebastián Silva) – are my favourites. Continue reading
Tracks (2013)
StandardI wasn’t the only woman who, as the lights went up after our Film Society screening of this Australian film, said, “I want to do something like that!” There is much to be said about this beautiful and lyrical film but the real heart of it, at least for me, was a woman doggedly following a dream, despite the discomfort and disapprobation of all those around her. Continue reading
Strangers in the Forest of Taboos (2015)
StandardYou won’t find this film at the cinema, nor in your DVD shop nor Netflix. This is a little-known, small house production by Damian McDermott that follows the (some might say misguided) adventures of four ordinary Australian men as they trek into the interior of central Ceram in the Maluku region of Indonesia. Continue reading
Putuparri and the Rainmakers (2015)
StandardI’ve seen a few films in the past two weeks that have changed my view on something or at least given me a profound insight. This Australian documentary joins those ranks. I mentioned that Don’t Tell Me the Boy Was Mad made me think of the displacement of Australian Aboriginal people and this commonality has been reinforced by today’s film, Putuparri and the Rainmakers. Continue reading
Sherpa (2015)
StandardDid you know that the Sherpa people are an ethnic group? I didn’t, I thought sherpa was an occupational term for the Nepalese people who assist climbers on Everest. This Australian documentary delves in to the lives of the Sherpa people and how the bloated industry that has grown to enable wealthy foreigners to summit Everest affects their lives and community. We follow Phurba Tashi Sherpa as he leaves his family to lead a team of 25 Sherpa people who will assist an international group led by experienced expedition leader Russell Brice. If Phurba summits this year, it will be his 22nd time, a record. Continue reading
Graceful Girls (2015)
StandardIt’s hard not to be won over by the girls and women of the callisthenics community. Callisthenics, it turns out, is uniquely Australian and developed with migrant populations as a way to promote physical fitness and gracefulness for young girls. Callisthenics is like a cross between gymnastics, ballet and synchronised swimming and (almost exclusively) girls and young women train and compete in solo and group events. The pinnacle, is the annual competition at Royal South Street in Ballarat, in particular the Most Graceful Girl prize. Continue reading
The Silences (2015)
StandardOh, 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
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
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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