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Number 24

22/07/202521/07/2025 Steve Willems🥈🦉

Number 24 – Scandinavian Film Festival – Rating

★★★★★

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“I have five drawers in my head. The three top drawers I open all the time. Draw number four I open less often. I closed the bottom drawer May 8th 1945, and haven’t opened it since.” So begins Number 24 (NR24), a Norwegian espionage thriller set in World War 2 that opened the Scandinavian Film Festival in Sydney.

Directed by John Andreas Anderson (Uno, North Sea), it tells the true story of Gunnar Sønsteby, a young accountant who joins the resistance movement after Norway is occupied by the Germans and becomes a national hero. Given the code-name Number 24 by British intelligence, Sønsteby risks capture, torture and execution to sabotage the German war effort, owing his success to careful planning and preparation. Soon he finds himself in charge of a resistance cell called the ‘Oslo Gang’ and wanted by the Germans.

The story is told through an episodic series of flashbacks as an older Sønsteby (Erik Hivju) gives a lecture to a group of schoolchildren. The symbolic passing of knowledge and experience from the older generation to the young is used as a reminder not to forget these stories. Torture and interrogation are shown with brutal detail to drive home not only the risks faced by the resistance, but also the sacrifices made by real people that this movie is about.

Children in the lecture confront Sønsteby with questions regarding the ethics of killing, not only Germans but fellow Norwegians, and he explains that he did what had to be done, and it’s hard to understand without having experienced war for yourself. In the current global climate of conflict across the world, it’s a poignant reminder that life and ethics are very different during war.

The wartime Sønsteby is played by Sjur Vatne Brean, giving a strong portrayal of a man who must learn to kill without prejudice in order to perform his duty. Both Brean and Hivju have a striking resemblance to each other, convincingly playing the very young and very old Sønsteby respectively. The cinematography is strong and gives a clear sense of two different periods in history, with the modern day shot like a documentary that convincingly beds in the reality of the story.

The action scenes in World War 2 are grand and explosive, with a huge scale and a great amount of detail for historical accuracy. You can tell the script was written by a historian and journalist (Espen Lauritzen von Ibenfeldt and Erland Joe) based on the biography by Petter Johannessen. Number 24 was a strong start to a great festival packed with fantastic cinema that I Highly recommend you attend.

The Scandinavian Film Festival is currently on across Australia until mid-August. Check ScandinavianFilmFestival.com for more information.

To book tickets to Number 24, please visit https://scandinavianfilmfestival.com/films/sca25-number-24.

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Second Victims (Det Andet Offer)

07/07/2025 Steve Willems🥈🦉

Second Victims – Scandinavian Film Festival Rating

★★★★★

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Scandinavia has a long and rich history of quality filmmaking, with innovative Directors such as Lars von Trier, Susanne Bier, Thomas Vinterberg, and Ingmar Bergman that have challenged and influenced world cinema. Nordic films such as Lamb, The Seventh Seal, Let the Right One In, Festin, and The Hunt, have exposed us to a culture and landscape that is rich with powerful stories.

In this tradition, the 2025 Scandinavian Film Festival gives us Second Victims (Det andet offer), a harrowing, thought-provoking film from Denmark written and directed by Zinnini Elkington. Alex (Özlem Saglanmak) is experienced neurologist starting another routine day in an understaffed hospital. In the changeroom she gives hollow encouragement to Emilie (Mathilde Arcel F.), a nervous new intern facing her first day as a doctor without supervision. As the day starts, Elkington masterfully employs the often-overused technique of a long, single shot as we follow Alex through a routine morning. She volunteers to take over extra duties due to staff shortages, then moves confidently through the hospital deftly attending to a variety of patients, making quick observations and decisions before moving on to the next. One of these fateful decisions, seemingly innocuous at the time, triggers a sequence of high-stake events that will challenge Alex in ways that she never expected.

Medical staff face the burden of life and death decisions every day, but the emotional toll is rarely understood or explored, especially when doubt creeps in about a possible mistake or missed diagnosis. Second victims explores the emotional devastation a critical decision that’s made under pressure can have on an experienced doctor. The allocation of blame, the legal repercussions, the doubting and guilt and fear. Just like Alex, I had trouble recounting exactly what happened in that short but critical moment when she assessed an eighteen-year-old man with a simple headache, sharing her confusion about who was really to blame for not realising the seriousness of his condition. Did the nervous, unsure young doctor Emilie give Alex, the confident veteran, the right information? She says she did. But did she really?

Alex not only has to wrestle with the possibility she made a fateful mistake; she also has to face the emotional impact this has on the patient’s terrified (divorced) parents. These characters help to humanise the stakes. ‘What happens if he dies,’ an emotional mother (Trine Dyrholm) asks the hospital priest (Kristian Halken) as she contemplates the fate of her son, who has fallen into a coma with a brain haemorrhage, ‘he’s all I’ve got.’ ‘You love him,’ the priest replies, ‘and don’t stop loving him. Love is more powerful than death.’

The moral ambiguity and rising tensions were absolutely gripping, the story moving along at an exhausting pace, building an intense emotional pressure like an overcharged battery about to explode. Second Victims is a compelling insight into the stress and pressure of staff making life or death decisions and the people who depend on them. As an experienced Surgeon explains to Alex when she loses all confidence and seeks his advice, it’s a fight they don’t always win: ‘Every Doctor has a graveyard.’

The Hurtigruten Scandinavian Film Festival is packed with a superb lineup of films, screening in multiple locations across the country until the 14th of August. Check out their website at https://scandinavianfilmfestival.com/ for sessions and dates in your city.

To book tickets to Second Victims – Scandinavian Film Festival, please visit https://scandinavianfilmfestival.com/films/sca25-second-victims.

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The Last Paradise On Earth

07/07/2025 Savannah Douglas🆕

The Last Paradise On Earth (Scandinavian Film Festival) Rating

★★★★★

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A lot of people say the grass is greener on the other side. But what if, despite everyone else turning their back to it and telling you to do the same, you were perfectly happy with the hue of your green.

The Scandinavian Film Festival is ready to set sail across Australia. And with it The Last Paradise On Earth, Directed by Sakaris Stórá, glides in to dock.

This touching Danish drama film centres on Kári (Sámal H. Hansen), a kind and bashful young man, who calls the Faroe Islands home. On one of those remote islands he spends his quiet days working at the local fish factory and trying to connect with his sister, Silja (Bjørg B. Egholm), both of whom have been struggling since their mother passed away.

With the increasing pressure of the factory potentially closing and their father’s sudden leave for work on the sea, Kári must do what he can to keep his and Silja’s life afloat, all while discovering his own path forward.

The story is a hunt for belonging and finding a sense of self in hard times. Like many people these days, the doubt of if you are in the right place and doing what you should be doing with your life feels very relatable.

It seems that everyone in the village is either leaving the islands for a better, more exciting lifestyle, or incredulous that Kári isn’t. The constant force upon him becomes overbearing at times, and puts you right into his shoes of getting fed up with the repetitive questions, yet also second guessing his purpose in life.

The consistent pace of the film allows you to become familiar with the island’s day to day routine, as if you’re living the days along with them. But never feels monotonous as you see Kári becoming himself in the calming nature surrounding him, appearing comfortable only when out in the fresh elements and birdsong.

In the breathtaking setting of the Faroe Islands, it’s hard to think anything could stand out from the gorgeous mist ridden mountains and colourful Scandinavian houses – yet the emotions that echo through the land are a big takeaway from the film.

Both Hansen and Egholm bring a melancholic beauty to their characters, where you can be pulled into their emotions just from a glimpse into their eyes. Through their engaging portrayals you could easily be fooled into believing it’s their real lives and relationships you’re seeing on screen.

As you continue to watch Kári and Silja piece together their identity and relationship with each other, even in spite of the remote location, the film charms you into feeling right at home with your own emotions. Because of that, the fresh island air of melancholy and delightful visuals make The Last Paradise On Earth a delicious Danish treat.

To book tickets to The Last Paradise On Earth (Scandinavian Film Festival) , please visit https://scandinavianfilmfestival.com/films/sca25-the-last-paradise-on-earth.

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Jesus Christ Superstar: A Modern, Mesmerizing and Immersive Experience

07/07/202507/07/2025 Paul Ellicott🥉

Jesus Christ Superstar Rating

★★★★★

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It’s opening night in Brisbane after a successful Australian tour, and there is no denying that Jesus Christ Superstar rises again. For those uninitiated, the action focuses on the final days of the man himself, culminating in his crucifixion. However, this is no ordinary bible story – nor ordinary musical; Jesus Christ Superstar is conceptual rock n roll, and this production brings the classic firmly into 2025, with the help of eminent Australian pop, rock and soul musicians, inspired choreography, and exemplary calibre of cast. This is a show even for people who don’t typically enjoy music theatre, while still delighting those of us who do.

I’ve seen Jesus Christ before, both the fantastic 1973 movie and an enjoyable high school production many years ago, which featured my sister in the orchestra. However, it has been long enough for me that events unfolding seem surprising and fresh, while I realize the master plan toward which they culminate. This interpretation feels right now but retains the campy strut and sensibility of early iterations; A feature of Jesus Christ Superstar is how well it translates into different eras, being so beautifully open to experimentation.

As Jesus, Michael Paynter’s singing is exceptional, with clarity, control and conviction. An experienced professional musician with success in the pop charts, this show is Paynter’s first foray into the musicals; While I consider that he grows in stature throughout the performance (he is firing on every cylinder in the second act), the more I think about it, his calm, innocent, nearly boy-like portrayal in the first act is an appropriate and effective character choice.

Mahalia Barnes as Mary is also new to musical theatre; However, JCSS can be fairly considered part of the rock realm, so more her world than most musical theatre. Like Paynter, she is a music industry veteran, and a beautiful interpreter of song; She gets to sing some of my personal favourites in this show, giving soulful tone and connection, while radiating wholesome beauty. Her duet with Peter (Tana Laga’aia) is notable, bringing some gentler reflection into the strident second act.

As the flamboyant Herod, Reuben Kaye’s beauty is somewhat less wholesome than Barnes’s, but nonetheless riotously evident. Kaye is a force of nature, and while his stage time is shorter than the other cast, his presence is indelible, eating up the stage with electric energy, sinister sexuality and some impressive vocal histrionics – spanning from gargle to whistle and back again. No stranger to controversy himself, and certainly willing to ‘go there’ (watch his 2023 interview on The Project re: his love of Jesus, if you’re unfamiliar/not easily offended), Kaye goes all out as Herod, his courage and charisma perfectly cast in the role.

Javon King as the maligned but misunderstood Judas blends exuberance and anguish into a very memorable portrayal. Judas gets some of the show’s absolute banger musical numbers, and King handles them royally, with soulful elevation and powerful falsetto. While remembered for his betrayal, Judas is a complex character with arguably noble intentions, who errs, then cannot bear the burden of his own conscience. King captures these contrasts with phenomenal energy, nuance and commitment.

Other especially memorable performances are given by Elliot Baker, oozing machismo as Caiaphas, and Graeme Isaako, giving grit and sincerity as Simon. The standard of the whole cast is superb, and the production feels alive and in the moment. This show is not about main members singing stationarily in the spotlight, but rather the entire cast exploding throughout the stage, creating texture and dynamism both visually and narratively.

Special mention must be given to Choreographer Bree Tipoki, for her input behind such a captivating feature of the show; The dance and movement bring fascinating life and shape to the stage, and to the story. The live band, costuming, stage design and lighting are all dialled into the highest professional standard. As a whole, Jesus Christ Superstar gives life, as the plot takes one away. Yet, there are no sins to speak of; The shows deeper commentary on society’s casual detachment, desensitization and perverse voyeurism toward the suffering of one we raise up only to smack down – is thought provoking. Each distinct element blends vibrantly to create a modern, mesmerizing and immersive experience, that should not be missed.

To book tickets to Jesus Christ Superstar, please visit https://www.qpac.com.au/whats-on/2025/jesus-christ-superstar.

Photographer: Jeff Busby

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