2008

About a month ago I had to do up a little Top 5 for Drum, but it was not very interesting and it was not very accurate. I hate filling out these kind of surveys before December, when the films you've spent all year anticipating are scheduled for a Boxing Day release. This list here is a little more considered, but it's still a bit personal and it's still likely to change.

my favourites:


1. The Curious Tale of Benjamin Button
Having watched this film only recently, a lot of its images remain crystal clear in mind; that look of childlike wonder on an old man's face, the silhouette of an angelic ballerina against a foggy backdrop, clock hands spinning backwards, and eventually stopping. All of these images feel profound to me now, all of them being caught within the deep emotional pull of this epic tale. For me, this film's power is born from its ability to be simultaneously universal, relatable, and far-reaching, yet also unique, memorable, and personal - to at once be a story about a intimate romance and yet to also comment so strongly on universals of mortality, time and history. When this story finds support from some stellar performers, some balanced directing and some perfect pacing, it becomes an experience that is difficult to shake. If I had to, I could probably sum it all up as "debilitating, yet life-affirming."

2. Slumdog Millionaire
In retrospect, I do wonder if my adoration for this film is to some degree influenced by my experience of India. There are flaws to be found here - you could argue that feels contrived in moments, sometimes fantastical, never impossible but always deeply improbable. The film works, however, precisely because it is just like the country in which it is set. It is contradictory and colourful and almost unbelievable in the way that it traverses so many experiences and genres and feelings in such a short space of time. Yet within this web of vying emotions there are several powerful, moving stories, and three characters who inspire genuine connections, so it all works. It is much like a whirlwind trip through the sub-continent itself; the sheer multitude of images and emotions threaten to overpower, and it is up to you to find and focus on something solid or specific or unifying within it all (a character, a scene, a relationship), because once you do that, suddenly it will all make sense.

3. Dark Knight
A long time has passed since I viewed this film, and now I wonder what it was that I found so powerful about it. I remember appreciating the darkness, the grim commentary, the "topical" nature of it all, and of course I remember Heath Ledger, with the manic laugh that still manages to freak me out just upon recollection. I wonder now if this film really deserves to be here, yet I feel that out of all these films I've mentioned it is the most 'of its time,' and that it most appropriately sums up the '2008 moment'; dark, miserable times slowly giving way to the better part of human nature (hopefully?). Besides that it is adaptation at its best, and at its most cinematic. That is achievement enough.

4. The Visitor
This is a simple film, definitely the least ambitious of all those here, and definitely not one that will make it into many "top film" lists - yet so many aspects from it have persisted with me all year round. Again there is some commentary to be found here, but mainly this is a story of human connection and of reawakening. This film's greatest asset is Richard Jenkins, with such a perfect performance. I remember the subtle way in which his whole body relaxed, in which gradually, physically, he seemed to re-open himself to the world. Ah, it was a truly beautiful thing.

5. Burn After Reading
Who would have thought I'd be listing two Brad Pitt films here? I'm surprised, that's all I'll say. This one makes it in here because I have a soft spot for zaniness, and that is exactly how I'd describe this film. It is madcap zaniness tightened by a strong structure, which is exactly the way it should be. Also, how amazing was John Malkovich, as usual?

Movies I did not see but probably should sometime soon: Wall-E, Hunger, Frost/Nixon, Man on Wire.

Slumdog Millionaire

Slumdog Millionaire opens with two juxtaposed scenes; in one the nervous-looking Jamal (Dev Patel of Skins) sit in India's Who Wants to be a Millionaire? hot seat, in the other, uncomfortable close-ups show us his beaten body, as a fierce policeman demands to know how he could possibly have known "the answers." The entire rest of the film is dedicated to answering this specific question. We watch as Jamal climbs up the millionaire ladder, and with each new question we are thrust back into his past, learning the answers alongside him. Adapted from Vika Swarup's novel, this script is a perfectly taut tapestry of comedy, drama, colour and passion. It is at once the tale of a young boy's vigilance, of an idyllic romance, of two brothers' torturous relationship and of the daily struggles faced in India's most poverty-stricken corners. The strange fusion of popular game-show tension with conventional drama build-up absolutely works, delivering a final result that is gripping, engaging and moving. As the first film from this summer's much anticipated "Oscar-contender line-up" to make its way into our cinemas, Slumdog Millionaire has been preceded by a whole heap of hype and a plethora of awards - but director Danny Boyle (Trainspotting, 28 Days Later, The Beach) has proven his versatility yet again. This film is close to perfect.

Her Whole Life Ahead

Only Italians could get so worked up about industrial relations. Only this country could turn a film about unfair wages and inadequate tea breaks into a borderline-melodrama fuelled by a highly emotive, orchestral soundtrack. Her Whole Life Ahead is this film, but it is surprisingly enjoyable ride. Isabella Ragonese plays Marta, an intelligent philosophy graduate, who presents an outstanding thesis only to discover that her obscure specialisation and brilliant mind render her practically unemployable. Reluctant to enter the low-paying world of academia, she eventually settles for part-time work at a call centre specialising in the pyramid-scheme-esque, "multilevel" sale of a useless electrical appliance. As she rises slowly up the call centre ladder, however, Marta quickly discovers that her workplace is a veritable microcosm of all imaginable conflicts, where public humiliation and explosive personal break-downs are commonplace. That is, until Marta's 'knight in the shining armour' steps onto the scene, in the form of a disgruntled union official. There's no doubt about it; this film is nuts. In between Marta's troubled homelife as a live-in-babysitter, a couple of broken hearts, and an unexpected car accident, this story threatens to spiral out of control on several occasions. Director Paolo Virzi always manages to reel it in at just the right moment, though, delivering zany humour without totally compromising the story. It's not particularly moving filmmaking, but it's certainly engaging, and for young graduates struggling to find gratifying work there's a lot of relatable content here.

Vicky Christina Barcelona

Much like beautiful women and complicated relationships, a strong sense of place has evolved into one of the defining trademarks of a “Woody Allen Film.” After many New York stories and a brief stopover in London, his latest film, Vicky Christina Barcelona, is set in and influenced by the large Spanish city of its title. Like this setting, the film is eccentric, chaotic and colourful, marking a return to the screwball comedies of Allen’s earlier career. The film opens as best friends Vicky (Rebecca Hall) and Christina (Scarlett Johansson) arrive in Barcelona for the summer. An obtrusive yet strangely appropriate voice-over informs us that the two are alike in everyway, barring their approach to love. While Vicky enjoys stability, predictability and control, the passionate Christina knows only that these are qualities she wants to avoid. When the very charming Juan Antonio (Javier Bardem) steps onto the scene, the trajectory of the narrative seems inevitable.

As expected, both women go wild over this charismatic Spaniard, and fall into infatuations that will dictate the rest of their holiday. Allen keeps things fresh with unexpected turns and ridiculous twists, yet the core of the storyline remains reasonably predictable and somewhat unremarkable. Penelope Cruz’s entrance about half-way through the film helps alleviate potential dullness; she is quite captivating as Juan’s hysterical ex-wife, Maria Elena. Johansson also delivers a fine performance, developing some very intense chemistry with Cruz. Ultimately though, Vicky Christina Barcelona is a film enjoyed but quickly forgotten. Beyond the colourful Spanish setting and soundtrack and the sparkling performances from the film’s two leading starlets, this is basically a light-hearted romantic comedy. This lightness renders this film well suited to summer’s plethora of outdoor cinemas, but it is nonetheless likely to slip into obscurity as soon as the season is over.

Interview with Sherry Hopkins

This year’s Lotterywest Film Festival feels a little different. For starters, it’s much longer than usual. Spanning five months and featuring 21 feature films from all around the world, this season is the longest yet. More pertinently though, you’ll note that, for the first time in many years, French comedy darling Daniel Auteil is no where to be found. It’s almost incomprehensible.

While the Festival still features a healthy dash of light-hearted comedy, this year’s programme is characterised by its more serious, and more topical entries. “This is a very discerning and intelligent audience, and they want something meaty that they can talk about afterwards,” explains the programme’s director, Sherry Hopkins.

“They want current affairs, and what’s going on around them,” she continues. “As much as they like the occasional little light comedies, and they will like Pain in the Ass, the new Francis Veber comedy, because Perth audiences love Francis Veber [of The Dinner Game] – but as much as they like that, they’re also showing me that they appreciate these more grand scale films too.”

This year, audiences can expect to be shocked by Buddha Collapsed out of Shame, as it exposes the permeating influence of the Taliban through a group of Afghani schoolchildren determined to mimic their parents. They can expect to be baffled by the ridiculous true story at the core of Lemon Tree, in which a Pakistani widow travels to the High Court to protect her lemon grove from Israel’s paranoid Defence Minister. They can expect to be shaken by the Oscar-nominated Katyn, Andrzej Wajda’s powerful drama about the infamous Soviet massacre. All of these films, and many others, are guaranteed to linger with audience members, and to fuel plenty of post-film discussion.

Furthermore, while the Festival Films have always served as portals across the globe, Hopkins argues that this year their reach is also far wider than ever before. “It’s much more of a global picture than usual; I think we’re transporting people more this year. We’ve got two Israeli films, for example, and one Iranian film, Lemon Tree, which is a fine film.”

Despite this evolution, though, the Festival season begins as always, with a couple of lighter films set in familiar, Western contexts. “My hardest job is finding the opening films,” Hopkins confesses, “We try to open with an English language film if we can. We want something to ease people into the program, sometimes perhaps a French comedy. One year we had nothing so I put in Affliction, which was great and won all those awards, but was just too heavy.”

Last week, Sommerville lit up with Young@Heart, a heart-warming piece that sees pensioners reinvigorated by a turn towards punk, disco and rock music. Meanwhile at Joondalup Pines, the British comedy, Grow Your Own, which charts the relationship between a group of “grumpy old men” and the family of asylum seekers that take over a nearby garden patch, has apparently received rave reviews from Joondalup’s large English community. The two films swap locations for the coming week.

For those still uncertain, Hopkins has a couple of recommendations. “I’ve Loved You So Long is the best film in the Festival. Also, apart from the storyline, I think that the style of animation for Waltz with Bashir is amazing, that’s why it’s winning all these awards. You the Living also, is bizarre yet terrific. Every scene is like a picture postcard, and there’s this one scene where a couple get married on a house on train which is just mesmerising.”

In amongst these global stories, Hopkins also disperses a series of West Australian shorts. “I just don’t want to throw in any short with any feature,” she warns, “they’ve got to work together; usually it’s in terms of fitting the subject matter together.” Hopkins also hopes to one day premier a W.A. feature film, but in the meantime one aspect of the festival remains unchanged; its commitment to delivering fascinating stories from all across the globe to the most isolated city within it.