Despite the opening shots of this 2005 movie, which follow young mother Sonja (Deborah Francois) and her very vocal new-born baby around the city, it is as the story unravels that you begin to realise that it is, in fact, Sonja's 19 year-old boyfriend, Bruno (Jeremie Renier) that is the child of the film's title.
Bruno, unemployed and exiled from a caring family life, refuses to work, instead choosing the 'easy' way to survive - wheeling and dealing in petty crime, feeding off the misfortune of others. It is not until one criminal act puts him in a direct position of responsibility for the safety of his very young accomplice that Bruno is forced to behave like not only an adult, but also as a responsible father-figure.
Whilst this 'coming of age' plot may, on the surface, sound like a fairly rudimentary genre-piece, what propels it to a masterpiece is the way the directors (Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne) went about 'painting' the film's exterior with layers of depth and subtle poignancy.
The colour pallete they chose for the look of the film is mostly muted and neutral, but is strikingly contrasted with brush-strokes of dense primary colours (green, red, yellow, blue) - resulting in a consistent, yet wonderfully subtle, reminder of a child's nursery, or kindergarten.
The hand-held camera work is so careful not to intrude (despite constantly being on a leash with the characters) that it simply blends into it's environment: you almost forget you're watching a staged performance.
The soundtrack, apart from one short scene in the car with a radio playing, is completely void of music, instead just picking up the aural ambiance of inner-city life.
All these exterior choices add to the authenticity of the film, and really just allow the focus to rest with the superb screenplay and acting performances. This is a definite sign of self-assured, mature, and masterful direction.
In the closing scene of the movie, vibrant colours are etched onto the walls and onto Sonja's clothing, yet Bruno is stripped of this playfulness, instead being dressed in a stark grey/white uniform. This is a brilliant use of metaphor to show Bruno's transition from an immature child into a blank canvas from which to transform into adulthood. The couple's emotional embrace - mirroring, yet directly contrasting, the opening scenes carefree, youthful embrace - reflects their understanding of the difficult task it is to be responsible parents. They are scared, but they are not alone.
As critic Margaret Pomeranz sighed; L'enfants is an "exquisite film", and one of a very very subtle and understated brilliance.
L'enfants (The Child) was released in 2005, and is now available on DVD
Wednesday, December 10, 2008
Monday, December 8, 2008
[Review] 2008: A Year With Music
Similar to my film viewing habits, this year I have broadened my horizons in regards to the music that I have been buying/listening to. However, unlike my experiences with film, where I went out of my way to seek out non-commercial screenings, my journey with music has been much more organic.
For the majority of my youth, I was holistically enraptured by electronic dance music, to the point where I had no inkling to explore other genres. The tide began to change in March of 2007, when I bought myself vinyl turntables and hit Sydney's 2nd-hand record shops. Simply by spending many hours digging through crate after crate, I slowly yet surely began exiting with a wide range of different sounds and styles.
This growing curiosity for new sounds became an unquenchable thirst when, in February of this year, I started a new job and made 2 new friends, with whom I discussed music at any available opportunity. Increasingly, I would hereafter walk into record shops with a much more educated awareness of what 'important' artists and albums I should be looking out for.
Here is a 30 minute mix of some of the music which has been making a deep connection with me this year. 2008 was a year in which my passion for music and film took a giant surge forward, although it was also a year that saw a number of close friendships slowly begin drifting away with the changing tides of life. The reason I seem to be drawn to the melancholic and bittersweet emotions within this music is no doubt a reflection of the experiences this year has provided me with.
'White & Blue'
01 Brian Eno - Aragon (1978)
02 Radiohead - All I Need (2007)
03 Earl Grant - Gee Baby, Ain't I Good To You (1961)
04 Art Garfunkel - Ragdoll (1975)
05 The Brian Jonestown Massacre - We Are... (2007)
06 Kerri Chandler - I Think Of You (Reprise) (2006)
07 The Cure - All Cat's Are Grey (1980)
08 Louis Armstrong - Black And Blue (1929)
Download link (right-click, save as...)
For the majority of my youth, I was holistically enraptured by electronic dance music, to the point where I had no inkling to explore other genres. The tide began to change in March of 2007, when I bought myself vinyl turntables and hit Sydney's 2nd-hand record shops. Simply by spending many hours digging through crate after crate, I slowly yet surely began exiting with a wide range of different sounds and styles.
This growing curiosity for new sounds became an unquenchable thirst when, in February of this year, I started a new job and made 2 new friends, with whom I discussed music at any available opportunity. Increasingly, I would hereafter walk into record shops with a much more educated awareness of what 'important' artists and albums I should be looking out for.
Here is a 30 minute mix of some of the music which has been making a deep connection with me this year. 2008 was a year in which my passion for music and film took a giant surge forward, although it was also a year that saw a number of close friendships slowly begin drifting away with the changing tides of life. The reason I seem to be drawn to the melancholic and bittersweet emotions within this music is no doubt a reflection of the experiences this year has provided me with.
'White & Blue'
01 Brian Eno - Aragon (1978)
02 Radiohead - All I Need (2007)
03 Earl Grant - Gee Baby, Ain't I Good To You (1961)
04 Art Garfunkel - Ragdoll (1975)
05 The Brian Jonestown Massacre - We Are... (2007)
06 Kerri Chandler - I Think Of You (Reprise) (2006)
07 The Cure - All Cat's Are Grey (1980)
08 Louis Armstrong - Black And Blue (1929)
Download link (right-click, save as...)
Sunday, December 7, 2008
[Review] 2008: A Year Of Film
Film - 2008 was a year in which I made a concerted effort to attend more film festivals, with the aim of broadening my awareness of world cinema (as opposed to simply the cinema from big American studios). In brief, I managed to attend film festivals from Mexico, Germany, Israel, and Italy, as well as Sydney (both the International and Underground festival), along with a trek down to Melbourne for their International film festival. It was great to not only see some brilliant movies, but to also be amongst the community-based, film-appreciation astmosphere of such festivals.
I have completed 2 short courses at Sydney University in International Film History. The first of which was taught by Andrew Urban (Urbancinefile). This course was particularly beneficial, because Andrew consistently had guest speakers from each of the countries we focused on (e.g. the director of the German Film Festival, and the Minister for Culture of Argentina). The second course was with David Stratton ('At The Movies'), where we focused on international films from the 1980's era. Whilst overall the 80's wasn't really a period of huge inspiration for me (although i particularly took interest in the British realist cinema of that time), simply listening to David talk about movies was inspiring in itself - as my bulging notepad attests to! Luminary guests such as director Jane Campion ('The Piano') and actress Rachel Ward ('Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid') also heavily inspired. Both courses were great in the sense of contextualising what was happening in film with what was happening in society. As Greek director Costa Gavras ('Missing') said; "film should act as a mirror to society, it should make people think".
Always a nice way to round off the year is to vote in the online 'Best Of' poll' for the 'At The Movies' film review show, hosted by Margaret Pomeranz and David Stratton. After some consideration, these are my top 5 films from 2008 that were commerically released in Australian cinemas. The consistent theme amongst these 5 films is that I always exited the theatre a changed person; these films all had a heavy impact on me, and they all served as a very clear mirror to society.
1. Waltz With Bashir (Israel)
2. The Diving Bell & The Butterfly (France)
3. Hunger (UK)
4. Towelhead (USA)
5. Ten Empty (Australia)
I have completed 2 short courses at Sydney University in International Film History. The first of which was taught by Andrew Urban (Urbancinefile). This course was particularly beneficial, because Andrew consistently had guest speakers from each of the countries we focused on (e.g. the director of the German Film Festival, and the Minister for Culture of Argentina). The second course was with David Stratton ('At The Movies'), where we focused on international films from the 1980's era. Whilst overall the 80's wasn't really a period of huge inspiration for me (although i particularly took interest in the British realist cinema of that time), simply listening to David talk about movies was inspiring in itself - as my bulging notepad attests to! Luminary guests such as director Jane Campion ('The Piano') and actress Rachel Ward ('Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid') also heavily inspired. Both courses were great in the sense of contextualising what was happening in film with what was happening in society. As Greek director Costa Gavras ('Missing') said; "film should act as a mirror to society, it should make people think".
Always a nice way to round off the year is to vote in the online 'Best Of' poll' for the 'At The Movies' film review show, hosted by Margaret Pomeranz and David Stratton. After some consideration, these are my top 5 films from 2008 that were commerically released in Australian cinemas. The consistent theme amongst these 5 films is that I always exited the theatre a changed person; these films all had a heavy impact on me, and they all served as a very clear mirror to society.
1. Waltz With Bashir (Israel)
2. The Diving Bell & The Butterfly (France)
3. Hunger (UK)
4. Towelhead (USA)
5. Ten Empty (Australia)
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