Two films stood out this month, “The Taste of Things” and “Freud’s Last Session”.
The Taste of Things is a French film, with sub-titles. The storyline is around Eugenie and her boss Dodin, both chefs who have worked together for 20 years. Although fond of one another, Eugenie refuses to commit to Dodin. The chemistry between the two is great, whether in the kitchen or personally with Dodin starting to cook for her. There was not a lot of dialogue, with the story told through action. The work in the kitchen was a master of choreography with four main characters moving around each other without problems. The performances of these four were all excellent – Eugenie, Dodin, Violette (the maid) and Pauline (apprentice chef). It was a sensory film. All we heard were kitchen sounds – sizzling, utensils – and outdoor sounds – barking dog, birdsong – the sounds of life not background music. For fans of French films it is worth seeing. We rated the film between 4/5 and 4.5/5.
Freud’s Last Session is around a possible meeting between Freud and CS Lewis. It is not an action film, but held the viewer’s attention as the relationship between the two men develops. It was very much an intellectual debate between the two men, with no winner. It was an interesting storyline, bringing in some of the war scenes and the impact on Freud and his daughter. There was a focus on various relationships – Freud and Lewis, Freud and his daughter, his daughter and her friend. The performances by the lead characters were excellent, with great cinematography around Freud’s study and garden. It was enjoyed by all who saw it and was rated as between 3.5/5 and 4/5.
Other films discussed this month were:
The Fall Guy: This is a feel-good film around a stunt man, with many twists and turns. The chemistry between the two main characters was good. With the various stunts performed we gained a good feel for the role of the stunt artist. A relaxing and fun film, rated as around 3/5.
Golda: An interesting film on the 19 days of Yom Kippur War in 1973 and the role of Golda Meir. Golda is shown with a strong personality, but with a compassionate side. Helen Mirren’s performance as Golda was brilliant, carrying the film. We rate it as around 3.5/5.
What About Sal: This is an Australian film written and directed by John Jarratt (he also played one of the roles). It was a special screening followed by a question-and-answer session with John Jarratt. It tells the story of Sal, an autistic man whose mother is diagnosed with terminal cancer. Sal sets off to find his father. It was very Australian, with some serious aspects. Gerard O’Dwyer played Sal well. He is an actor with Downs Syndrome (NOT a Downs Syndrome actor). It was rated as 4/5 and worth seeing – it is possible it will be occasionally screened in Benalla so watch future cinema programs.
Joy Shirley
The Taste of Things is a French film, with sub-titles. The storyline is around Eugenie and her boss Dodin, both chefs who have worked together for 20 years. Although fond of one another, Eugenie refuses to commit to Dodin. The chemistry between the two is great, whether in the kitchen or personally with Dodin starting to cook for her. There was not a lot of dialogue, with the story told through action. The work in the kitchen was a master of choreography with four main characters moving around each other without problems. The performances of these four were all excellent – Eugenie, Dodin, Violette (the maid) and Pauline (apprentice chef). It was a sensory film. All we heard were kitchen sounds – sizzling, utensils – and outdoor sounds – barking dog, birdsong – the sounds of life not background music. For fans of French films it is worth seeing. We rated the film between 4/5 and 4.5/5.
Freud’s Last Session is around a possible meeting between Freud and CS Lewis. It is not an action film, but held the viewer’s attention as the relationship between the two men develops. It was very much an intellectual debate between the two men, with no winner. It was an interesting storyline, bringing in some of the war scenes and the impact on Freud and his daughter. There was a focus on various relationships – Freud and Lewis, Freud and his daughter, his daughter and her friend. The performances by the lead characters were excellent, with great cinematography around Freud’s study and garden. It was enjoyed by all who saw it and was rated as between 3.5/5 and 4/5.
Other films discussed this month were:
The Fall Guy: This is a feel-good film around a stunt man, with many twists and turns. The chemistry between the two main characters was good. With the various stunts performed we gained a good feel for the role of the stunt artist. A relaxing and fun film, rated as around 3/5.
Golda: An interesting film on the 19 days of Yom Kippur War in 1973 and the role of Golda Meir. Golda is shown with a strong personality, but with a compassionate side. Helen Mirren’s performance as Golda was brilliant, carrying the film. We rate it as around 3.5/5.
What About Sal: This is an Australian film written and directed by John Jarratt (he also played one of the roles). It was a special screening followed by a question-and-answer session with John Jarratt. It tells the story of Sal, an autistic man whose mother is diagnosed with terminal cancer. Sal sets off to find his father. It was very Australian, with some serious aspects. Gerard O’Dwyer played Sal well. He is an actor with Downs Syndrome (NOT a Downs Syndrome actor). It was rated as 4/5 and worth seeing – it is possible it will be occasionally screened in Benalla so watch future cinema programs.
Joy Shirley
