Category: Culture
Lasting – Review
Lasting is visually beautiful and set in Spain and Poland. It is easy to see why it won a Cinematography award at Sundance. The two leads, Jakub Gierszal and Magdalena Berus, are good as the two young lovers. Much of their acting is done without any audible dialogue as the film tells a lot of the storyline with some effective imagery. In parts I think it could have done with a little more dialogue, but maybe the Director-Screenwriter Jacek Borcuch wanted viewers to take away what they interpreted for themselves. Lasting is really story-telling as art and thus something we don’t see enough of.
It is a shame that even in Sydney, we need to wait for festivals to see foreign (i.e. non-US/UK) films such as this. They are very different from the run-of-the-mill rubbish that is regularly served up in cinema complexes. 4/5
Outrage Beyond – Review
This was the first film I saw for the Sydney Film Festival this year. I was disappointed. It had much promise, but I think tended to get lost in far too many characters who were not properly established before they were shot. There were also continuity and reality issues, such as the main hero surviving a gunshot to the stomach for some time without bleeding to death, any apparent medical attention or any lasting disability. There seemed to be a lot of random violence and this tended to diminish the effect it could have had if they left it more like a constant threat that someone could lose it and blow your head off in a rage. There were some good moments, but it did not live up to its promise: 3/5.
The East – Review
This is a brilliant film and is bound to win many awards I would think. It does everything well. The story and characters are believable and relevant and it is beautifully shot in many different locations. I loved the way it held back pushing the storyline in your face (just in case you were not keeping up) and how it grabbed your attention from go to whoa. It contains some really beautiful moments, particularly those that illustrate complex relationships between different people and also deals with the ethics behind “eco-terrorism”. The acting is superb, particularly the leads: Brit Marling and Alexander Skarsgård. See it or you’ve really missed out on something very special.
Oh, one more thing, it is almost worth going just to see and hear the short piano piece played by the Dr on an old piano in the hide-out. Superb! 5/5
William Yang My Generation – Review
I saw this at its premier in the Dendy Opera Quays. William was there as were many of those featured in the images like Kate Fitzpatrick and Jenny Kee. George Gittoes was there too representing those from the Yellow House years who could not attend (like Martin Sharp) and those who had passed like Brett Whiteley. I caught up with George after the film as we had spent some time together in Iraq a few years back. He told me he was just back from Afghanistan and introduced me to a friend who was curating an exhibition of his work from those years. So, back to the film …
It is a film that documents one of his live performances, in this case 10/11 “My Generation”. I saw this live in Carriage Works back in 2009 I think and I still love it. I really like the way he carefully provides just enough context for his photographs, preferring to let his images talk for him. William has documented a fascinating period of Australian cultural (and gay) history that features those named above as well as many other significant figures including Patrick White, Jimmy Sharman, Rex Cramphorn, Little Nell Campbell, Margaret Fink, and Linda Jackson. This film is a visual potted history of that part of Sydney in the 80s and 90s.
I think it is wonderful and I think it is also being broadcast on ABC TV on 16 June, so don’t miss it. If you’ve not seen one of his performances and can remember the 80s and 90s it will ring many bells.
5/5 because I loved it and I think William is a national treasure.
FromMelbin 