One for the Road

One for the Road is an Apfel Schnapps tale with a Kornbrand edge to it. Mark (Frederick Lau) is a Berlin construction manager and a high-functioning alcoholic. One night, he's rumbled by the cops as he's re-parking his car, pissed out of his head. Forced to undertake an alcohol awareness course, he initially bridles at the suggestion of having a 'problem' but soon begins to see what most others see - a bloke afflicted.

Helena (Nora Tschirner) is also on the course, with similar problems but more resignation as to her plight. The two of them make a pact to try to support each other as they attempt to dry out. And, of course, things don't go so smoothly. An earlier bet with his mate, Nadim (Burak Yigit), ends in a chance meeting with a group of guys dressed as beer bottles on a buck's night (see below).

This veers quite close to preachiness in its, admittedly sensible, take on alcohol consumption but the performances do a lot to compensate. Lau is fantastic - the dude has a chameleon face - Ralph Fiennes, Liam Neeson, Chris Pratt, even Frank Lampard at an odd angle. He has the perfect look for the role - confident, twitchy, sad and surprised - all at once. Tschirner is equal to him, her quiet, almost fatalistic repose can turn into fearsome rage in a second. And their course facilitator, Dr. Blau (a great turn by Godehard Giese) is incredibly off-putting, though ultimately helpful. 

The film doesn't break any boundaries but it has a lot of charm and the Berlin setting is a cool plus point. There are a few awkward moments, and the viewer is very much seeing the action through sober, disapproving eyes, but the climax is a well-deserved redemption of sorts.

One for the Road is screening as part of the HSBC German Film Festival from May 7 to June 5 around Australia - May 16 to June 5 in Perth at Palace and Luna cinemas.

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This has elements of Danny Boyle's Trainspotting (1996), as well as Jean-Jacques Beineix's Betty Blue (1986).

Civil War

This is Alex Garland's fourth film as director. He first wrote some novels, including The Beach, then moved onto writing films (often for Danny Boyle, though strangely, not The Beach), and then moved onto directing his own scripts. His debut as a writer/director was the excellent Ex Machina. Sadly, this looks more and more like a false dawn. His follow-up, Annihilation, had some promise but lacked something, maybe humour, maybe humility, maybe just an experienced head. His next film, Men, again began with an interesting premise, but rapidly disappeared up its own arse. 

So, now to Civil War. First off, it's an improvement on his previous effort. It's set in the near future where the unnamed U.S. President (Nick Offerman) is scrabbling to save his bacon from the approaching Western Forces of California and Texas. It would appear that the 'United States' are much less united in this alternate reality. But here's Garland's proposal - this might actually happen, people! It's a cute flip on the insurrection issue - in this U.S., the rebels seem to be on the left, of sorts, opposed to those antler-wearing incels from the Jan 6th 2021 edition. 

Said Pres has been in office for at least 3 terms (Aussies may imagine an American version of horrid little Johnny Howard), he's disbanded the FBI and has ordered airstrikes on his own citizens. So, let's say it's reasonable, though very unlikely, for California and Texas to join forces and attack the capital/capitol. Even Florida have a breakaway secessionist group. The fantasy is fun but Garland is more than hinting that this may occur if the Orange Twat gets back into power. He's never been backward in coming forward. All that said, there's no real mention of any policies or, in fact, the identity of the Democrats or Republicans. There are, to twist a shit-quote, 'bad people on both sides'.

The plot goes that photographer, Lee (Kirsten Dunst) and journalist, Joel (Wagner Moura) plan to get to Washington D.C. to interview the Pres before the rebels have their way with him. The direct route from New York to D.C. is blocked, so a more scenic path is chosen. Along for the ride are old hand journo, Sammy (Stephen McKinley Henderson) and young photographer, Jessie (a 'best on ground' Cailee Spaeny). Getting there is more than half the fun. There are some solid scenes on the way to Washington D.C. but the climax is simultaneously overblown and micro - it seems to peter out a bit, albeit in a cacophony of gunfire.

The tension on the road trip is great, with a telegraphed generational handing over - Sammy has already virtually clocked out and Jessie is primed to take the reins from Lee. The fantastically nervy body pit scene with Jesse Plemmons (uncredited) is the catalyst for the spiritual trade - Jessie even tells Lee later that she 'has never been more afraid, but has never felt more alive.' From this point on, their relationship plays like an energy vampire and victim, Colin Robinson (from What We Do in the Shadows) with a Nikon FE.

This is about two-thirds of a good film, with some memorable scenes and a neat bit of counter-factual hypothesising. In general though, it struggles to get off the ground and has trouble landing the climax. Maybe Garland's claim that he's going to step back from directing might turn out for the best - he's certainly a better writer than director.

Civil War is still showing around Australia at time of writing (May 12 2024).

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The war reporting angle is reminiscent of Michael Winterbottom's fantastic Welcome to Sarajevo (1997), and the journey scenes through suitably hellish landscapes bring to mind Garland's own script for the Danny Boyle film, 28 Days Later (2002). 

Not a Word

Not a Word is a slow burner that never actually catches fire. Nina is a maestra with a big performance on the horizon. Lars is her teenage son, as stroppy as they come. Has something happened to make him this as way? Will we ever find out? Well, it's a good 40 minutes or so until the subject is broached, and that's the nub of the film. Thematically, it's all about the unsaid, the lack of discussion and the effects this kind of verbal inertia can have on relationships - in this case, mother and son. Fair topic, but I found this reeked of missed opportunities.

The performance of Maren Eggert as Nina is solid enough, though not Hüller level, nor even Kruger. It's the character of Lars, though, that wound me up. Jona Levin Nicolai plays him without an ounce of empathy, sure he's a surly teen but there's zero connection with the audience here. Nina is supposed to be equally guilty of fractures in their pairing, yet I was 100% on her side in this. I'm not sure that's what writer/director, Hanna Slak was after. At times, I felt like I was watching the filmic bastard child of Tár and We Need to Talk About Kevin.

As a salve to the problems, including an 'accident' at school, mum and lad head off to an island off the French coast for a few days. Here's where Claire Mathon's cinematography comes to the fore, maybe even the rescue. The landscape and the cute little fishing village stand out against stormy seas and skies. It's a great location, shot well.

The visuals are the best thing in the film. The classical score, while logically connected to Nina's job, is obtrusive and jarring. The pacing is oddly flat, making the short runtime feel a lot longer. There are also too many instances where mum answers her phone right on the point of a conversational breakthrough, where one, maybe two, would have been enough.

Unfortunately, Not a Word is a promising concept, done much better elsewhere. And the kid isn't quite as odious as Joffrey Lannister, though it's a close run thing. 

Not a Word is showing at the German Film Festival, which runs at the Palace and Luna cinemas from May 16 to June 5 (earlier in other Australian capitals).

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If you're after emotions on an island, look no further than Céline Sciamma's Portrait of a Lady on Fire (2019). Also on the island theme, Bergman Island (2021), directed by Mia Hansen-Løve, is an interesting film.