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Interview - Filip Hammar and Fredrik Wikingsson on 'The Last Journey'
- Details
- Written by Matthew Toomey
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The Last Journey has become the highest grossing documentary in Swedish history and while they were recently touring Australia, I had the chance to sit down with directors Filip Hammar and Fredrik Wikingsson about their wonderful project…
Matt: Have you guys been to Australia before?
Fredrik: Once in the late 1990s, but I was recuperating from a week of heavy partying in Thailand, so it wasn't the best experience. It was a semi joyful experience back then, but now it's, uh, I enjoy it even more.
Matt: This is such a beautiful film. I’d describe it as one that’s almost impossible to dislike.
Filip: Wow that should be on the poster. Can we use it as a blurb?
Matt: You’re more than welcome to! It’s been a big success in Sweden. Was there a moment when you realized this was going to connect with audiences and become as popular as it did?
Filip: At first, we were truly petrified. You invest so much time and so many feelings in trying to create something that will hopefully resonate with an audience, but you never know. We’ve done movies and TV shows before, but this is by far the best response we've ever had.
Fredrik: At the premiere there was so much love in the room. Now of course you have family and friends there so it's going to be a little tainted, but we've had premieres before where you can almost feel like you're in the “spin zone” and people are telling you what they expect you to want to hear. For this film, the applause at the end when we reached the microphone to say thank you, it was a really special atmosphere.
Matt: The way we approach old age – it’s such an interesting subject matter for a film and there’s a lot to reflect on watching a movie like this. Did you learn a lot yourselves as part of the filmmaking process?
Filip: Yes, because this started out as just me wanting to do a trip with my dad to cheer him up. I wouldn't I was naive, but I wanted my old dad back and I was thinking that could happen. It later dawned on me that even though he's another guy now, this is the version of him I should enjoy because it’s also an interesting chapter of his life and my life and there’s a lot of beauty to that. I think we all fear getting old as well, right?
Matt: The old home movies from Lars’s retirement are a nice touch – as they show him as more zestful with a desire to travel. It feels like the perfect material to open the film with but I’m guessing you had no idea how useful it would be when you shot it back in 2008?
Fredrik: Filip told me his dad was going to retire and asked to borrow a camera. I can't remember the details, but he just wanted to, save that for later in life, I guess. When we started planning this trip and I asked “didn't you film the day he went into retirement?” and then we looked at the footage and it was heartbreaking because he's so optimistic about what this third age in his life will bring and the contrast to what actually happened when he lost his context of being a teacher every day is just staggering.
Filip: It was so obvious. Fredrik looked at that material before me. He said brace yourself before you look at it. I think that's something people can resonate with as well. You see someone on the day of retirement talking about the “troisième âge” which is a French expression for the third age where they go “I'm gonna do this, I'm gonna do that. I'm really gonna enjoy not having to go to my job every day.” When you cut to who he is now, it's very sad and devastating but I also think it's quite common.
Matt: I have to ask an obvious question to Filip – what was your dad’s reaction when he saw it for the first time?
Filip: I'm going to leave that to Fredrik.
Fredrik: I called Phillip two weeks before the premiere and asked “you have shown the film to your parents, right?” because that's very important. He put his life in our hands, and I know Filip well enough to know when he starts formulating a lie. It's like a word salad comes out of his mouth and he's mumbling, but it amounted to him saying, “well, you know, I tried to show the film to my parents, but my mother kept talking, so I had to abort the whole thing.”
So I, Fredrik, had to call his mother and say “did Filip really try to show the film to you?” and they were “oh, that's nonsense, we have seen nothing!” I then showed it to them and Filip’s dad watched it intently for 90 minutes and then he turned to me and said “this movie has class.” He was very happy.
Filip: I think it was surprised by the “bigness” of the film because he's treated as someone who had this prominent career and who was famous and successful. In the end, he's just a regular guy and that was also something we did intentionally.
Fredrik: Even though it's a documentary, it plays like a feature biopic about a person who nobody knows but it's worth telling the story of.
Matt: It’s an important father-son road trip but at the same time, you’re also trying to make something which can work as a movie. How much of the “script”, if we can call it that, was planned in advance as opposed to just letting things happen?
Filip: We’ve done some scripted stuff as well but this what we love doing. We had this idea of a road trip but then asked questions like should Fredrik be on camera as well? Now, it comes off as a very reasonable decision because he's great and comes off as a very good friend. Change is not something we embrace that often in life, especially when it's about something so sad and complicated as getting older. Fredrik has seen me in denial for many years when I talk about my dad.
Fredrik: When you're planning a documentary film, it's like being a mad professor in a laboratory. You throw a lot of ingredients in and hope something will happen. This was “okay, can we bring Lars’ zest for life back by going on this trip down to the south of France to a place he used to love and remind him of what makes life worth living and then played by ear?”
We then wanted to stage a few things that were near and dear to him. He loves when French people argue in traffic so Filip asked me, can we make that happen somehow? I immediately said we can do that with actors but only if we let the audience in on it because it needs to be honest.
Filip: We also knew we wanted to make an original film. It’s devastating and funny, but it was important for us also to not to gravitate towards clichés. Fredrik sometimes calls this film Eat Pray Love for smart people. If we went down the cliché path, we could have gone to different vineyards for example. When I remember my dad at his happiest, it was when he experienced the French temper, or when he was standing on that balcony in the small apartment we rented telling stories about Harry Belafonte… stores that are not even that good. Those scenes add a much-needed originality to the film.
I think we all have our own family lore where you have the romanticised stories your dad or mom told you every year, and when you see your parents, you're like, “okay here we go again…. now he's going tell that story.”
Matt: An important theme in the film is getting out of your comfort zone and exploring other countries and other cultures. There’s somewhat of a push against that at the moment and I’ve read about some locals in European countries complaining about overtourism. Did you encounter any of that as part of your travels?
Fredrik: Not really. The fun part is if you travel in an old vintage Renault 4 from 1971, everybody is happy to see you and people are waving.
Filip: It's almost like an animated Pixar film. It's a Pixar friendly car!
Fredrik: I think people realize that you're going to the south of France to show that area was paradise to him. That was an advantage for us and it’s not like we were doing investigative journalism.
Filip: It’s not only us, but people in general give too much to the French. The French don't oppose tourism. They're already self-confident and so they're like “of course he wants to come to France.” With that debate in Europe, I think it's more the Brits coming to Ibiza and just getting smashed for 3 months and people going “get them out of here.”
Matt: I felt for sure the Renault would break down, but it actually held up really well?
Fredrik: Well, it didn't really. In so many films, like Little Miss Sunshine, where there is a fun old car, it always breaks down. So, we said it needs to break down in a completely original way for us to show it on camera otherwise it would have been predictable. There were a few small mishaps, but we cut them out because that's what people expect.
Matt: Filip, how is your dad doing right now? Does he have any more plans to travel?
Filip: I hope so but in the end I make the bigger journey in this film than he does. He truly enjoyed this trip, and he left the recliner that became a symbol for a life that had stopped in some ways. We took him out of that chair, and I think he wants to do things again, but at the same time, you can't reverse time. I can't sit here and say “oh, he's a completely different person.” He's not.
I ask him “are you happy now… look at the success of this film?” He then says “you always ask me to look so happy… maybe I'm happy on the inside” and you know, I think that's probably the truth. I think he's very proud. It's not like he's having a lot of fun and doing crazy things, but I do believe this meant a lot for him, and he is happier.
Interview - Director Michael Morris on 'Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy'
- Details
- Written by Matthew Toomey
The Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy gang rolled into Sydney for the Australian premiere and I had the chance to speak with director Michael Morris about this 4th instalment in the popular series.
Matt: As a director coming on board to an existing franchise, what’s your creative approach? Do you have a clean slate to do whatever you want, or do you watch the previous movies and incorporate their style and their elements into this?
Michael: My approach is to become as familiar as possible with the world of the film. It’s a franchise which has existed for 25 years and therefore it’s full of incident and detail. It’s not a franchise about a shapeshifter or a wizard or a woman who fights crime or breaths underwater… it’s just about one woman’s life as she lives in a city.
I look back on 25 years of my life and I still have stuff on my bookshelf. If there was a favourite t-shirt I had 25 years ago, there’s a good chance it’s still in my closet. I wanted her world to feel real and so it should have photos from the other films, and it should have sly references and things hanging on the wall that might remind you of something. It’s how we live, I think.
Matt: Renée Zellweger is a two-time Oscar winning actress, but I have a sense this is the role she’s best known for. Having worked with her so closely here, what is it about Renée that makes her such a great fit for the character?
Michael: Truly, she is Bridget Jones. She’s 25 years into it. My experience is that it was like making a film with Bridget as much as it was with Renée. Why she was so great in the beginning is such an interesting question. Renée is the least “starry” Hollywood actress I’ve ever come across. Everything she does is one-on-one and she dissolves the boundaries you’d think might be there.
She talks to people, she confesses things about her life, and she laughs at herself. She likes to be close to be people and she makes people feel very close to her. In the same way, Bridget reaches through the screen and makes people feel like they’re friends with her. That part of her is all Renée.
Matt: There are a lot of returning characters and each feel like they have their own small subplot. How do you balance all of that up inside of two hours? Was it clear from the outset or was there experimentation in the editing room?
Michael: There was a lot of editing work. The first cut where I said “I’ve got it” was 2 hours and 40 minutes. For me, it was a process of understanding what the 2 hour and 40-minute version is so that I can then make it a 2 hour and 30-minute version which is a better version.
It’s one of the big advantages of this franchise. It’s incredible. When you’re listing the actors who are in this and you start talking about Gemma Jones, Jim Broadbent, Sarah Solemani, Sally Phillips. Shirley Henderson alone is an unbelievably talented actress, and I haven’t even talked about Emma Thompson yet. It’s absurd.
Matt: We learn at the outset that Colin Firth’s Mr Darcy has passed away prior to the events of this film. He does appear in a couple of cameos and was curious about the decision to visually incorporate him into the film in that way?
Michael: For me, that’s important. I needed to find a way to see and feel his presence in the film because it’s a major part of what this film is about. I gather there are some die-hard fans who’d be saying you can’t make a Bridget Jones film without Colin Firth and I’d say yeah, that’s the point. That’s what she is going through. How can she figure it out?
Matt: Leo Woodall feels like he’s having his break-out moment with Prime Target on TV and now Mad About the Boy in cinemas. How did he come across your radar and what made him the right fit as young Roxster?
Michael: He’s known properly now for the Netflix series One Day which he was brilliant in. But One Day hadn’t come out when we started the casting process and so it was just The White Lotus which he’d done. For me, he just “jumped out” of that series. He was so grounded, charismatic and unapologetic. It’s rare for an actor. Often, you get a sense that an actor wants to be seen a certain way or is asking to be liked. Leo didn’t have any of that. I wanted that for Roxster so he was my first and only choice.
Matt: Helen Fielding created Bridget Jones back in the 1990s and, just like the previous films, she’s a credited screenwriter for Mad About the Boy. She clearly cares about these characters and their world and so I’m wondering how hands-on or hands-off she is with the filmmaking process itself?
Michael: She’s the author of this world, she wrote the book on which the film is based, and she co-wrote the screenplay with two other great writers, Dan Mazer and Abi Morgan, but she’s been around long enough to understand the filmmaking process. A director is always going to tailor the film to suit what it’s ultimately going to be – the style, the emphasis, the audience experience. It’s a collaborative process all round.
Matt: What are you working on at the moment? What might we see from you next?
Michael: We’ll see. Films are like delicate figurines, and I find when you mention them, they burst and fall into a million pieces, but I do have a couple of stories I’d like to tell.
Brisbane Film Critics Select 'The Substance' As Best Of 2024
- Details
- Written by Matthew Toomey
Since 2011, I have been pulling together a list of the best movies of the year according to the Brisbane-based critics who I run into regularly at preview screenings. Films to have topped prior year lists have been Drive in 2011, Argo in 2012, Gravity in 2013, Boyhood in 2014, Mad Max: Fury Road in 2015, La La Land in 2016, Get Out in 2017, The Favourite in 2018, Parasite in 2019, Nomadland in 2020, Nine Days in 2021, and The Banshees of Inisherin in 2022, and Oppenheimer in 2023.
To come up with an overall top 10, I’ve used a simple points system and applied it to the list of each critic. It is as follows:
- 3 points for the top film on each list.
- 2 points for the films ranked between 2nd and 5th on each list.
- 1 point for the films ranked between 6th and 10th on each list.
If two films finished on the same score, the film that appeared on the greater number of top 10 lists is ranked higher (as an indication of wider approval). If that's the same, it goes to an average of the individual rankings of each film.
The 10 list includes movies released in Australian cinemas and also those made available on streaming platforms.
For the first time since Get Out in 2017, a horror movie topped the list. The Substance has been perfoming strongly this awards season (Demi Moore recently won a Golden Globe) and it made the top 10 list of over 75% of Brisbane critics surveyed. Five critics named it their #1 movie of the year.
Only two other movies featured on more than 50% of top 10 lists and they shared second place - Sean Baker's Anora, which won the Palme d'Or back in May and Luca Guadagnino's Challengers, still remembered fondly after being released in April.
Two highly acclaimed foreign language films made the cut - Anatomy of a Fall and The Zone of Interest. Both were honoured with Oscars earlier last year.
The action genre was represented with Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga and Dune: Part Two, while lovers of dark comedies would be pleased to see The Holdovers and A Real Pain ranked in the top 10.
Rounding out the list of 11 films (since there was a two-way tie for 10th) were two films which got people talking - May December and Love Lies Bleeding.
As always, it’s a great list of movies. Hunt them down on streaming services if you missed them in cinemas.
On that note, here are the top 10 movies of 2024 according to Brisbane critics…
Brisbane Film Critics - Top 10 of 2024
1. The Substance
2 Anora
2 Challengers
4. Anatomy of a Fall
5. The Zone of Interest
6. May December
7. The Holdovers
8. Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga
9. Dune: Part Two
10. A Real Pain
10. Love Lies Bleeding
You can view a table of all the votes and final scores by clicking here.
A big thanks to all who submitted their lists. If you're a Brisbane critic would like to contribute in future years, please reach out to me on social media.
You can check out information on all the Brisbane critics (along with their choices for the best and worst of 2024) below.
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Matthew Toomey | Top 10 Films: | |
| 1. | Anatomy of a Fall |
| 2. | The Zone of Interest |
| 3. | Anora |
| 4. | May December |
| 5. | Thelma |
| 6. | The Holdovers |
| 7. | Late Night with the Devil |
| 8. | A Real Pain |
| 9. | The Teacher's Lounge |
| 10. | Challengers |
| Best Australian Film: | |
| Late Night with the Devil | |
| Best Animated Film: | |
| Memoir of a Snail | |
| Best Documentary: | |
| No Other Land | |
| Best Performance: | |
| Julianne Moore (May December) | |
| Worst Film: | |
| Rumours | |
| Most Surprised To Enjoy: | |
| Deadpool & Wolverine | |
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Sarah Ward | Top 10 Films: | |
| 1. | Perfect Days |
| 2. | The Substance |
| 3. | Love Lies Bleeding |
| 4. | The Zone of Interest |
| 5. | Anatomy of a Fall |
| 6. | All We Imagine as Light |
| 7. | Anora |
| 8. | The Apprentice |
| 9. | A Different Man |
| 10. | A Real Pain |
| Best Australian Film: | |
| Memoir of a Snail | |
| Best Animated Film: | |
| Memoir of a Snail | |
| Best Documentary: | |
| 20 Days in Mariupol | |
| Best Performance: | |
| Kōji Hashimoto (Perfect Days) | |
| Worst Film: | |
| The Beekeeper | |
| Most Surprised To Enjoy: | |
| Abigail | |
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Garry Williams| Top 10 Films: | |
| 1. | The Substance |
| 2. | A Different Man |
| 3. | Green Border |
| 4. | The Fall Guy |
| 5. | May December |
| 6. | Audrey |
| 7. | The Room Next Door |
| 8. | Blink Twice |
| 9. | Deadpool & Wolverine |
| 10. | Woman of the Hour |
| Best Australian Film: | |
| Audrey | |
| Best Animated Film: | |
| Piece by Piece | |
| Best Documentary: | |
| Super/Man: The Christoper Reeve Story | |
| Best Performance: | |
| Demi Moore (The Substance) | |
| Worst Film: | |
| Joker: Folie a Deux | |
| Most Surprised To Enjoy: | |
| Piece by Piece | |
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Peter Gray| Top 10 Films: | |
| 1. | The Substance |
| 2. | Anora |
| 3. | Challengers |
| 4. | All of Us Strangers |
| 5. | Birdeater |
| 6. | The Holdovers |
| 7. | Longlegs |
| 8. | Strange Darling |
| 9. | Anatomy of a Fall |
| 10. | Love Lies Bleeding |
| Best Australian Film: | |
| Birdeater | |
| Best Animated Film: | |
| Memoir of a Snail | |
| Best Documentary: | |
| Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story | |
| Best Performance: | |
| Demi Moore (The Substance) | |
| Worst Film: | |
| The Garfield Movie | |
| Most Surprised To Enjoy: | |
| Mean Girls | |
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Ella Donald| Top 10 Films: | |
| 1. | Raye at the Royal Albert Hall |
| 2. | May December |
| 3. | Challengers |
| 4. | Priscilla |
| 5. | The Zone of Interest |
| 6. | The Holdovers |
| 7. | The Substance |
| 8. | All We Imagine as Light |
| 9. | Anatomy of a Fall |
| 10. | Drive-Away Dolls |
| Best Australian Film: | |
| Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga | |
| Best Documentary: | |
| Copa 71 | |
| Best Performance: | |
| Pascale Kann (September Says) | |
| Most Surprised To Enjoy: | |
| Twisters | |
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David Edwards| Top 10 Films: | |
| 1. | Kinds of Kindness |
| 2. | May December |
| 3. | The Holdovers |
| 4. | The Zone of Interest |
| 5. | The Piano Lesson |
| 6. | Ghostlight |
| 7. | Challengers |
| 8. | Thelma |
| 9. | Anora |
| 10. | Drive-Away Dolls |
| Best Australian Film: | |
| Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga | |
| Best Animated Film: | |
| Inside Out 2 | |
| Best Documentary: | |
| Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story | |
| Best Performance: | |
| Sandra Hüller (Anatomy of a Fall and The Zone of Interest) | |
| Worst Film: | |
| Megalopolis | |
| Most Surprised To Enjoy: | |
| Drive-Away Dolls | |
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Rob Hudson| Top 10 Films: | |
| 1. | The Wild Robot |
| 2. | The Zone of Interest |
| 3. | Daddio |
| 4. | The Teacher Who Promised the Sea |
| 5. | The Eight Mountains |
| 6. | The Iron Claw |
| 7. | The Holdovers |
| 8. | Trust |
| 9. | Goodrich |
| 10. | The Substance |
| Best Australian Film: | |
| Late Night with the Devil | |
| Best Animated Film: | |
| The Wild Robot | |
| Best Documentary: | |
| Super/Mam: The Christopher Reeve Story | |
| Best Performance: | |
| Demi Moore (The Substance) | |
| Worst Film: | |
| The Crow | |
| Most Surprised To Enjoy: | |
| The Fall Guy | |
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Baz McAlister| Top 10 Films: | |
| 1. | Kneecap |
| 2. | The Substance |
| 3. | Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga |
| 4. | Oddity |
| 5. | Last Stop in Yuma County |
| 6. | Love Lies Bleeding |
| 7. | Strange Darling |
| 8. | Monkey Man |
| 9. | Civil War |
| 10. | Alien: Romulus |
| Best Australian Film: | |
| Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga | |
| Best Animated Film: | |
| The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim | |
| Best Performance: | |
| Demi Moore (The Substance) | |
| Worst Film: | |
| Borderlands | |
| Most Surprised To Enjoy: | |
| Argylle | |
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|
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Nick L'Barrow| Top 10 Films: | |
| 1. | The Substance |
| 2. | Better Man |
| 3. | Dune: Part Two |
| 4. | Challengers |
| 5. | Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga |
| 6. | Didi |
| 7. | Longlegs |
| 8. | Memoir of a Snail |
| 9. | Heretic |
| 10. | Anora |
| Best Australian Film: | |
| Birdeater | |
| Best Animated Film: | |
| Memoir of a Snail | |
| Best Documentary: | |
| Hinckley: I Shot the President | |
| Best Performance: | |
| Nicolas Cage (Longlegs) | |
| Worst Film: | |
| Red One | |
| Most Surprised To Enjoy: | |
| Mean Girls | |
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Jacob Richardson| Top 10 Films: | |
| 1. | Anatomy of a Fall |
| 2. | Better Man |
| 3. | Dune: Part Two |
| 4. | Anora |
| 5. | Challengers |
| 6. | The Apprentice |
| 7. | Riceboy Sleeps |
| 8. | Touch |
| 9. | The Holdovers |
| 10. | Civil War |
| Best Australian Film: | |
| The Way, My Way | |
| Best Animated Film: | |
| Transformers One | |
| Best Documentary: | |
| Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story | |
| Best Performance: | |
| Jeremy Strong (The Apprentice) | |
| Worst Film: | |
| Argylle | |
| Most Surprised To Enjoy: | |
| It Ends With Us | |
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Ashlee Pradella| Top 10 Films: | |
| 1. | The Substance |
| 2. | Anora |
| 3. | Dune: Part Two |
| 4. | Wicked: Part I |
| 5. | Deadpool & Wolverine |
| 6. | Furiosa |
| 7. | Civil War |
| 8. | It's What's Inside |
| 9. | A Real Pain |
| 10. | Challengers |
| Best Australian Film: | |
| Memoir of a Snail | |
| Best Animated Film: | |
| The Wild Robot | |
| Best Documentary: | |
| Will and Harper | |
| Best Performance: | |
| Demi Moore (The Substance) | |
| Worst Film: | |
| Poolman | |
| Most Surprised To Enjoy: | |
| The Apprentice | |
 |
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Richard Houlihan| Top 10 Films: | |
| 1. | The Substance |
| 2. | Anora |
| 3. | A Real Pain |
| 4. | Anatomy of a Fall |
| 5. | Conclave |
| 6. | Civil War |
| 7. | Dream Scenario |
| 8. | Love Lies Bleeding |
| 9. | Hit Man |
| 10. | Hundreds of Beavers |
| Best Australian Film: | |
| The Moogai | |
| Best Animated Film: | |
| Memoir of a Snail | |
| Best Documentary: | |
| Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story | |
| Best Performance: | |
| Mikey Madison (Anora) | |
| Worst Film: | |
| Baghead | |
| Most Surprised To Enjoy: | |
| Immaculate | |
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Blake Ison| Top 10 Films: | |
| 1. | I Saw the TV Glow |
| 2. | Challengers |
| 3. | La Chimera |
| 4. | A Different Man |
| 5. | The Beast |
| 6. | ME |
| 7. | The Substance |
| 8. | Hundreds of Beavers |
| 9. | Red Rooms |
| 10. | Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga |
| Best Australian Film: | |
| Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga | |
| Best Animated Film: | |
| ME | |
| Best Documentary: | |
| Agent of Happiness | |
| Best Performance: | |
| Sebastian Stan (A Different Man) | |
| Worst Film: | |
| Deapool & Wolverine | |
| Most Surprised To Enjoy: | |
| Civil War | |
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Matt's Top 10 Movies of 2024
- Details
- Written by Matthew Toomey
I saw 191 cinema releases during the 2024 calendar year (precisely the same number as the previous year) and, as I’ve done every year since 1996 (time flies), I like to put together a list which outlines my favourites. My prior year top 10 lists can be found here.
We’ve all got different tastes but hopefully the list inspires others to hunt down these movies and watch something great they may otherwise have missed. I went this through this list on ABC Brisbane breakfast radio a couple of weeks ago.
Honourable mentions this year which I couldn’t quite squeeze into my top 10 were – Fallen Leaves, Kneecap, Memoir of a Snail, There’s Still Tomorrow, Strange Darling, Touch, Monster, Wicked: Part I, Fremont, Riceboy Sleeps, My Old Ass.
The above films are all worth a look but to narrow it down to my top 10 of the year…
10. Challengers (out Apr 18) dumbs down the tennis elements to make it more cinematic, but it's still a terrific movie about three players (played by Zendaya, Josh O'Connor, and Mike Faist) and the power games between them. It’s great to see Hollywood getting behind a romantic drama with meaty ideas. The movie entertains (lots of great individual scenes) while offering plenty to chat about afterwards. Cool music score too!
9. The Teacher's Lounge (out Apr 25) is a thought-provoking German drama about a schoolteacher embroiled in an escalating situation after a fellow staff member is caught stealing. With something to say about information (and who is entitled to it) and the relationships between parents and children, this resonates strongly.
8. A Real Pain (out Dec 26) is a dark comedy about two 30-something-year-old American cousins who go on a week-long tour through Poland to understand their family heritage. It’s a wonderful character study with Kieren Culkin having the flashier role as the bipolar Benji while Jesse Eisenberg, who serves as writer-director, is also excellent as an introvert with obsessive-compulsive disorder. The film deftly mixes comedy, drama and heart in achieving its goals.
7. Late Night with the Devil (out Apr 11) provides a refreshing spin on the horror / supernatural genre. We watch a 1977 episode of a fictitious late-night talk show as the host performs a quasi-exorcism on stage to help boost sagging TV ratings. Directed by two Aussies and featuring distinctive performances and cinematography, this is one of the year's best.
6. The Holdovers (out Jan 11) is an exquisitely told tale. Marking the first period piece film of director Alexander Payne, it's a 1970s college tale about three "broken" people forced to spend the Christmas holidays together. Humour is generated from the stinging barbs, well-written one-liners, and expressive faces. These moments are countered by well-timed dramatic shifts.
5. Thelma (out Sep 5) is an exceptional comedy about a 93-year-old woman (June Squibb) who goes in search of those who scammed $10k from her. It may sound goofy but it's anything but. The performances are top-notch, the jokes are hilarious, and there's a strong emotional undercurrent. It also has something to say about the way we approach ageing.
4. May December (out Feb 1) is a sensational film about a Hollywood starlet (Natalie Portman) who befriends a convicted paedophile schoolteacher (Julianne Moore) to work out how best to play her in a new movie. On one hand, it’s a thought-provoking drama about an unthinkable family unit. On the other, it’s an uncomfortable thriller about the way such stories are exploited for financial gain.
3. Anora (out Dec 26) is a conversation-generating film about a 23-year-old exotic dancer from New York City who falls in love with the excitable 21-year-old son of a Russian oligarch. The opening act focuses on romance, the middle act is screwball comedy, and the final act develops into a meatier drama. Hard to pick a favourite amongst the exemplary performances.
2. The Zone of Interest (out Feb 22) is set in 1943 and is centred on the Nazi family who lived in the two-story home which bordered the Auschwitz concentration camp in Poland. It’s hard to watch this and not feel its deliberate coldness. Folks make innocuous small talk in the backyard garden while smoke billows from furnaces in the background. With distinctive cinematography and sound, it’s the kind of movie that makes you think about events back then… and events today. Unforgettable.
1. Anatomy of a Fall (out Jan 25) is an unforgettable French drama that won the Palme d'Or at Cannes last year. A woman is on trial for her husband's murder and it's as if we, as the audiences, are members of the jury trying to decide if she committed the crime. Your views will swing back and forth throughout. A riveting character study that shows how a facial expression or turn of phrase can be used to judge someone, rightly or wrongly.