Hard Candy (2005)

Directed by: David Slade
Starring: Patrick Wilson, Ellen Page

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The first thing that struck me when I saw this film was the distinctive visual style. The use of colours, saturation, lighting and shot sizes were carefully chosen to enhance the different scenes. In the opening shots, we see only a computer screen with a chat window showing a conversation between a young girl and an apparently much older man. The complete absence of a face or even hands typing on the keyboard highlights the anonymity.

The two main characters are then introduced mostly in close ups, drawing us in, but having to rely only on their facial expressions for information. She seems naive, fresh, witty as only precocious teenagers can be. He is lean, handsome, though the glasses lend him a calculating look; he seems restrained compared to her pushfulness.

It is difficult to reveal what happens after their meeting without giving away too much of the plot or the suspense, but it may be said that Hard Candy is most akin to a psychological thriller, where the action happens mostly in the mind, and positions of power are upended (think Little Red Riding Hood and the wolf, as the costume design means to suggest).

The success of the movie depends heavily on the performance of its two lead actors, especially as there aren't too many set changes. On this note, Wilson and Page deliver very convincing, nuanced characterisations; neither of them seem particularly heroic nor villainous -- which seems intentional and oddly appropriate. On the other hand, this ambivalence also leaves the ending bereft of any cathartic function. The script by Brian Nelson, while conceptually sound, also sometimes lapses into one-two punch lines and overwrought speeches (perhaps a carryover from his television experience).

So although Hard Candy is quite an interesting and entertaining film, it is not as repeat-worthy as others in the genre. (3 stars)

Little Miss Sunshine (2006)

Directed by: Jonathan Dayton, Valerie Faris
Starring: Greg Kinnear, Toni Collette, Steve Carrell, Abigail Breslin, Paul Dano, Alan Arkin

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The line, "Everyone... pretend to be normal", pretty much captures the humour and driving force of the film. Little Miss Sunshine, in other words, is a homage to the dysfunctional family -- familiar to us all.

Richard/Dad (Kinnear) is a wannabe motivational speaker looking for his big break, Grandpa (Arkin) is the drug-addicted, porn-loving dance coach for seven-year old Olive (Breslin), who dreams of becoming a pageant queen, brother Dwayne (Dano) reads Nietzsche and has elected to stay mute until he gets into the Air Force, Uncle Frank (Carrell) is a gay, Proust scholar who has recently attempted suicide. Sheryl/Mom (Collette) seems to be the most grounded of all, but only just hanging on to her composure.

The catalyst for the big family road trip is Olive's qualification for the Little Miss Sunshine beauty pageant; for one reason or another, no family member could be left behind. As in many cases, close proximity for an extended period of time inevitably reveals true character, and relationships deepen (maybe all families should jump into a van sometime). The van thus becomes a fun motif, but also a sparkling metaphor. It needs enough people to push-start, and enough people to grab you as you run alongside when it gets going. And you can't choose passengers.

A well-written script, solid cast members (it's difficult to highlight one or a few because all of them were brilliant), and light direction have made this an interesting vignette of family life. It is sweet but not overly saccharine. Humorous, but not blindly so. Life doesn't miraculously work out for the characters, and yet, as they give their van another push-start at the end of the movie, you feel that each of them will be all right.

This is one of the most enjoyable films that I have seen in the past year, and one that I'm looking forward to watching again later on. Go see it. (5 stars)

Babel (2006)

Directed by: Jose Gonzalez Inarritu
Starring: Cate Blanchett, Brad Pitt, Koji Yakusho, Gael Garcia Bernal

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The film title recalls the Biblical myth of Babel, where God punishes the pride of humankind by making each person speak a different language and thus disconnecting them from each other. Set in disparate locations such as Morocco, Mexico and Japan, Babel is a cinematic portrait of this continued disconnection, and the levels of misunderstanding that characterise ordinary life: the stilted conversation of an estranged couple, the literal and emotional silence between a father and daughter coping with grief, the physical and legal borders that contain countries, the youthful incapacity to comprehend consequences.

Inarritu returns to the narrative style of Amores Perros (2000), which is built on the intersection of strangers' lives. It is a theme for which he has a deft touch. In both films, each episode or story is already self-sufficient and yet acquires a different meaning when he weaves them all together. In Babel, specifically, he suggests that we are not as disconnected as we seem, that our decisions in fact often impinge on others' freedoms and well-being, sometimes devastatingly so. There is also a palpable tension in many of the scenes, arising from that familiar, desperate need to be understood.

Viewed from this perspective, the film feels rather bleak. It validates Sartre's assertion that "hell is other people". And yet, as the film also suggests, it is through people that we are given the means to become more dignified: by admitting culpability, forgiving mistakes, moving on from the past, healing and being healed.

The characterisations in this film are crucial and flawless. Pitt delivers a mature performance, and Blanchett, as always, shines. Adriana Barraza and Rinko Kikuchi are revelations. Then there are the many non professional actors who add texture and realism to the film, such as Mohamed Akhzam (Anwar)and Boubker Ait El Caid (Yussef).

It is a compelling, thought-provoking film. Not for the light-headed. (4.25 stars)

Boytown (2006)

Directed by: Kevin Carlin
Starring: Glenn Robbins, Mick Molloy

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This is pure silliness and should only be approached in a silly frame of mind. Written by Richard and Mick Molloy, Boytown follows the attempts of boy-band has-beens to relive the heady days of 1980s pop by reforming their group and releasing a new album. Is it a dig at the musical geriatrics who do seem to keep doing farewell tours? I don't know, but it's a lot of fun to think so anyway.

Part of my personal enjoyment was recognising the New Kids on the Block references (the posters, songs, and video clips were almost a homage). There are many laugh-out-loud moments here, my favourite being the video shoot at the beach. The ending was appropriately tacky and bizarre. It's as if the Molloy brothers wrote the last few pages of script on dope.

Glenn Robbins, in some strange fashion, shines here. He's the centre of gravity for the film, and carries off the dramatic points to great effect. It's ironic that he aroused giggles in Lantana and yet is able to emote convincingly in Boytown.

An entertaining Aussie comedy, to be taken with lots of salt. (2.5 stars)

Check out the Boytown website

Wolf Creek (2005)

Directed by: Greg McLean
Starring: John Jarrat

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I was looking forward to watching this film, on the strength of comments I had read about how scary it was. Set in outback Australia, it plays on the mythology of missing or murdered backpackers, highlighted in recent times by the Falconio case.

There haven't been many attempts to scare the living daylights out of the Australian audience since Peter Weir's Picnic at Hanging Rock in 1975 , but perhaps this is not a fair comparison. Whereas Weir relied on atmospherics and music, McLean decided to go for the slasher flick aesthetic. Nubile English chicks, a studly surfer Aussie, remote locations, and your friendly neighbourhood psycho, overdone by John Jarrat. I like my horror flicks frightening, but this was hardly satisfying. The film's greatest weakness is that there weren't any characters that I wanted to keep alive. Actually, there was one character that I was mildly interested in, but she was the first one to get (abruptly) killed. After she died, there didn't seem to be much point in the rest of the story.

A lukewarm film to be seen only if you're curious enough. You won't be missing much. (2.5 stars)

Children of Men (2006)

Directed by: Alfonso Cuaron
Starring: Clive Owen, Julianne Moore, Michael Caine, Chiwetel Ejiofor

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Science fiction is an interesting genre, particularly futuristic science fiction. It has moved from the mildly optimistic view of 1960s-70s into a darker, dystopian interpretation of humanity and the world in the future. This is the case in Children of Men (based on the PD James novel), where anarchy prevails, the environment has become toxic, and paranoia and violence go hand in hand like lovers, one street at a time. It is familiar territory for Cuaron, a master of shadow, light and texture.

The film is set in the year 2027, which lends a kind of urgency to the narrative; it is a vision of a future within my lifetime. Women have stopped bearing children and the human race is facing inevitable extinction. Kee (Claire-Hope Ashitey), a young pregnant woman, thus becomes the fulcrum for different forces. Theo (Clive Owen) is given the task of protecting her and delivering her to safety.

Owen is a compelling action hero in that he doesn't act like an action hero. He is built like one, but comes across as a sensitive intellectual; his performances are somehow always nuanced and believable. I have always been moved by the quality of his voice, a deep timbre with tones of regret and whimsy. In this film, he plays the staple reluctant hero, the aptly named Theo, jaded and tired but somehow caught by the miracle of Kee. Their flight finds resonance in the Biblical Mary and Joseph, the child as symbol, a threat to the status quo.

As a science fiction, Children of Men succeeds on many levels. It reminds me of Gattaca in terms of the dystopia and the struggle to overcome, the tension between faith and reality, the journey out of despair, and how the kindness of others moves that journey forward. It is also about what babies represent, what a world without their laughter would be like, and why we make sacrifices for them. Walking out of the cinema, I was reminded by the saying that a baby is God's way of saying the world must go on. (4 stars)

The Devil Wears Prada (2006)

Directed by: David Frankel
Starring: Meryl Streep, Anne Hathaway, Stanley Tucci

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The Devil Wears Prada is a fresh, delightful take on the fashion world. Meryl Streep is the default standout in the film; her portrayal of glamourous, hard-bitten magazine editor, Miranda Priestly, is funny, provocative and in particular scenes, suprisingly poignant. I'm not sure how much of Streep's stature influences my response to her character, but it certainly lends Miranda that intimidating oomph necessary for the story.

Anne Hathaway as writer/fashion ingenue Andy Sachs is a bit trite. We've already seen the extreme makeover shtick in The Princess Diaries. Her transformation into the person she detests is aided only by a new wardrobe and the requisite spats with the neglected boyfriend. I was not convinced by Andy's deal with the devil. This lack of credibility diminishes the impact of her redemption later in the film.

Fortunately, the rest of the cast more than make up for Hathaway's shortcomings. Stanley Tucci and Emily Blunt were scene stealers. It takes skill to fully develop minor characters, and both actors easily accomplished this.

The film is highly entertaining and illuminating. Not to be missed. (3.5 stars)

Brokeback Mountain (2005)

Directed by: Ang Lee
Starring: Jake Gyllenhaal, Heath Ledger, Michelle Williams, Anne Hathaway

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Some of the comments and publicity around Brokeback Mountain would have you believe that it is a love story, and this was my approach when I viewed the film. I was disappointed. The passion between Ennis Del Mar (Ledger) and Jack Twist (Gyllenhaal) was palpable, and the affair lasted for twenty years (through their marriages to women), but I wasn't convinced that it was love.

First, there was more emphasis on the physicality of the relationship, than on other aspects. Second, the characters' personalities were so obviously different and I didn't feel that this difference was ever resolved. Third, the relationship rendered them selfish, deceitful and cruel -- not the marks of "love", surely.

I was looking forward to a cinematic statement of how love isn't the monopoly of heterosexuals, and ended up dissatisfied with how love itself was portrayed. I understand that Lee had also intended the film to communicate the effects of certain social restrictions, but because I really didn't care about Ennis and Jack, I didn't care about the limitations on their affair, either.

The most stirring aspects about Lee's film were the scenes of sprawling Wyoming wilderness and Williams' portrayal of a wife betrayed. Come to think of it, the brief scene of Tom Hanks and Antonio Banderas dancing in Jonathan Demme's Philadelphia (1993) moved me more than two hours of Brokeback did. (2 stars)

The Brothers Grimm (2005)

Directed by: Terry Gilliam
Starring: Matt Damon, Heath Ledger

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Avoid at all costs.

Seriously.

Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm are one of the best loved literary figures of all time, having compiled German and French folktales which today represent an enduring inheritance for children across the world. Nothing in the film sheds insight into the brothers' lives or work; only a Gilliamesque interpretation of the fairytales with which they are associated.

The narrative is awkward in its attempt to interweave the imaginative world with the Grimms' reality. One of its weaknesses is the absence of a protagonist. Thinly developed characters fail to connect with the viewer, and consequently do not stir any investment in the resolution. A waste of time. (0.5 star)

Manuale d'Amore (2005)

Directed by: Giovanni Veronese

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The Manual of Love (translation) is a delightful Italian film about relationships, specifically focusing on relationships between men and women. It was a hit in Italy, and it is easy to see why.

The plot hinges on four overlapping episodes, with different characters experiencing the "stages" of love: falling in love, crisis, betrayal, and abandonment. The stories are told with a deft touch, with a heartwarming humour that lends poignancy to the conflict and bewilderment arising from failed relationships. There is something universal about the situations in the film, and the occasional direct-to-camera observations add a conversational air.

The film makes you laugh, sigh, cheer for and revile characters, and in this way communicates that sense of cycle, of things coming full circle when it comes to love. There are no linear beginnings and endings, only the persistence of life and the invitation to connect with others. A highly recommended film. (4.5 stars)

The Lady in the Water (2006)

Directed by: M. Night Shyamalan
Starring: Bryce Dallas Howard, Paul Giamatti

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I am a big fan of M. Night Shyamalan, and was initially apprehensive about watching this film after reading a negative review. I quickly realised, however, that having enjoyed The Village (which was similarly harshly judged), there was greater likelihood of enjoying The Lady in the Water than disliking it.

The story is set in an apartment block managed by superintendent Cleveland Heep (Giamatti). Heep is characterised as being tired and timid; he stutters. In the opening scenes, he is shot behind other characters, partly hidden, or perhaps a person in hiding, as we discover later on. In his attempt to resolve mysterious midnight splashings in the swimming pool, Heep encounters a strange, wounded young woman named Story (played to ethereal effect by Howard). Here the tale unfurls.

I felt myself being slowly reeled in as the film went on. There is the initial resistance, of course, but the moment I accepted the story as a fairtytale, a fable, surrender became inevitable and I found myself on the edge of my seat willing Story to be saved from the vile "scrunts".

There are also recognisable comic book elements, which have become Shyamalan's signature style, such as the gathering of characters who each have a quality essential to Story's rescue. Heep loses his stutter and makes an internal transformation into a hero.

A few things diminish Lady, such as the scene where Heep has to turn "child-like" in order to obtain information from a crotchety old lady. Many of the characters are half-realised, which makes later revelations slightly awkward.

However, on the whole, it is a massively entertaining film, and one that addresses a running theme for Shyamalan: the idea of becoming who we really are, of becoming true to ourselves even when that means becoming vulnerable. (4 stars)

The Story of the Weeping Camel (2003)

Directed by: Byambasuren Davaa, Luigi Falorni

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As I was watching the film, I commented to my husband that it felt very much like a documentary. I realised only later on when I looked at the the cover that it was indeed a non fiction piece, or rather, as co-director Luigi Falorni calls it, a narrative documentary. It is an excellent example of the hybrid.

The story of the weeping camel is set in modern day South Mongolia, in the Gobi Desert, where we are drawn into the lives of nomadic shepherds. The family network is assisting its camels during the birthing season, and soon after the last baby camel is delivered, it becomes obvious that its mother has rejected it. The family makes several varied attempts to bond the two, until finally, two sons are sent off to seek a violinist who will assist in a ritual to reconcile mother and child.

The documentary approach is intimate, without emphasising the extremes of exoticism and social inequity that are often the temptations in portraying remote lifestyles. The generosity of the human subjects is obvious; there is something accessible and deeply striking about their mundane tasks, and particularly their stewardship of the animals. The pace is slow, intended to place the viewer within the nomads' world.

The intricate and colourful patterns inside their dwellings, which contrast with the harsh monochrome of the desert, are analogous to the enduring traditions and customs that shape the lives of these Mongolians. And yet, as the two boys travel to Akiam Centre to look for a musician, there are signs of modernity everywhere, highlighted by the younger brother's fixation with television.

It is a little gem of a documentary. The narrative and the realism weave into a seamless whole. There is no overt commentary; but ideas of stewardship and community do linger long afterwards. (3.75 stars)

Paradise Now (2005)

Directed by: Hany Abu-Assad
Starring: Kais Nashef, Ali Suliman, Lubna Azabal

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'Paradise Now' traces the 48 hours before a scheduled suicide bomb attack in Tel Aviv. It sounds like a thriller, but told from the perspective of the two young Palestinians assigned with the task, the film becomes a quiet drama about motives and human desires, and the political and social realities against which they are juxtaposed.

The characterisation is key to the story, and reminds me of stage plays in its austerity:

Said internalises the shadow of Israeli occupation of Palestine; he has only ever been outside the West Bank once in his life, when he broke his leg and had to see a doctor. When he was ten years old, his father was murdered for being a collaborator. For Said, there are no weapons of resistance left apart from bodies, his own body.

Khaled is stoic. He is unconcerned when he loses his job as a car mechanic. He gives his mother shopping advice on his "martyr video".

Suha is the daughter of a famous activist. Having lost her father to the resistance, she has sought more peaceful means to achieving justice. She forces both Said and Khaled to question not only their motives, but the anticipated consequences of their action. Paradise may be promised for the martyrs, but what about those left behind?

As with most artistic forms, this film distills what is a complex political situation to questions about the human condition: what does it mean to be free? where do our choices lead us? what is just?

Abu-Assad effectively uses characters and setting to tell the story from inside Palestine. His film does not justify nor glorify violence; this is not for the artist to do. But he translates the human experience, in this case, the experience of Palestinians, to tell us a story about ourselves. It is an uncomfortable story to listen to, but one that must be told. (4.5 stars)

Somersault (2004)

Written and Directed by: Cate Shortland
Starring: Abbie Cornish, Sam Worthington


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'Somersault' somehow reminds me of the story of Little Red Riding Hood, probably because of the red gloves that provide a motif in the film. But there are other similar elements: of journey and danger, and of distinguishing between people we trust and those who would harm us.

Heidi (Abbie Cornish)is a young woman who makes a terrible mistake, and launches on a self-imposed exile in the country town of Jindabyne.

Cornish provides an original portrayal of 'little girl lost', toeing the line between adolescent naivety and womanly knowingness. For most of the film, however, it is difficult to sympathise with Heidi's isolation because there is no obvious context for her behaviour. She seems to represent people who use sexual contact as a means of filling an inner void.

Heidi forms a relationship with Joe, who disabuses her of the notion that being used is better than being alone. But it is Irene, Heidi's landlady, who ultimately redeems her, by listening to her secret, accepting it, and encouraging her to reconcile with her mother.

The storyline is spare and supported by stark images that emphasise Heidi's sensual nature. Music by the Decoder Ring lends a modern fairytale aspect to the scenes. Shortland has achieved what few achieve in Australian film: a story written cinematically and sincerely told. (3.5 stars)