Film Shapes

Popped along to the Luna the other night with Roly to see The Nightingale , Jennifer Kent's second feature after The Babadook . I've been vacillating about this film since then. I can't quite decide if I liked it or not and that's the nub of things. It's a beautiful film. And it's an unsettling film too. Set in 1825 Tasmania, it's humming with violence and the constant threat of it. This has apparently been a major turn-off for some audiences, with walk-outs and folk staying away from screenings. As confronting as this sexual and racial violence is, I reckon it's required viewing, especially for Australians unaware of our history. But I think the 'story' of the violence detracts a bit from the themes of trauma, companionship and trust that Aisling Franciosi and Baykali Ganambarr portray so well throughout. The story is a pretty straightforward revenge journey and the scenes of the Tasmanian bush are amazing to see, betraying the horror...

The first time we tried catching Dogman at the Luna Leederville the showing was sold out, so we returned the next day. I reckon the full house may have had more to do with the fact that there were 24 seats in the screening room than any 'buzz' around the film. This was selected for competition at Cannes and Matteo Garrone is a fairly big name in Italian cinema, what with Gomorrah and Reality to his credit, but a sell-out? Hmmm. Anyway, Dogman is not a film based on the popular kids book, nor is it some kind of werewolf drama. It's Garrone's bleak look at the dodgy side of Italy - drugs, violence, poverty and unhinged masculinity (the only females in the film are the Dogman's ex(?)-wife and daughter). The dogman of the title is a dog groomer/kennel owner, played by relative unknown, Marcello Fonte and for all his simpering unlikeability, he's pretty good in this, his first lead role. He actually won the Best Actor award at Cannes for the role. There a...