German Film Festival: Mother’s Baby

Mother's Baby

Mother’s Baby Rating

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Mothers are supposed to feel an instant, unbreakable bond with their newborn child; or at least, that’s what we’re led to believe. Austrian director, Johanna Moder’s new film, Mother’s Baby, bleakly reminds us that this isn’t always the case.

Forty year old music conductor Julia (Marie Leuenberger) and her loving husband, Georg (Hans Löw), desperately want a baby. When nature doesn’t deliver, they seek the help of Dr Vilfort (Claes Bang), a renowned fertility specialist. In Vilfort’s pristine private clinic, Moder introduces early on an axolotl, a strange looking amphibian that catches Julia’s interest but comes to haunt her (and viewers) later in the film.

With Dr Vilfort’s treatment proving successful, Julia and Georg wait expectantly for the birth of their longed for child. Yet the birth is a difficult one. The baby is whisked away by a medical team as soon as it is born. Moder captures Julia and Georg’s muted shock as they are kept in limbo waiting to meet their baby. When Julia finally gets to hold her baby, she seems underwhelmed, even detached from the child. Julia’s struggle to breastfeed only heightens her disappointment. An overly zealous midwife played by Julia Franz Richter doesn’t help as she pushes Julia to bottle feed instead.

Once home, Julia, long used to being in control in her professional life, continues to struggle to bond with her baby. Usually surrounded by music, the weirdly silent baby she has birthed, starts to unnerve her. Is there something wrong with the child or is Julia paranoid? Hans’ instant bond with their son, who Julia persists in referring to as ‘it’, adds to Julia’s distress.

In one particularly tense moment, Hans returns home from work to be greeted by the sight of Julia engrossed in her music, oblivious to her unfed baby. Julia’s sudden identity shift from world class conductor to stay at home mother has hit her hard. Hans fails to understand, reminding Julia as they argue that ‘It’s what we agreed!’. Is Julia’s lack of maternal connection with her baby a tell-tale sign of postpartum depression or is there something more sinister at play?

Increasingly frustrated by Julia’s unexpected reaction to new motherhood even the normally placid Georg starts to doubt his wife’s mental stability. Returning to Dr Vilfort, Julia insists there is something wrong with her baby, demanding answers from the preternaturally cool physician. In what smacks of medical misogyny, Vilfort condescendingly suggests Julia is the problem. We cringe as Georg joins cravenly with the doctor in agreeing that Julia needs help.

Moder’s psychologically chilling story of new motherhood achieves its aim of unnerving its viewers so that they feel vicariously the altered reality of the postpartum phase. Billed as a dark comedy, the film is inconsistent in creating humour; nonetheless, Moder is successful in capturing the absurdity of motherhood in a world which continues to unfairly insist on idealising maternity.

To book tickets to Mother’s Baby, or any other film in the German Film Festival, please visit https://germanfilmfestival.com.au/.

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David Williamson’s The Great Divide

The Great Divide

The Great Divide Rating

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Villanova Players’ opening night of The Great Divide seemed to go off without a hitch. The Ron Hurley Theatre is a great venue for live theatre, with lots of parking, comfy seats, and great acoustics. Trust Google Maps; it may feel like it is leading you astray, but it will get you there. 

With great little bars and restaurants in the area, I tried “The Old Seven” before the show as it was so close to the venue and had delicious food.

With the constraints in BCC spaces, director Elizabeth Morris planned a simple but functional set. The crew helped set the mood with lighting and kept pace with the very fast scene changes.

The play deals with the politics of developer vs local and people’s perspective of what something is really worth to them. Topics are very current – lack of rentals because of Airbnb’s; the modernisation of amenities that drives up costs, which attracts wealthy people able to pay more, further widening the divide between mogul and battler.

The play is dialogue-heavy with innuendos and references the older audience members related to. Although touted as a comedy, it is slightly reminiscent in style of another Australian classic, “Black Rock.” It is layered with deceit, manipulation, vulnerability, and naivety but delivered with comedic relief.

Alex, the politician standing for mayor, was played by Carissa. She gave the character an interesting voice that suited Alex as unlikeable and cold. As a developer and investor she is only out for herself although tries to justify it with manipulation and giving false hope.

Jane Binstead and Jade Davis played a mother and daughter combo that the audience recognised. Jade, as the daughter, Rachel was sullen and pouty while taking onboard the unfolding events. Jane’s character Penny was a solo mum who ran for mayor to try and protect her way of life.

Nathan Seng, the newspaperman, reminded you of someone who lived in a small town, surfed, and wanted to only print the truth.  Ken Dutt played the interviewer, dressed in the standard black pants and white shirt, making brief appearances. Troy Bullock, the councillor, helped the play to feel like you were back in the 80s with his dress and mannerisms.  Victoria McCrystal’s character ‘Grace” was reminiscent of Kirsten Vangsness. Everyone could be clearly heard.

The cast moved through the very fast scene changes in fast black outs and their enthusiasm for the play was enjoyed by the audience with chuckles and comments in appropriate places.

Kudos to the director, cast, and crew for putting on an enjoyable community theatre production. It is always worth checking out the local theatre scene. Throw in a trip to one of the great bars and eateries around the suburbs, and you have a fabulous, affordable night out.

To book tickets to The Great Divide, please visit https://www.villanovaplayers.com/.

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How Much Honesty Is The Best Policy?

What Marielle Knows

What Marielle Knows Rating

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What Marielle Knows is a part of Melbourne’s German Film Festival for 2025. It was selected and screened at the Berlinale this year and follows parents Julia and Tobias when they discover that their daughter can see and hear everything they do, whether she is with them or not. The film is advertised as a comedy, however I think it would be better suited to a dark comedy label, dabbling very closely with drama. The film centres on the married couple and how through discovering their daughter’s sudden telepathic abilities, the fragile foundations of their relationship start to crumble and teeter them dangerously close to divorce.

The film tackles a lot in its 86 minute run time, which makes for a really engaging watch. On the surface What Marielle Knows is looking at lying, where the line is, what does honesty mean when compared to truth, and how much of the truth we should share with the people in our lives. Underneath that, it interrogates family dynamics, how each parent has a distinctly different connection with the same child and how this can be manipulated by either parent. It looks at the plain and simple morality of a child and tries to apply those black and white notions to complicated, more mature feelings.

At the bottom of the iceberg, the film is an exploration of the lessons parents teach their kids, commenting on how although they don’t see every action their parents take, there will always be a follow through of emotional consequences. I enjoyed the way the film brought each of these themes up. It felt as though director Frédéric Hambalek thought carefully about each when embedding them into the film’s narrative.

What did divert this understanding for me, was little attention the film paid to Marielle herself. Her parents are the main characters and in many ways Marielle serves as the antagonist, so it was an interesting creative choice to only really examine her reactions through the slow motion, rainbow dyed frames of her that were inserted between moments like title cards. It didn’t do a disservice to the story, as it focused on parental guilt and the pressures of trying to be a good parent and what that even means, but it did make me itch for a version of events told from her eyes, how she’s reacting to some of the more intense moments Julia and Tobias experience.

The greatest highlight of the film to me was the performances. Julia Jentsch, who played Julia, Felix Kramer who portrayed Tobias and Laeni Geiseler who was Marielle, all really brought their characters to life in a way that really allowed me to empathise with all of them. Felix Kramer in particular really shone to me, he conveyed a man on the brink of a nervous breakdown with such careful restraint; the whole film I was waiting to watch the delicate wire he perched his character on snap. Together, the cast had fantastic chemistry, despite their differing physical appearances, they really felt like a believable family unit.

As equally empathetic each character felt to the audience, I thought it was an interesting choice to make Julia’s character into the villain towards the end of the film. The film and Marielle gave Tobias much more grace for his actions, but gave Julia the most work to overcome. I didn’t necessarily resonate with this aspect of the story, considering how much Tobias consistently abused her trust throughout the film, however I do think that beneath this is an interesting discussion of where the line is when it comes to telling the ‘truth’.

For a comedy, this film packs its themes in air tight and gives the viewer plenty to chew on through a unique and original concept.

To book tickets to What Marielle Knows, or any other films in the German Film Festival, please visit https://germanfilmfestival.com.au/.

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Grand Horizons: Amusingly Confronting Life’s Uncomfortable Truths

Grand Horizons

Grand Horizons Rating

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7

Grand Horizons is a poignant, riotously funny portrayal of a family in crisis, after matriarch Nancy (Linda Morgan) reveals she wants to divorce Bill (Eddie Bruce), her husband of 50 years. While Bill’s initial reaction to Nancy’s news reads as indifference, their adult sons Ben (Erik de Wit) and Brian (Tyson Hargreaves) are blindsided by the revelation; Filled with misguided good intentions, they flock to their parent’s to try and restore order, with Ben’s heavily pregnant, therapist wife Jess (Catherine Sturk) in tow. What unfolds is a superbly written and identifiable comedy, amusingly confronting life’s uncomfortable truths.

Themes include ‘Grey Divorce’ as a cultural phenomenon, canvassing mature-aged characters as authentic, entertaining protagonists – rather than being resigned to ‘bit-parts’, presented as dementia-stricken tropes, or shamefully overlooked altogether. Further, there is a feminist undercurrent which is impactful without being alienating, in addition to interesting inter-generational observations and comparisons, revealing both progress and perpetuation regarding expected gender and familial roles.

Linda Morgan shines as Nancy, contrasting physically and emotionally between the resigned, unsatisfied woman she has become, the hopeful Nancy – turning her focus to what could be, and the nostalgic Nancy – reminiscing of another love, which was not meant to be.

Playing Bill, Eddie Bruce can really deliver a comedic line; Grand Horizons provides him with plenty of material to chew on in that respect. Bruce also plays his character’s introspection and inarticulation in a way that feels very authentic for man of his generation – caring and dutiful in his own way, but somewhat oblivious to emotional cues and uncomfortable sharing how he really feels.

De Wit, Hargreaves and Sturk each take command of their respective characters, showing both nuance and good connection with the script, while Gillian Simpson as Carla and Matthew Ginman as Tommy both turn in hilarious cameo appearances; Simpson’s deadpan as her retirement-aged character describes a certain plain-packaged, online purchase is priceless. Ginman gets to deliver some of the funniest lines in the entire play, and wows with the tone and timing of his delivery. The set design is another highlight to note, and you must wait to appreciate it fully.

In conclusion, Grand Horizons is a polished comedy asking thoughtful questions without providing every answer. The slick performances, timing and staging are a testament to the hard work of the cast, Director Phil Carney and his team of Creatives (John Stibbard, Jan Read, Rob Crook). A smart, well-paced and thought-provoking play – well worth the watch.

To book tickets to Grand Horizons, please visit https://nashtheatre.com/play-2-2025/

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