Hi there. A new feature on this page is a comments section after each review. Please feel free to comment on the film and add your own perspective. We all see things differently and a review can only be an expression of the writer's point of view. Our own life experience and opinions colour our perceptions of everything we see or read.
You may agree or you may disagree with what is written below, so why not leave a comment about your own experience of the film reviewed?
Just remember - keep it nice!
You may agree or you may disagree with what is written below, so why not leave a comment about your own experience of the film reviewed?
Just remember - keep it nice!
Check out the latest film reviews from our members ...
45 YEARS
Country: UK
Release: December 23, 2015
Director: Andrew Haigh
Kate and Geoff (Charlotte Rampling and Tom Courtenay) are preparing to celebrate their 45th wedding anniversary at a big party when a letter arrives for Geoff informing him that the body of a previous girlfriend, Katya, has been found. Katya fell into a crevasse when she and Geoff were on a climbing trip in Switzerland in the 1960's and her body was unable to be recovered. With the melting of glaciers, she has finally been found.
Geoff's reaction in front of Kate on reading the letter is low key and he appears focussed on the mundane, i.e. does he need to go to identify her, what will she look like having been literally frozen at a moment in time. Kate is perplexed by his reactions to the letter and to her questions. Slowly she uncovers clues to Geoff and Katya's relationship and the discovery that her marriage has been hugely impacted by the loss of Geoff's first love. To Kate, the shadow of Katya over Geoff has not diminished with the years, and she comes to question the whole basis of their marriage.
Symbolically set in the flat, bleak landscape of Norfolk in winter, the contrast is stark between the unseen romantic and dramatic mountains of Switzerland, the land of the past, and the bland land of the present. Kate and Geoff's present life is rooted in the everyday and the sameness of retirement.
The pacing of this film is very slow and Charlotte Rampling is pretty much in every scene. Her depiction of Kate's journey to realisation about the truth of her marriage is powerful. The final scene at the anniversary party is full of psychological tension, with Kate and Geoff's marriage tottering towards destruction. Will they be able to survive the resurrection of Katya, or not?
4 stars
Country: UK
Release: December 23, 2015
Director: Andrew Haigh
Kate and Geoff (Charlotte Rampling and Tom Courtenay) are preparing to celebrate their 45th wedding anniversary at a big party when a letter arrives for Geoff informing him that the body of a previous girlfriend, Katya, has been found. Katya fell into a crevasse when she and Geoff were on a climbing trip in Switzerland in the 1960's and her body was unable to be recovered. With the melting of glaciers, she has finally been found.
Geoff's reaction in front of Kate on reading the letter is low key and he appears focussed on the mundane, i.e. does he need to go to identify her, what will she look like having been literally frozen at a moment in time. Kate is perplexed by his reactions to the letter and to her questions. Slowly she uncovers clues to Geoff and Katya's relationship and the discovery that her marriage has been hugely impacted by the loss of Geoff's first love. To Kate, the shadow of Katya over Geoff has not diminished with the years, and she comes to question the whole basis of their marriage.
Symbolically set in the flat, bleak landscape of Norfolk in winter, the contrast is stark between the unseen romantic and dramatic mountains of Switzerland, the land of the past, and the bland land of the present. Kate and Geoff's present life is rooted in the everyday and the sameness of retirement.
The pacing of this film is very slow and Charlotte Rampling is pretty much in every scene. Her depiction of Kate's journey to realisation about the truth of her marriage is powerful. The final scene at the anniversary party is full of psychological tension, with Kate and Geoff's marriage tottering towards destruction. Will they be able to survive the resurrection of Katya, or not?
4 stars
WIDE OPEN SKY
Country: Australia
Release: 2015
Director: Lisa Nicol
It is hard to make a dud movie about kids, and this doco is chock full of delightful kids. The camera follows conductor Michelle Leonard whose main interest lies in bringing kids to music and giving them a sense of achievement whilst having fun. Michelle travels thousands of kilometres every year to remote rural NSW towns, scouting for singing talent in local primary schools. The kids she encounters may or may not have much knowledge of singing or music, but by the end of the journey, many have found a calling having been inspired by Michelle and her team of composers who create and adapt original choral pieces for the kids. The kids are very much collaborators in the process and learn a lot along the way, whether it be reading music, the art of composition, or other aspects of the creative process.
The kids themselves are really delightful. Some that you think have questionable abilities turn into stars, and some that have a natural talent for singing pop songs are pushed to extend their range. Often it seems that Michelle is asking the kids to perform way above their abilities, but her philosophy is that kids are quite capable of rising to a challenge if given guidance and trust that they can achieve.
Although the documentary is on the slight side and doesn't delve deeply into obvious issues such as indigenous family issues or rural poverty in general, the portrait of a strong willed woman whose good intentions do much to improve the lives of disadvantaged rural kids is an entertaining one.
3 stars
Country: Australia
Release: 2015
Director: Lisa Nicol
It is hard to make a dud movie about kids, and this doco is chock full of delightful kids. The camera follows conductor Michelle Leonard whose main interest lies in bringing kids to music and giving them a sense of achievement whilst having fun. Michelle travels thousands of kilometres every year to remote rural NSW towns, scouting for singing talent in local primary schools. The kids she encounters may or may not have much knowledge of singing or music, but by the end of the journey, many have found a calling having been inspired by Michelle and her team of composers who create and adapt original choral pieces for the kids. The kids are very much collaborators in the process and learn a lot along the way, whether it be reading music, the art of composition, or other aspects of the creative process.
The kids themselves are really delightful. Some that you think have questionable abilities turn into stars, and some that have a natural talent for singing pop songs are pushed to extend their range. Often it seems that Michelle is asking the kids to perform way above their abilities, but her philosophy is that kids are quite capable of rising to a challenge if given guidance and trust that they can achieve.
Although the documentary is on the slight side and doesn't delve deeply into obvious issues such as indigenous family issues or rural poverty in general, the portrait of a strong willed woman whose good intentions do much to improve the lives of disadvantaged rural kids is an entertaining one.
3 stars
THE DANISH GIRL
Country: UK
Release: November 27, 2015
Director: Tom Hooper
Engrossing true story of artists Einar and Gerda Wegener's relationship and Einar's transition to Lili Elbe, purportedly the first person to undergo gender reassignment surgery in the 1930's.
Initially, when we meet Gerda and Einar, their marriage is a meeting of minds and talent as their artistic abilities and their relationship is one of equality. Einar is certainly more celebrated, but Gerda is in demand as a portraitist and there is no denying her talent. Einar is clearly drawn to feminine clothing and when he is asked by Gerda to fill in for her female subject when she cannot come to sit for her, the door to Einar's expression of his femininity is opened a crack. The door is thrown wide open once Lili emerges in all her glory to attend an artists' ball in Copenhagen.
The emotional turmoil and confusion experienced by Einar as portrayed in this film was well conveyed by actor Eddie Redmayne, as was the understandable selfishness of Lili in her desire to be who she really is without the encumbrance of "that other person", Einar. The film charts Lili's emergence at a time in history when transgender people or gender dysmorphia were an unknown country. Einar/Lili's efforts to seek help from the medical profession end with Einar/Lili enduring barbaric physical and psychological treatments in an effort to "cure" him/her of a perceived psychiatric condition.
Based on Einar/Lili's diary "Man Into Woman", we follow the journey to womanhood, psychologically and physically. At a time when penicillin was unknown and death from infection after surgery was a very real possibility, the bravery of Lili is all the more incredible.
The art direction in this film is beautiful and true to that particularly wonderful time between the wars when art and freedom of sexual expression flourished. Swedish actress Alicia Vikander is outstanding as Gerda, the wife struggling to understand what is happening to her beloved husband, being supportive of him but ultimately dealing with the loss of the man she loves. Redmayne carries the lead role well. I personally found some of the mannerisms of Einar/Lili a bit repetitive and irritating, but I suspect I would be in the minority about that. Having said that, though, this is a beautiful movie and delivers overall outstanding performances by the cast as a whole. From all I have read, this is a reasonably accurate rendering of the events which led to the death of Lili in 1931 from organ rejection after a uterus transplant. It is a very moving and gruelling depiction of a very brave person.
4 stars
Country: UK
Release: November 27, 2015
Director: Tom Hooper
Engrossing true story of artists Einar and Gerda Wegener's relationship and Einar's transition to Lili Elbe, purportedly the first person to undergo gender reassignment surgery in the 1930's.
Initially, when we meet Gerda and Einar, their marriage is a meeting of minds and talent as their artistic abilities and their relationship is one of equality. Einar is certainly more celebrated, but Gerda is in demand as a portraitist and there is no denying her talent. Einar is clearly drawn to feminine clothing and when he is asked by Gerda to fill in for her female subject when she cannot come to sit for her, the door to Einar's expression of his femininity is opened a crack. The door is thrown wide open once Lili emerges in all her glory to attend an artists' ball in Copenhagen.
The emotional turmoil and confusion experienced by Einar as portrayed in this film was well conveyed by actor Eddie Redmayne, as was the understandable selfishness of Lili in her desire to be who she really is without the encumbrance of "that other person", Einar. The film charts Lili's emergence at a time in history when transgender people or gender dysmorphia were an unknown country. Einar/Lili's efforts to seek help from the medical profession end with Einar/Lili enduring barbaric physical and psychological treatments in an effort to "cure" him/her of a perceived psychiatric condition.
Based on Einar/Lili's diary "Man Into Woman", we follow the journey to womanhood, psychologically and physically. At a time when penicillin was unknown and death from infection after surgery was a very real possibility, the bravery of Lili is all the more incredible.
The art direction in this film is beautiful and true to that particularly wonderful time between the wars when art and freedom of sexual expression flourished. Swedish actress Alicia Vikander is outstanding as Gerda, the wife struggling to understand what is happening to her beloved husband, being supportive of him but ultimately dealing with the loss of the man she loves. Redmayne carries the lead role well. I personally found some of the mannerisms of Einar/Lili a bit repetitive and irritating, but I suspect I would be in the minority about that. Having said that, though, this is a beautiful movie and delivers overall outstanding performances by the cast as a whole. From all I have read, this is a reasonably accurate rendering of the events which led to the death of Lili in 1931 from organ rejection after a uterus transplant. It is a very moving and gruelling depiction of a very brave person.
4 stars
MIA MADRE
Country: Italy
Release: 2015
Director: Nanni Moretti
Understated and moving drama focuses on Margherita (played beautifully by Margherita Buy), a director who is grappling with the imminent death of her mother and her own doubts about her role as a daughter, as a sister, as well as mother and wife. Has she been good enough in any sphere of her life?
Margherita's brother, played by writer/director Nanni Moretti, seems to have it together. His thoughtful care for their mother while she is in hospital makes Margherita feel inadequate and sidelined. Her brother is well intentioned and inclusive, but unintentionally makes Margherita's efforts to care for her mother seem irrelevant..
Whilst their mother is dying, Margherita is also trying to make a political movie about striking workers starring a second rate Italian-American actor (played by John Turturro) who is irritating and unprepared, and drives Margherita to distraction with his shenanigans. His attempts at charm and cheesy jokes are truly cringeworthy. Margherita dithers and her production staff do their best to compensate and accommodate.
The film is beautifully crafted with a dreamlike quality in parts which does much to enhance the feelings of loss, memory, and impending grief surrounding Margherita. Margherita Buy's beautiful expressive face conveys much without the need for dialogue. She is wonderful in this movie, as is Giulia Lazzarini as the mother. Her gentleness and nurturing attitude to her granddaughter is completely endearing. John Turturro also gives a nuanced performance of bumbling, but charming inadequacy as the imported actor who struggles to cope with Margherita's vague direction style and a memory deficit which makes it impossible for him to remember his lines.
This movie was a standout of the Wonthaggi International Film Festival (Feb 2016). It is intelligent and emotional without being maudlin, and has great depth of feeling. The death of a parent is something we all have to face at some point in our lives, and this film perfectly portrayed the denial, the dread, and the final acceptance of those left behind.
4.5 stars
Country: Italy
Release: 2015
Director: Nanni Moretti
Understated and moving drama focuses on Margherita (played beautifully by Margherita Buy), a director who is grappling with the imminent death of her mother and her own doubts about her role as a daughter, as a sister, as well as mother and wife. Has she been good enough in any sphere of her life?
Margherita's brother, played by writer/director Nanni Moretti, seems to have it together. His thoughtful care for their mother while she is in hospital makes Margherita feel inadequate and sidelined. Her brother is well intentioned and inclusive, but unintentionally makes Margherita's efforts to care for her mother seem irrelevant..
Whilst their mother is dying, Margherita is also trying to make a political movie about striking workers starring a second rate Italian-American actor (played by John Turturro) who is irritating and unprepared, and drives Margherita to distraction with his shenanigans. His attempts at charm and cheesy jokes are truly cringeworthy. Margherita dithers and her production staff do their best to compensate and accommodate.
The film is beautifully crafted with a dreamlike quality in parts which does much to enhance the feelings of loss, memory, and impending grief surrounding Margherita. Margherita Buy's beautiful expressive face conveys much without the need for dialogue. She is wonderful in this movie, as is Giulia Lazzarini as the mother. Her gentleness and nurturing attitude to her granddaughter is completely endearing. John Turturro also gives a nuanced performance of bumbling, but charming inadequacy as the imported actor who struggles to cope with Margherita's vague direction style and a memory deficit which makes it impossible for him to remember his lines.
This movie was a standout of the Wonthaggi International Film Festival (Feb 2016). It is intelligent and emotional without being maudlin, and has great depth of feeling. The death of a parent is something we all have to face at some point in our lives, and this film perfectly portrayed the denial, the dread, and the final acceptance of those left behind.
4.5 stars
Dark Horse
Country: UK
Release: May 6, 2016
Director: Louise Osmond
Wonderful doco about the working class man taking on the rich and powerful at their own game, this was a delightful feel-good story about people and horses.
When a barmaid in a working men's club in a small mining town in Wales decides she wants to breed a racehorse, she sets up a syndicate of locals to tackle the wealthiest sport in the world. Jan's attitude is “why can't we do whatever we want?” and she sets out to do just that on a very limited budget. She and her toothless husband and their mates get together and form a surrogate family around a broken down mare (a formerly unsuccessful racehorse), and her offspring, Dream Alliance. Set against a declining industrial backdrop, this rag-tag bunch of battlers take on the elite of hurdle horse racing, and discover that their baby is a champion in the making.
The modest and unassuming characters that tell the tale of Dream Alliance are wonderful. Their very real affection for their horse and their perception of him as not just a piece of flesh to be used or traded for their own advantage but as a lifelong responsibility and object of love is heartwarming. In an arena where horses (and dogs) that under perform or break down are disposable, their commitment to Dream is unusual and very special.
The film makers do a very good job with the pacing and editing of the story as it unfolds with archival film and recreation of pivotal events in the narrative, interspersed with the talking heads of those intimately involved in the history of this horse. The different characters and the sincerity of the humble Welsh villagers shines. The suspense is nicely held at crucial points and enhances the overall feel-good aspects of the story. And the horses are gorgeous.
3 stars
Country: UK
Release: May 6, 2016
Director: Louise Osmond
Wonderful doco about the working class man taking on the rich and powerful at their own game, this was a delightful feel-good story about people and horses.
When a barmaid in a working men's club in a small mining town in Wales decides she wants to breed a racehorse, she sets up a syndicate of locals to tackle the wealthiest sport in the world. Jan's attitude is “why can't we do whatever we want?” and she sets out to do just that on a very limited budget. She and her toothless husband and their mates get together and form a surrogate family around a broken down mare (a formerly unsuccessful racehorse), and her offspring, Dream Alliance. Set against a declining industrial backdrop, this rag-tag bunch of battlers take on the elite of hurdle horse racing, and discover that their baby is a champion in the making.
The modest and unassuming characters that tell the tale of Dream Alliance are wonderful. Their very real affection for their horse and their perception of him as not just a piece of flesh to be used or traded for their own advantage but as a lifelong responsibility and object of love is heartwarming. In an arena where horses (and dogs) that under perform or break down are disposable, their commitment to Dream is unusual and very special.
The film makers do a very good job with the pacing and editing of the story as it unfolds with archival film and recreation of pivotal events in the narrative, interspersed with the talking heads of those intimately involved in the history of this horse. The different characters and the sincerity of the humble Welsh villagers shines. The suspense is nicely held at crucial points and enhances the overall feel-good aspects of the story. And the horses are gorgeous.
3 stars
Breathe
Country: France
Release: September 11, 2015
Director: Mélanie Laurent
I must admit, my expectations before seeing this film about teenage angst were not high, so it was a delightful surprise to find a story that was engrossing and well told.
Charlie's parents are separating and she is sick of the drama. Her best friend is supportive, and she is a popular and intelligent girl at school. Into her world comes Sarah, the new girl in school. Sarah spins unbelievable tales about her life travelling with her mother and Charlie is soon trapped in an intense and exclusive friendship with her. Bit by bit, Sarah encroaches into Charlie's relationships with her mother and her friends at school, and Charlie starts to almost disappear into herself. When Charlie finds out the truth about Sarah and her mother, Sarah turns on her and makes her life unbearable in escalating acts of bullying and humiliation. Charlie, pushed to her limits, reacts in the only way left open to her with tragic results.
There are fine performances all round in this one, and the two girls were very believable in their roles of the damaged tormentor and helpless victim. Interestingly, the camera focuses on the girls and their faces in a series of close ups and mid shots which do much to convey a sense of claustrophobia and intimacy. It is as if the context of their environment is irrelevant to the intensity of the relationship between the girls. The viewer is left in no doubt from the moment Sarah comes on the scene that she is a bad egg who immediately sets her sights on Charlie, and the likeable Charlie does not stand a chance against the street smart and very shady character of Sarah. There is a certain amount of predictability in the ending, but it is shocking nevertheless.
3.5 stars
Country: France
Release: September 11, 2015
Director: Mélanie Laurent
I must admit, my expectations before seeing this film about teenage angst were not high, so it was a delightful surprise to find a story that was engrossing and well told.
Charlie's parents are separating and she is sick of the drama. Her best friend is supportive, and she is a popular and intelligent girl at school. Into her world comes Sarah, the new girl in school. Sarah spins unbelievable tales about her life travelling with her mother and Charlie is soon trapped in an intense and exclusive friendship with her. Bit by bit, Sarah encroaches into Charlie's relationships with her mother and her friends at school, and Charlie starts to almost disappear into herself. When Charlie finds out the truth about Sarah and her mother, Sarah turns on her and makes her life unbearable in escalating acts of bullying and humiliation. Charlie, pushed to her limits, reacts in the only way left open to her with tragic results.
There are fine performances all round in this one, and the two girls were very believable in their roles of the damaged tormentor and helpless victim. Interestingly, the camera focuses on the girls and their faces in a series of close ups and mid shots which do much to convey a sense of claustrophobia and intimacy. It is as if the context of their environment is irrelevant to the intensity of the relationship between the girls. The viewer is left in no doubt from the moment Sarah comes on the scene that she is a bad egg who immediately sets her sights on Charlie, and the likeable Charlie does not stand a chance against the street smart and very shady character of Sarah. There is a certain amount of predictability in the ending, but it is shocking nevertheless.
3.5 stars
Rams
Country: Iceland
Release: 2015
Director: Grímur Hákonarson
Icelandic films and Icelandic humour can be as bleak as the landscape, and this film is a perfect example. Set in an isolated sheep farming community, two brothers who live side by side have not spoken in forty years. Rivals in sheep breeding using a very old breed of sheep, disaster strikes when Gummi, the main protagonist, suspects that his brother Kiddi's herd is infected with scrapie, a highly infectious and incurable neurological disease. The authorities step in and decree that all livestock in the valley must be destroyed and the farms disinfected. Gummi's flock are like his kids and when the decree falls, he takes matters into his own hands.
It is hard to say what matters most in this story, the relationship of the brothers or the relationship of each brother with his sheep. Initially it seems to be the latter, but as the film progresses, and the brothers are forced to work together, the fraternal bond is mended, to the point where they both end up naked and back in the womb (figuratively speaking) of an ice cave.
There are many delightful elements to do with the animals and the men who care for them, and many painful and disturbing moments as well. The film ends ambiguously, but probably tragically, for man and beast(s), so definitely not a Hollywood happy ending here. In spite of that, the film has many powerful moments interlaced with many wryly humorous ones as well. Sparsely dialogued and beautifully shot, this film will stay in the mind for a long time to come.
4 stars
Country: Iceland
Release: 2015
Director: Grímur Hákonarson
Icelandic films and Icelandic humour can be as bleak as the landscape, and this film is a perfect example. Set in an isolated sheep farming community, two brothers who live side by side have not spoken in forty years. Rivals in sheep breeding using a very old breed of sheep, disaster strikes when Gummi, the main protagonist, suspects that his brother Kiddi's herd is infected with scrapie, a highly infectious and incurable neurological disease. The authorities step in and decree that all livestock in the valley must be destroyed and the farms disinfected. Gummi's flock are like his kids and when the decree falls, he takes matters into his own hands.
It is hard to say what matters most in this story, the relationship of the brothers or the relationship of each brother with his sheep. Initially it seems to be the latter, but as the film progresses, and the brothers are forced to work together, the fraternal bond is mended, to the point where they both end up naked and back in the womb (figuratively speaking) of an ice cave.
There are many delightful elements to do with the animals and the men who care for them, and many painful and disturbing moments as well. The film ends ambiguously, but probably tragically, for man and beast(s), so definitely not a Hollywood happy ending here. In spite of that, the film has many powerful moments interlaced with many wryly humorous ones as well. Sparsely dialogued and beautifully shot, this film will stay in the mind for a long time to come.
4 stars
SPOTLIGHT
Studio: Open Road Films
Release: November 25, 2015
Director: Tom McCarthy
Writer: Tom McCarthy, Josh Singer
Cast: Mark Ruffalo, Michael Keaton, Rachel McAdams, Liev Schreiber, John Slattery, Stanley Tucci, Brian D'Arcy James, Billy Crudup
Genre: Drama, Thriller
Based on true events, this film tells the story of the Spotlight investigative journalistic team of the The Boston Globe newspaper in the early 2000's as they delve deeply into the issue of child sex abuse by Catholic clergy going back decades in the Boston area. The film is fast-paced and snappy, and the dialogue smart without the need for exposition.
With a fantastic cast (Mark Ruffalo, Michael Keaton, Rachel McAdams, Stanly Tucci, Liev Schreiber) this is an intelligent and involving film about old-fashioned journalism, the like of which seems to be slowly disappearing. As the layers are peeled back to reveal the extent of the abuse and the extreme actions that the Church hierarchy and influential citizens were prepared to take to conceal the behaviour of a vast number of parish priests, the full implications of the cover-up fall upon the viewer.
This film does not need to be sensationalistic about the abuse of children, which thankfully is implied and not explicit. It focuses completely on the work done by the Spotlight team of journalists to fully uncover not just the abusers, but the institutionalisation of child abuse. The vicious cycle of paedophile priests being recycled to other parishes enabling them to abuse more and more children, the Church paying hush money to victims' families, and the lawyers making money out of the whole stinking mess is disgusting enough without needing to be graphic about the abuse suffered by the victims.
Unfortunately, we here in Australia are all too familiar with the extent of institutional child sex abuse, and the parallels with Boston and Ballarat are all too clear. There is a well quoted saying that all that is needed for evil to flourish is for good people to do nothing. As revealed in this film, and also from events here in Australia, there were so many lost opportunities for someone, just one person, to do something that would have stopped this decades earlier.
I came away from this film angry for the victims and their families, uplifted by the dedication to the truth of this group of journalists, and stunned by the footnotes before the credits. The parallels between Boston and Ballarat all too starkly revealed.
4 stars
Studio: Open Road Films
Release: November 25, 2015
Director: Tom McCarthy
Writer: Tom McCarthy, Josh Singer
Cast: Mark Ruffalo, Michael Keaton, Rachel McAdams, Liev Schreiber, John Slattery, Stanley Tucci, Brian D'Arcy James, Billy Crudup
Genre: Drama, Thriller
Based on true events, this film tells the story of the Spotlight investigative journalistic team of the The Boston Globe newspaper in the early 2000's as they delve deeply into the issue of child sex abuse by Catholic clergy going back decades in the Boston area. The film is fast-paced and snappy, and the dialogue smart without the need for exposition.
With a fantastic cast (Mark Ruffalo, Michael Keaton, Rachel McAdams, Stanly Tucci, Liev Schreiber) this is an intelligent and involving film about old-fashioned journalism, the like of which seems to be slowly disappearing. As the layers are peeled back to reveal the extent of the abuse and the extreme actions that the Church hierarchy and influential citizens were prepared to take to conceal the behaviour of a vast number of parish priests, the full implications of the cover-up fall upon the viewer.
This film does not need to be sensationalistic about the abuse of children, which thankfully is implied and not explicit. It focuses completely on the work done by the Spotlight team of journalists to fully uncover not just the abusers, but the institutionalisation of child abuse. The vicious cycle of paedophile priests being recycled to other parishes enabling them to abuse more and more children, the Church paying hush money to victims' families, and the lawyers making money out of the whole stinking mess is disgusting enough without needing to be graphic about the abuse suffered by the victims.
Unfortunately, we here in Australia are all too familiar with the extent of institutional child sex abuse, and the parallels with Boston and Ballarat are all too clear. There is a well quoted saying that all that is needed for evil to flourish is for good people to do nothing. As revealed in this film, and also from events here in Australia, there were so many lost opportunities for someone, just one person, to do something that would have stopped this decades earlier.
I came away from this film angry for the victims and their families, uplifted by the dedication to the truth of this group of journalists, and stunned by the footnotes before the credits. The parallels between Boston and Ballarat all too starkly revealed.
4 stars
THE BELIER FAMILY
Director: Eric Lartigau
Writers: Victoria Bedos (original idea), Victoria Bedos (scenario)
Stars: Louane Emera, Karin Viard, François Damiens, Eric Elmosnino
Sometimes you see a film that you feel is just about perfect. The Belier Family is one such film for me. There is an emotional depth to this narrative that is clever and charming in equal amounts.
The story focuses on Paula, the only hearing teenage child in a deaf family consisting of mum, dad and brother. They are a dairy farming family in rural France, making their own cheeses which they sell at the local market. Mum and dad are ex-Parisians who have returned to the family farm and made a successful go of it, and love life (and each other) to the fullest. Paula is the public interface between the family and their community. She pretty much runs the farm purely because she is the only one amongst them that can sign and hear.
Paula's life is changed dramatically when she joins the school choir because of a boy, and discovers her singing voice. This becomes a mixed blessing as she faces life-changing decisions and guilt about her future.
Basically a coming of age story, the internal conflict felt by the teenage daughter of deaf parents who rely on her and her desire to pursue a dream is beautifully and emotionally handled. The cliquey element of "deaf culture" comes across well in the self reliance of the family. Two scenes in particular were stunning: the first when Paula's mother describes her emotions at the birth of a hearing child, and the second when Paula signs the lyrics of a song to her family as she performs it, the words of the song and the performance so poignant it is painful. But the film is full of golden moments of poignancy, humour, and teenage angst, as well as real familial affection.
The main actors and the supporting cast were wonderfully eccentric and the performances of all were terrific. Karin Viard as mum was a particular standout. This film was a delight.
4 stars
Director: Eric Lartigau
Writers: Victoria Bedos (original idea), Victoria Bedos (scenario)
Stars: Louane Emera, Karin Viard, François Damiens, Eric Elmosnino
Sometimes you see a film that you feel is just about perfect. The Belier Family is one such film for me. There is an emotional depth to this narrative that is clever and charming in equal amounts.
The story focuses on Paula, the only hearing teenage child in a deaf family consisting of mum, dad and brother. They are a dairy farming family in rural France, making their own cheeses which they sell at the local market. Mum and dad are ex-Parisians who have returned to the family farm and made a successful go of it, and love life (and each other) to the fullest. Paula is the public interface between the family and their community. She pretty much runs the farm purely because she is the only one amongst them that can sign and hear.
Paula's life is changed dramatically when she joins the school choir because of a boy, and discovers her singing voice. This becomes a mixed blessing as she faces life-changing decisions and guilt about her future.
Basically a coming of age story, the internal conflict felt by the teenage daughter of deaf parents who rely on her and her desire to pursue a dream is beautifully and emotionally handled. The cliquey element of "deaf culture" comes across well in the self reliance of the family. Two scenes in particular were stunning: the first when Paula's mother describes her emotions at the birth of a hearing child, and the second when Paula signs the lyrics of a song to her family as she performs it, the words of the song and the performance so poignant it is painful. But the film is full of golden moments of poignancy, humour, and teenage angst, as well as real familial affection.
The main actors and the supporting cast were wonderfully eccentric and the performances of all were terrific. Karin Viard as mum was a particular standout. This film was a delight.
4 stars