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Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 17 July 2020

The life of Babyteeth began back in 2012 when the play, written by Rita Kalnejais, was performed for five weeks at the Belvoir St Theatre in Sydney.  Oscar nominated producer Jan Chapman (The Piano) and colleague Alex White went to the opening night performance and were wowed by the material.  They snapped up the film rights soon after and asked Kalnejais to adapt her work for the big screen.

It’s best described as an unusual love story.  Milla (Scanlen) is an introverted, insecure 10^th grade student who loves the violin and lives with her two easy-going parents (Davis and Mendelsohn).  Moses (Wallace) is a 23-year-old drug addict who has been kicked out of home and has no job.  The pair meet on a train platform in unusual circumstances (Milla has a bloody nose) and after a few minutes of small talk, a connection is forged.

Adding a layer of complexity is the fact Milla has a terminal illness.  No one knows how long she has left but her parents realise it could be their daughter’s only chance of experiencing love during her lifetime.  They’re not thrilled by the choice of suitor (the mum describes her own actions as the “worst possible parenting I could ever imagine”) but they keep an open mind and, under their close supervision, let the relationship progress.

A lighter touch is applied to the opening two acts.  Essie Davis (The Babadook) and Ben Mendelsohn (Animal Kingdom) earn laughs as they grapple with their daughters’ romantic awakening.  Eliza Scanlen (Little Women) and Toby Wallace (Boys in the Trees) endear themselves to audiences with their silly conversations and general naivety.  First-time feature filmmaker Shannon Murphy sets a brisk pace with unexpected cuts to scenes and to Amanda Brown’s music score.

As expected, the tone shifts to something more dramatic in the closing act and, thanks to the strong performances from all four leading actors, the emotions really hit home.  You get a clear sense of the lessons learned and the suffering felt by each character.  The use of facial close-ups adds to the film’s impact.

The movies selected as part of the official competition for the 2019 Venice Film Festival included new works from Pablo Larraín, Noah Baumbach, Haifaa al-Mansour, Hirokazu Kore-eda and Olivier Assayas.  To see a first-time Australian director make the shortlist and compete against such big names says volumes about Babyteeth and its allure.

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Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 07 July 2020

Love has the power to divide us and yet, love also has the power to unite us.  It’s not a new message but it’s one that’s easy to forget.  Thankfully, we have gifted filmmakers in the world like Trey Edward Shults (It Comes at Night) who can put this lesson at the forefront of our minds by creating multifaceted characters and putting them in troublesome situations.

Waves begins by focusing on an African American teenager named Tyler (Harrison Jr) who is completing his final year of school.  Like so many at that age, he’s a complex kid trying to find his place in the world.  This is illustrated in an early sequence where Tyler is taking shirtless selfies in front of his bedroom mirror and posting them to Instagram in search of likes and comments.  He’s a popular, good looking guy with athletic prowess but this scene alludes to a level of anxiety and insecurity that he keeps hidden from others (including his family).

In the weeks that follow, Tyler’s life quickly slips off the rails.  He breaks up with his girlfriend (Demie) after a weighty disagreement.  Dreams of landing a college scholarship dissipate when a serious shoulder injury ends his wrestling career.  The burden of living up to his father’s (Brown) increasingly lofty ambitions becomes too heavy to carry.  Tyler turns to alcohol and prescription medication as his “way out” but it only adds to his woes.

Waves is a tense, unrelenting film.  There’s not a lot of reprieve for audiences.  It’s like watching someone self-destruct in slow motion and yet be powerless to stop them.  It’s a narrative that can also be looked at through multiple lenses.  Did his father push too hard?  Should his mother have noticed the warning signs?  Should his sister have intervened?  It reiterates that the actions of one have ramifications for many.

Shults infuses the film with his own distinctive style.  From the circular, fast moving camera work of cinematographer Drew Daniels (Skin) to the nightclub-like score from Oscar winners Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross (The Social Network), Waves grabs your attention early and holds it throughout out.  You become invested in the characters and care about their fate.  All the performances are strong but it’s hard to go past Kelvin Harrison Jr (It Comes at Night) in the intense lead role.

Without giving too much away, Shults makes the gutsy decision to change tack at the halfway mark and it gives him the freedom to develop the film’s themes more fully.  It’s been a long wait for Waves to make it to Australian cinemas (the world premiere was almost a year ago) but those that seek it out will be rewarded.

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Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 15 July 2020

With COVID-19 pushing back the release date of major Hollywood blockbusters, Australian distributors are having to dust a few forgotten titles off the shelf in search of films to show.  Where’d You Go, Bernadette debuted in U.S. cinemas in August 2019 and was available to buy and stream a few months later.  Cate Blanchett picked up a Golden Globe nomination but after middling reviews and a disappointing box-office, the Australian release (originally scheduled for October 2019) was canned indefinitely.

Now, almost a full year after its world premiere, the film finds its way into local cinemas.  It’s hard to fault the ingredients.  It’s based on a 2012 novel authored by Maria Semple which spent many months on best seller lists.  It’s directed by Academy Award nominee Richard Linklater who made Boyhood and the Before Sunrise trilogy.  It boasts a cast of acclaimed actors including Cate Blanchett, Billy Crudup, Kristen Wiig, Judy Greer and Laurence Fishburne.  And yet… the finished product is a peculiar, disjointed film that doesn’t have anything meaningful to say.

Despite what the title may imply, Cate Blanchett is front and centre throughout with her performance as Bernadette Fox.  It’s reminiscent of her Oscar winning performance in Woody Allen’s Blue Jasmine in that she’s portraying a chatty, anxious, insecure leading lady.  Bernadette was once a successful architect (which we learn from an unnecessarily long background video) but she’s now become a recluse who seldom leaves her dilapidated Seattle home.  To complete even the most basic of tasks (such as shopping), she sends lengthy rants/demands to an online personal assistant based in India.

She’s a tough character to wrap your head around.  There are more nuanced moments, such as interactions with her not-so-well-meaning next-door neighbour (Wiig), that suggest Bernadette is misunderstood and victimised because of her quirky behaviour.  There are almost moments where she opens up to her 15-year-old daughter (Nelson) and we get a sense of her intelligence, humour and motherly nature.  They’re good scenes.

Alternatively, there are goofy moments, such as a sequence where she falls asleep on a pharmacy store couch (after berating the staff), that show her as being clumsy and unstable.  The film’s titular question is answered but as the end credits started to roll, I’m not convinced that I’d gotten to know the “full” Bernadette nor did I believe in her sudden, rushed transformation (which begins when she jumps out a window).

The film isn’t helped by the poorly developed supporting players.  Billy Crudup offers next-to-nothing as her bland husband (the closure of his character arc makes no sense).  Laurence Fishburne’s only purpose is to act as a sounding board when Bernadette explains her lengthy backstory (for the benefit of the audience).  James Urbaniak comes off worst as a silly, unconvincing FBI agent.

Where’d You Go, Bernadette might lure in fans of the book but as someone coming to the material with no background knowledge, I was disappointed.

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Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 05 July 2020

A White, White Day takes place in Iceland but it could arguably be set in any country. It delves into the universal themes of death and grief.  For the first 70 minutes or so, it’s a patient/slow observational drama centred on an elderly man.  When talking to a therapist, he simply describes himself as a “father, grandfather, policeman and widower.”

It’s that later noun which is most key. Ingimundur (Sigurddson) is still coming to grips with the unexpected death of his wife in a car accident.  Taking time off from work, he’s now pouring his energy into home renovations while also spending time with his inquisitive 8-year-old granddaughter and his soccer playing friends. 

Just like the lead character, the film seems somewhat directionless during the opening two acts. We’re watching short, fragmented moments in the life of an ordinary guy.  He revisits old home movies.  He moves a small boulder which has fallen on the road.  He reads a scary bedtime story to his grandchild.  You wouldn’t be alone in asking yourself the question - what’s the point and where is this all going?

It’s alluded to during the early stages but the tension finally ratchets up when Ingimundur confronts a younger man who he suspects had an affair with his wife.  His suspicions were aroused when looking through library books and old photos passed on by his wife’s work colleague following her death.  It’s a personality shift that will come as a surprise.  We’ve gotten to know Ingimundur as a quiet, docile man but now he’s consumed by rage and will stop at nothing to get the answers he seeks.

Iceland doesn’t have a huge movie industry but they’ve produced some great stuff in recent years including Rams and Woman at War.  It’s an intriguing country given their isolated location, cold temperatures and small population (just 364,000 people).  The most memorable sequence in the film occurs at the very start.  We’re treated to a lengthy time lapse that highlights the country’s beauty and how it changes depending on the season and the time of the day.  It reaffirmed my desire to visit one day.

Unfortunately, the film’s meandering nature struggled to hold my early interest.  We’ve seen so many films around the world that deal with grief and there’s nothing here that offers a fresh, different perspective.  It’s only scratching the surface when it comes to character development and I wasn’t won over by the finale’s sudden change of pace and its big revelations.

Selected as part of the International Critics’ Week section of the 2019 Cannes Film Festival, A White, White Day struggles to make an impression.

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Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 14 July 2020

The early 20s can be a difficult age to navigate.  The world’s general expectation is that you are a mature, fully functional, financially independent adult who is contributing to society by working hard and paying bills.  The reality can be quite different.  Despite the best intentions, it’s often hard to move out of home, pick a viable career path, land a decent job, avoid addictions, and find quality friends/lovers.  Life is tough.

This theme is explored in The King of Staten Island, a film loosely inspired by the upbringing of 26-year-old actor-comedian Pete Davidson (Saturday Night Live).  He teamed up with Judd Apatow (The 40-Year-Old Virgin) and Dave Sirus to write a screenplay that was “75% autobiographical” and would serve as a “love letter” to his family.  Davidson has openly struggled with his mental health and he hopes the film will be helpful to viewers in a similar position.

It’s tough enough to create a producible script but Davidson takes on the additional challenge of acting in the lead role.  He plays 24-year-old Scott Carlin, a chatty, socially awkward “manic” who smokes weed, takes anti-depressants and hides in the corner at parties.  He has no job, he still lives at home with his mother (Tomei) and his college-bound sister describes him as looking like “the guy who sells crack under the bridge.”  When asked about his future, Scott speaks of his illogical plan to create a chicken restaurant that also serves as a tattoo parlour.

The King of Staten Island is an interesting character study in that there’s a lot to like and dislike about Scott.  On one hand, you feel empathy because he’s been diagnosed with ADHD and still carries the scars from the death of his firefighter dad (Scott was just 7 years old at the time).  On the other hand, he wallows in self-pity, chooses not-so-great friends, and struggles to take responsibility for his own actions.  He can be a stressful burden on those around him.

Davidson, Apatow and Sirus have gone with a slightly lighter approach in tackling the subject matter.  There were times when I thought the film would go down a darker, heavier path but each time, it pulls back and offers a window of opportunity for Scott to open.  The end result is a feel-good flick that offers as much comedy as it does drama.  The fact Scott verbalises almost every inner thought helps create some memorable one-liners.

It’s a little long and a few subplots feel unnecessary (such as an out-of-nowhere scene involving a robbery) but The King of Staten Island is worth seeing for its humour, its themes and its performances.