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Rabbit-Proof Fence
In Thirties Australia a law was passed in the mistaken belief that mixed race children should be removed from their parents and have their blackness “bred out” of them. For three young girls, Molly, Daisy, and Gracie this policy of institutionalised kidnapping means the removal from their families to a distant settlement where they are forbidden to speak their native language. They don’t like it and decide to walk back home - all 1200 miles back - following the rabbit-proof fence that spans from the North to the South. Based on a true story, this beautifully shot film tells an emotional and uplifting tale of simple heroism while shedding some light on Australia’s Lost Generation. (out now, theatrical)
Bloody Sunday
It is thirty years since 14 apparently unarmed people were shot dead by soldiers from the British Parachute Regiment while on an anti-internment march in Derry in Northern Ireland. The army line at the time was that the soldiers returned fire when fired upon and that the people killed were terrorists. Paul Greengrass’s feature-length docu-drama Bloody Sunday paints an altogether different picture, pieced together from testimonies from eye witness accounts of both soldiers and marchers. Jimmy Nesbitt plays a charismatic campaigning local MP, Ivan Cooper, whose peaceful intentions to march for civil liberties are trounced. Greengrass’s rough handheld style is jarring and his meticulous attention to detail sometimes leave you wanting a road map, but the message is clear - the army went in with the intention of giving the Derry “yobbos” a lesson and soldiers on the ground ran amock with live ammunition. In the worst instances, one wounded man was executed at point blank range, another shot dead while waving a white handkerchief at the troops. As Cooper says prophetically in a final scene ‘You will reap a whirlwind’ . The lingering question of what happened on the day is now the subject of Lord Saville’s inquiry which you can find coverage of on The Guardian web site (http://www.guardian.co.uk/bloodysunday). (out now, theatrical)
Thirteen Conversations
About One Thing
The “one thing” is happiness. In a mosaic of inter-connected and mostly secular stories, we watch a group of strangers in their quest for happiness and their responses to what fate dishes up. A tightly woven script is complemented by a fine ensemble cast which includes John Turturro as a physics prof struggling to find a formula for self-fulfilment, Matthew McConaughey as a cock-sure lawyer who thinks he’s got it all and a gripping performance by Alan Arkin as Gene, an insurance-claims adjuster who can’t understand why one of his staff has so much to smile about when his own life is such a miserable mess. The film’s strength is that it eschews glib, feel-good answers. It reminds us of the fickleness of fortune and how the kindness of strangers can save lives. (VHS & DVD rental, out now)
Cool and Crazy
Dubbed “Norway’s answer to the Buena Vista Club,” this amusing docu-mentary shows how a group of men in their remote fishing village not far from the North Pole overcome economic setbacks by singing in a male choir in the fiercest of conditions. Director Knut Erik Jensen captures the 30 man choir, ranging from their mid-30s to mid-90s, as they sing a cappella in dinner jackets with the icicles hanging off their noses, in church and going on tour to Russia. Warms the cockles. (VHS & DVD rental, out now)
Monsters Inc
Those patient enough know that the best time to see blockbusters is after the hype has subsided - by then you’ve usually forgotten all the plot twists that the trailer gave away and it’s cheaper to rent. Disney/Pixar’s animated Monsters Inc, now reaching the long-term rental shelves of video stores, is one to look up over the festive season if you haven’t already. In the alternate universe of Monstropolis furry, squiggly weird things must generate power for their city by terrifying children in our world and capturing the energy of their screams. For the monsters it’s just a job—they’re actually quite nice creatures. Unfortunately, the monsters are terrified of being contaminated by children, so when a tiny girl finds her way into Monstropolis all hell breaks loose. Mike Wazowski, a one-eyed bladder on legs (voice by Billy Crystal) and Sully, a large purple furry sasquatch (John Goodman) are the hilarious double act who must save the day, with Steve Buscemi ably providing the voice of the slithering chameleon-like villain. A funny, imaginative and sentimental comedy, big and little softies everywhere will lap it up. (VHS & DVD, out now)
Robert Alstead writes for movie ezine iofilm.com.
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