At the Melbourne Film Festival
By Ulrike Erhardt
Events Leading up to my Death, from Canada, is an inspired and satiric insight into family life. The death in question is that of the dog; he becomes the first victim of this supposedly happy family, indicating that others might follow in his path if things don't change.
According to writer/director/producer Bill Robertson, role playing is what makes their lives so miserable. At the top of the hierarchy is Dad, who believes that his father-role demands the authoritarian approach. That's why he looks for fun outside his home, with a neighbour woman. Mum wants only to be a housewife and mother but just once to have someone dancing to her tune; this turns out to be the milkman.
The two daughters can't find happiness either because they too feel that they have to conform to stereotypes.
How much they all are out of touch with themselves is most graphically shown through father and son's apparent inability to dance. That's something they hope to rectify by calling a dance instructor, who becomes the catalyst to their various problems.
The dialogue is very sharp, witty and observant, but emotional impact is lost through staging the film like a theatre play.
The Adjuster, also from Canada, explores questions of censorship and pornography through an insurance adjuster and his wife, who works as a censor and thoroughly enjoys her work. It is a visually stunning movie, but it left me cold because the characters were so lifeless. Still, the issue of censorship has probably never been tackled in a more entertaining way.
Directed by Ray Argall, written by him and Harry Kirchner, Eight Ball deals with the traditional Australian themes of mateship and choices. It doesn't offer any great insights or drama but gives us a few chuckles and shows Melbourne and Australia beautifully, thanks to the outstanding cinematography of Mandy Walker.
Chilean director Ricardo Larrain's The Frontier explores fascism through the metaphor of a tidal wave. It's a well-crafted film, but the characters often seem cliches.