Nitram

Here's a film nobody really anticipated - the life of Martin Bryant in the months prior to him killing 35 people in Tasmania in 1996. The film is very careful not to mention him - his name isn't uttered once, hence the anadrome of the title (see: Trebor mints or the Harpo production company). Director Justin Kurzel says he was "incredibly scared" of the script when he first got it, and the film was shot in Victoria to avoid rubbing local rawness if shot in Tassie. The previously linked Guardian article by Kelly Burke details the understandable reasons some people have for objecting to the existence of Nitram. While I see their point entirely, I reckon it's an important film as it deals with a part of our recent history that most of us would rather forget. No harm in picking open some old scars, checking what's inside.

Caleb Landy Jones, as the lead, is superb, not least because he's a Texan doing a perfect cover version of a maladjusted, Aussie skegg from the 90s. All the main players are excellent - Judy Davis as Mum (who has the great final shot of the film), Anthony LaPaglia as Dad, and Essie Davis as the reclusive Helen, who befriends Nitram. Though this relationship seems fanciful, some net research shows most of the events are depicted accurately, but it's probably best to watch the film and then do some post-viewing googling if you're so inclined.

During the film, the creeping sense of dread is ever-present, especially if you're old enough to remember what happened that day. I'd imagine you'd feel it, even if you're completely unaware of the story, as the set-up is solidly outlined, from the opening scene of (the real) Nitram in hospital as a child talking about the fireworks scrape that put him in there, to the scenes of him being prescribed medicine, to his awkward family exchanges. There's to be no gratification at the end of this, and the script cleverly lays that out for us. 

The angle, I suppose you'd call it, is the ease with which Nitram was able to come by his weaponry, once he'd developed the idea to slaughter (incidentally, it's suggested here that the slightly earlier Dunblane massacre was the driving motivator). The 'sharp intake of breath' scene of him gormlessly obtaining guns and ammo in a shop (and the staff overlooking his lack of licenses) is the key to the filmmakers' position. The end title cards noting that there are more guns in Australia now than pre-1996 is a bit of a rude shock.

A difficult film to watch but, if you can come to an agreement with your moral compass, it's definitely worth your time.

Nitram opens at the Luna and Palace cinemas on Sep 30th.

See also:

Rowan Woods' The Boys (1998) also deals with the build up to a real life Aussie crime, and Tilda Swinton takes on the role that Judy Davis seems set for at the end of Nitram in Lynne Ramsay's excellent We Need to Talk About Kevin (2011).

Ainbo: Amazon Princess

A young Amazonian girl bounding around on a tree like Mowgli in The Jungle Book opens this Peruvian/Dutch/German co-production. We soon discover that this is the Ainbo of the title, and that her best friend, Zumi, is about to be crowned leader of their tribe. A relatively quick whip- round of characters introduces us to the two leads; a smarmy village thug called Atok; Zumi’s father and current tribal chief, Huarinka; Ainbo’s foster mother, Chuni; as well as two ‘loopy’ spirit guides, Dillo and Vaca (a bespectacled armadillo and a clumsy tapir).

The environmental theme is also introduced early on, in the form of dying fish and disease in the village, attributed to a curse but, as we find out later, the result of something more real, and more troubling. Ainbo is convinced by her spirit guides to embark on a trek to find a magical root that will save the village. On her journey she must deal with various perils, ranging from a pursuing Atok, and a gigantic sloth in his volcano home, to the jungle demon, Yakuruna, the appearance of whom might be a bit much for the smaller humans in the audience.

Throughout Ainbo’s quest, Zumi is trying to juggle her new leadership duties with her concerns for her best friend’s safety. This sisterly dynamic plays out in a familiar way - it’s basically Elsa and Anna in the jungle but without all the irritating singing. Co-directors Richard Claus and Jose Zelada keep the pace tight and the sight gags light, while also attempting to address the actual ‘curse’ of the Amazon, the despoliation of nature. The message of standing up to the corporate vandals is admirable, though at one point it strays dangerously close to lumping modern medicine in with the mining companies’ dirty tricks.

There are some nicely rendered visuals (with art direction by Pierre Salazar), especially in the village scenes, and the film’s resolution, while a little sad, is also affirming. Unlike some of Pixar’s work, there’s not much here for adults, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. It’s refreshing to occasionally find a film that aims squarely at a younger audience.

Now for some reason, this film is subtitled Amazon Princess in some territories and Spirit of the Amazon in others. I reckon the latter is more apt, as you'll understand when you watch it. 

Ainbo: Amazon Princess (in Australia) is showing - where cinemas are open - from Sep 16th.

[Most of this review was also published on the Film Ink site - https://www.filmink.com.au/reviews/ainbo-amazon-princess/]

See also:

For Amazon content you can't go past Werner Herzog's Aguirre, the Wrath of God (1972), and The Jungle Book (1967), directed by Wolfgang Reitherman (cracking name!) was the first film I saw at the movies. A few years after initial release, thanks.

Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings

Marvel's phase 4 is gathering pace with Shang-Chi following on the heels of Black Widow (though the Johansson vehicle would ideally have been released in 2020). This is a relatively unknown character in the Marvel universe, at least to a non-com like me, so the prospect of a new avenue was semi-tantalising. In a nutshell, there's nothing really new here, but also nothing terrible or disappointing. 

Simu Liu and Awkwafina play 20-something slacker mates in San Francisco, working as valets and singing karaoke into the wee hours. A pretty gnarly bus incident sets the plot into action and the ABCs (American Born Chinese) find themselves in Macao looking for Shaun's (Shang's) sister, Xialing, played by newcomer, Meng'er Zhang. Cue another mintox fight scene, this time on wooden scaffolds up the side of a high-rise, reminiscent of classics such as Drunken Master 2 and um, Rush Hour 2. 

Here is where the daddy issues ramp up, as the legendary Tony Leung enters the game. He needs his children to help him rescue their mother, who he believes is being held captive the village of Ta Lo, which just happens to be in another dimension. This utter balderdash is where some people I know lost patience but this was the point where it became Crouching Tiger, Kung Fu Panda 3 with some Fantastic Beasts thrown in. And any film that can make me think of Bullitt, In the Mood for Love, and Jackie Chan's portfolio, is ok in my books.

Oh, and one cameo in particular warmed my cockles.

See also:

As well as (some of) the films mentioned above, I'm partial to Zhang Yimou's House of Flying Daggers (2004) and Tran Anh Hung's Cyclo (1995), the latter starring Tony Leung.

Pig

So, how do you like your Cage? It's a common cry to suggest that he's either overcooked or raw ham but I reckon that's pretty reductive. Sure, he's often bonkers and he has been in some absolute shite, I'll concur with that. But to say he's doing something extraordinary in Pig, simply because he's NOT opening his eyes as wide as possible or moving his head around way too frenetically, is falling for the (probably unintentional) deceit. He's fine here, understated, measured, with a few great little speeches and I'd agree that it's one of his better performances. But go easy on the adulation just because he's quiet.

Pig is a story about a man who has to deal with loss - and the pig is only the most recent one. Cage plays Rob, a reclusive Oregon forest dweller, who makes a small crust collecting truffles for a callow fellow from the city restaurant trade, Amir, played by Alex Wolff. Equilibrium is suddenly upset by the pig-napping incident and Rob sets out on a singular task - get the pig back. Writer/director Michael Sarnoski and co-writer Vanessa Block might have used Cage's reputation here to suggest this was to become a kind of John Wick style revenge thriller, but what it actually does is subvert that course. Though it does flirt shamelessly with Fight Club (a weird scene in a Portland basement), it ends up more similar to Ratatouille by the end. You'll get my drift if you see it.

It's a film about remembering (and maybe trying to forget) and it's a film about growth; personal in the form of Amir and, to a lesser extent, his father, Darius (Adam Arkin); as well as industry growth, namely the food and restaurant industry. Rob's monologue to Chef Finway (David Knell) that nothing's 'real' and that he has abandoned his dream clearly shows how the film feels about this change. Just a thought: it's notable that Rob is almost the only main character who DOESN'T change, even down to not cleaning the blood, snot and scabs off his face and clothes. There are changes happening all around him but he remains pretty much as he was at the start. Perhaps we're to assume that his arc happened before the film takes place.

Technically speaking, Pig is on point. There are some fantastic shots of the forest and the editing is very well paced - lingering when required, faster when the stakes rise. My one quibble would be the song used at the end - judge for yourself, but I thought it an odd choice. I mean, I don't mind Black Sabbath... but War Pigs? Hmmm.

Pig opens at the Luna Leederville and Palace cinemas on Sep 16th.

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I feel like it's right to back up my whinge from the opening paragraph. For me, Cage's best performances are still in Raising Arizona (1987), directed by the Coen Brothers, Vampire's Kiss (1988), by Robert Bierman, Adaptation. (2002), by Spike Jonze and The Weather Man (2005), by Gore Verbinski. Pig gets mighty close to these, though.

MILD SPOILERAGE WITHIN POD...

Coming Home in the Dark

Here's a brutally tense, Kiwi kidnap thriller from first time feature director, James Ashcroft. A family of four - mum, dad, two teenage sons - drive to the (mostly) uninhabited mountains, somewhere in NZ. A relaxing holiday is the plan. Enter two ne'er-do-wells, Mandrake and Tubs (Daniel Gillies and Matthias Luafutu), and things start to get messy. Mandrake's line sums up the dread - "That point right there is probably going to be the time you wished you'd done something" (or words to that effect). What follows is surprising and pretty hard to forget.

As this kind of genre film goes, Coming Home in the Dark hits all the likely beats. Victim can't react for obvious fear. Stakes increase. Baddies get more desperate and cruel. Rapprochement is attempted. Revenge is promised. Escape is close but wait, oh no, it isn't. And so on. This film differs from something like Wolf Creek in that there's a simmering, underlying secret that links the victims and the perpetrators. The slow unpicking of this mysterious backstory is delicately worked through, interspersed with moments of real shock and violence.

Erik Thomson and Miriama McDowell play the parents, with real brothers Billy and Frankie Paratene as the lads, and the panic and helplessness is beautifully played, especially by McDowell. But the star turns are from Gillies and Luafutu. Their relationship, and the significance of 'stumbling upon' the family, is wonderfully teased out. There's a scene in a semi-abandoned car race track where you can just about feel where the atmosphere of their partnership changes. The 'home' of the title is not what it first seems and the opening and closing shots hint to a poignancy that isn't often found in these kinds of films. If this write-up reads like I'm stepping on eggshells, that's about right. This is best seen devoid of any knowledge of the film. I've probably already said too much.

Coming Home in the Dark opens at the Luna Leederville on Sep 9th.

See also:

Not really big on these kidnap films but Denis Villeneuve's Prisoners (2013) is a fine example, and for more Kiwi accents (but no other similarity), have a look at Jemaine Clement and Taika Waititi's What We Do in the Shadows (2014 film and 2019 TV show).