There has been a really good run of quality Australian films this year. They have been mostly confined to the art house cinemas but some have snuck into mainstream cinemas.
This is one that is pretty much confined to the art house sector. There have been complaints that we only produce bleak, depressing film and this film does not help the argument. While I like to see Aussie films I just wish they would make more in my favourite genre, comedy. I think the problem is that comedy is a lot harder to make than drama. I’ve found that most comedies have not been developed long enough and are not as funny as they could be. So it is easier to make drama as they don’t need as much attention as comedy.
This film is about two parallel stories during the one day of a group of kids and what they get up then what their mother’s get up to at the same time. I thought it was a good film but not as great as I had hoped. There are many sad, confronting moments and the end is a bit depressing. As is the case with ensemble films like this some stories get more attention than others and you feel you want more. I think some plots could have been expanded to full films just on their own. The major problem I had though was that because the film is based on a play you can see the ‘play’ aspect coming through in the way the film performed. I did learn though more about the way dialogue can be suited to a play and film. There are also come very clichéd moments which made me cringe a bit.
Director Ana Kokkinos has assembled quite an impressive cast of Aussie actresses for this film. Deborah Lee Furness (Mrs. Wolverine) is excellent as is Miranda Otto. But the most impressive is Francis O’Connor. She is so brilliant in this film that it is worth seeing just for her performance. To be fair though her story probably has the most material to work with. The kids in the film are great too. Sophie Lowe who we saw earlier in ‘Beautiful Kate’ is once again proving herself as an actress to watch.
This is a good Aussie film but not as great as you’d hoped. While it has a bit of a depressing story, it is still worth seeing if you enjoy seeing how all families have their problems.
This is one that is pretty much confined to the art house sector. There have been complaints that we only produce bleak, depressing film and this film does not help the argument. While I like to see Aussie films I just wish they would make more in my favourite genre, comedy. I think the problem is that comedy is a lot harder to make than drama. I’ve found that most comedies have not been developed long enough and are not as funny as they could be. So it is easier to make drama as they don’t need as much attention as comedy.
This film is about two parallel stories during the one day of a group of kids and what they get up then what their mother’s get up to at the same time. I thought it was a good film but not as great as I had hoped. There are many sad, confronting moments and the end is a bit depressing. As is the case with ensemble films like this some stories get more attention than others and you feel you want more. I think some plots could have been expanded to full films just on their own. The major problem I had though was that because the film is based on a play you can see the ‘play’ aspect coming through in the way the film performed. I did learn though more about the way dialogue can be suited to a play and film. There are also come very clichéd moments which made me cringe a bit.
Director Ana Kokkinos has assembled quite an impressive cast of Aussie actresses for this film. Deborah Lee Furness (Mrs. Wolverine) is excellent as is Miranda Otto. But the most impressive is Francis O’Connor. She is so brilliant in this film that it is worth seeing just for her performance. To be fair though her story probably has the most material to work with. The kids in the film are great too. Sophie Lowe who we saw earlier in ‘Beautiful Kate’ is once again proving herself as an actress to watch.
This is a good Aussie film but not as great as you’d hoped. While it has a bit of a depressing story, it is still worth seeing if you enjoy seeing how all families have their problems.
No comments:
Post a Comment