Our film for discussion at our August class was “Sweet As”.   This is the story of four teenagers, two indigenous, two non-indigenous, all with problems, on a road trip.  They are encouraged to take photos as part of seeing the world around them.  They were given old style cameras (non-digital) to do this.  Murra is indigenous with an alcoholic mother; Sean has attempted to take his own life; Elvis was attacked on his way home and has had problems leaving his community; and Kylie is under the influence of an older man.  During the road trip they all find themselves and learn the value of friendship.

This was an extremely good film.  The characters are all different, and the performances of the teenagers were excellent.  Murra (played by Shantae Barnes-Cowan) was able to show her thoughts and emotions by facial and body language without any words.  All four developed during the film, with language change and reduced swearing underpinning this.  There were a couple of lighter and humorous moments which helped lift the film from becoming depressing and too sad.

The cinematography was outstanding, providing various views of the Pilbara region of North-western Australia
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Overall, a beautiful film, which may be sad in parts but is full of hope.  We provided a rating of 4/5.
 
Other films watched during the month were:

“Red, White and Brass” is loosely based on a true event.  Young people in the Tongan community in New Zealand form a marching band so they can get seats for a world cup rugby match.  This was a bit of run with lots of good music and lots of bright colours.  There were some silly scenes, but generally entertaining and worth watching.  Rated as 3.5/5.

“The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry” had been watched by some before our July class, with others watching it after the class.  Again this was enjoyed by members of the class, with good characterisation.   It had a good message about the importance of communication after a family tragedy, and the problems and misunderstandings that can occur if this does not happen.  Those who watched this month gave it a rating of 3.5/5.

“The Last Daughter” is a documentary about Brenda Matthews.  She had been fostered with a white family before being returned to her indigenous family.  As an adult she searches for her foster parents to whom she still felt connected.  It was eye-opening and emotional, but left Brenda and the audience with unanswered questions. Rated as 4/5

“No Hard Feelings” is a predictable and silly film about a late twenty’s employed by his parents to seduce a 19-year-old before he went to university.  Rated as 3/5.

“Maybe I Do” is about a young couple who are at a crossroads in their relationship – she believes the relationship will grow if they marry; he is fearful the relationship will fail if anything changes.  It is fun and predictable with some good performances by Susan Sarandon and William H. Macy.  And it looks like it was based on a play with the director keeping the scenes close to this.   Rated as 3/5

“Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny” is the final of the Indiana Jones films.  It included the traditional amazing chases, although not as much action as in previous films in the series.  It is also thought that there was either use of AI or clips from earlier films for the start of the film set at the end of WWII.   Rated as 3.5/5
 
Our film for discussion at our next class on 13 September is a choice between “Chevalier” and “Barbie” (or both).  And as usual, we will discuss any other films watched by members of the class.

There were fewer film screenings during July because of the Benalla Theatre Group’s performance of “The Drowsy Chaperone”.  So we decided to focus on discussing the performance by our local actors.

This was a play that was new to many, unlike the performance of “Mamma Mia!” which was so familiar to everyone.  It was a different approach from most musicals.  The story was told by a narrator, with the characters coming on stage acting according to the narration.  A lot of twists and turns created an entertaining comedy.

The show was a musical, with some good performances, accompanied by a live band.  Having live music was enjoyable but at times the music seemed to overpower the dialogue. 

Performances by some of the actors were noted during our discussion.  These include those playing the roles of Adolpho and the chaperone.  Good stage presence was a common comment from many in the group.  Of note was the performance by the narrator, who did an excellent job as he plays a recording of the fictional musical, telling the story.

The set was good, simple but effective.  And there were some positive comments about the costumes.

An entertaining live performance.  This was not a film, but we did provide a rating as around 4/5.

Films watched during the month were:

“The Last Daughter” which was found thought provoking but left some unanswered questions.  Rated as 3.5/5.

“The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry” which started slowly, but did involve a long walk, so this was appropriate.  Overall enjoyable and rated as 4/5.

“The Book Club: The Next Chapter” a piece of whimsical and frivolous entertainment with a feel-good ending.  It was also a great travelogue, being set in Italy.  Rated as 3/5
 
Our film for discussion at our next class on 8 August is “Sweet As”.  And as usual, we will discuss any other films watched by members of the class.

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NOTE: The film class will move to the U3A room from August

Joy Shirley