melbourne

The Circle – The World Through Children’s Eyes

The Italian Film Festival is 23 years young and kicking off in your town. And it’s not just films with a dramatic flair but several documentaries will feature this year, including Il Cerchio – The Circle.

Directed by Sophie Chiarello, The Circle chronicles the journey of Italian primary school students over a five-year period, capturing their unique outlook on the world. The Circle is the winner of best documentary at the 2023 David di Donatello and screening at this year’s Italian Film Festival.

Over five years, students share their thoughts and feelings on a range of topics during circle time. From parents’ separation to Santa Claus, Sophie has given these children a safe space where they are listened to without judgement. As an audience, we get to watch these opinions develop as we watch the children grow.

Through The Circle, Sophie has reminded us that children know much more than we often think. She shows that through a supportive environment, we can gain some unique perspectives from children. It was surprising at times to hear a variety of subjects tackled with maturity. As an audience, we are privileged in a way to learn what is going on inside the minds of children.

The discussion of Christmas clearly indicated the end-of-year holidays and each year flows as you watch the children grow into a new school year. As the children grew, the topics became more advanced, which kept interest as it was insightful to hear a child’s thoughts on a particular topic. The visuals of the playground, while these topics were being discussed, were another reminder that these were young children. They may have had this sense of maturity in their thoughts and feelings, but they also enjoyed playing with their friends.

Something that really stood out about this documentary and school was how supportive they all were of each other. Even if they disagreed with one another, they still gave each other a chance to express their feelings. We also watched the children as they dealt with the impact of COVID on the Italian community and how it completely changed the way we did things beforehand.

For a chance to see the world through primary school children, The Circle is a documentary to watch. The Circle can be seen at this year’s Italian Film Festival from 19th Sept to 25th Oct, although check the dates for regional variations. Check out the movie session times in your local area on the Italian Film Festival website. Ciao Bella!

This review also appears on It’s On The House.

Slutnik 2: Planet of the Incels

Flick’s “SLUTNIK 2: Planet of the Incels” was a dazzling space age adventure. 

It is the extravagant and anticipated continuation of the SLUTNIK™ franchise, following the success of its fabulous predecessor, SLUTNIK™ 1. The enthusiastic opening night audience for SLUTNIK™ 2, comprised of numerous fans of the first installment, is a testament to its popularity and widespread appeal.

For those unfamiliar with the backstory, SLUTNIK™ 1 chronicles the journey of a renowned group of lesbian space cannibals, accompanied by their trusty robot MOTHERBOARD, who departed Earth a century ago in search of liberation from patriarchal oppression.

The plot centres on Andromeda (Sara Reed) and MOTHERBOARD (Matilda Gibbs), rediscovering and reliving the secreted data of when the “sluts” had been compelled to make an emergency landing of their malfunctioning spacecraft on an unfamiliar planet. To their dismay, they discover the very thing they sought to escape from.

However, these men are not ordinary men, but rather, they are Incels who have been incarcerated within a dome by supposedly wicked lesbians. In addition to their desire for compliant women, these Incels also seek to escape, and believe in exploiting the visitors to achieve their sinister goals.

Matilda Gibbs is an exceptional MOTHERBOARD, and such a highlight of the show. Sara Reed portrays the conflicted Andromeda. She is truly enjoyable in her portrayal of an earnest explorer, being confronted with an entirely new experience – the Incel Men. The men, namely Ben Ashby, Ethan Morse, Michael Cooper, William Strom, and Benji Smith, are all recognizable as man-boy types and together, create a comical and perplexing chorus.

The Incels are easily ridiculed, yet they manage to captivate audiences with their provocative dance numbers, choreographed by Mia Tuco. Their interactions, and manipulations form the crux of the show, providing a platform to explore themes such as power, masculinity, and autonomy. 

The Incels’ dialogue is also used in matrix-style set dressing, which creates interesting contrast with the flamboyant flourishes of MOTHERBOARD’s retelling. Read: in real life, toxic masculinity forces men such as these characters to present themselves in bland uniformity, but Costume Designer Emily Busch has made them into glittering cowboys.

The language they use was apparently taken verbatim from Incel websites, documentaries, etc. Jon, played by Benji Smith, is a sinister, charismatic leader of the Incels, exuding an air of authority and menace. “Nice guy” Elliot, portrayed by Ben Ashby, attempts to win over Andromeda with his charm. The other three men, played by Michael Cooper, William Strom and Ethan Morse, while initially rude and boorish, ultimately prove to be more redeemable, revealing deeper layers of humanity, despite being so unsympathetic.

Juxtaposed to the incels, Motherboard and Andromeda’s exchanges are a fascinating exploration of what it means to retell truthful and challenging stories – especially the burden of lived experience and trauma. 

I applaud Flick and the whole production for their camp, sci-fi, musical spectacular. The story was a stunning and tactful interrogation of the dumpster-fire world we navigate today. Contemplating the end of the show, I walked away fired up by the pathos and soothed by the glamourous flourishes in sound and design.

I look forward to seeing SLUTNIK 3!”, but in the meantime, be sure to see this show before it closes on 16th September at Theatre Works.

This review also appears at It’s On the House.

Spread the word on your favourite platform!

Grave Issues – An Examination of a Life’s Worth

In 24 Carrot Productions’ outstanding and profound “Grave Issues,” we are immersed in deep examination of a life’s worth. 

The audience enters the Bluestone Church Arts Space in Footscray to find themselves at a funeral for an unnamed woman. Upon sitting, we learn that a “procedure” will be performed, where an empirical determination of a person’s inner workings will be revealed. 

The play opened on “Senior” and “Junior” (Kate Ball and Karli Riesen, respectively) performing a sort of autopsy of personal qualities in front of an audience of funerary mourners. The findings were such that “Colleague,” “Friend,” and “Lover” were driven to challenge the method by adding their own experience. 

This cleverly-paced performance combines big emotion with perspective and tact. Sharmini Kumar’s darkly humorous writing was like a welcoming lighthouse in a sea of shallow themes. 

Karli Riesen was captivating in her portrayal of a high-achieving student up to her neck in the challenges of death, life and worthiness. The co-worker chemistry between Karli and Kate Ball was both hilarious and very tender, and I couldn’t look away. In Kate’s performance, I saw a wise and discerning professional with care equal to her ambition, and writing this now, I suspect this is also a close reflection of her work as an actor. 

Ocean Trimboli’s “Colleague” was intense and nuanced. She found amazing balance in her character’s pendulous emotions, the like of which are only too relevant to any discussion of death. 

In “Friend,” I saw Bianca Conry deliver an exquisitely flawed human with impeccable comic timing. Even the rhythm of her shoes on the stage’s steps served to build the play’s entrancing reality. 

As “Lover,” Sasha Leong was poignant and serene. I found myself simultaneously moved to tears by her performance while also calmed by her voice and dignified stillness. 

Front-of-house people were wearing a floral emblem which also adorned notebooks, water bottles, and other props. It had a wonderful unity. 

The main performance area contained a coffin, a stage and a small medical implement space at the rear, near a long, black, velvet curtain. The subtle lighting highlighted small moments of transition in the absurdist piece. 

The deliberate setup created an atmosphere of sterile efficiency while still being in the grip of a funeral. It was a clever way to contrast humans’ need for emotionless facts while still needing creations such as identity, both fleeting and timeless. 

Sharmini Kumar has written a witty, hilarious and profoundly moving examination of how we see and judge ourselves and how our loved ones challenge that. I urge everyone to see this play’s limited run.

Performances of Grave Issues are running until the 9th of September at the Bluestone Church Arts Space.

Spread the word on your favourite platform!

Burning Hearts – Italian Film Festival

The Italian Film Festival is in its 23rd year after its founding at the turn of the millennium in 2000.  Since then, the festival has grown in popularity to become the most significant public celebration of Italian cinema outside Italy.

A feature of this year’s festival is a special presentation of New Italian Cinema’s – Burning Hearts – which takes place in the picturesque region of Puglia. This gripping crime tale reignited an age-old feud between two rival families as a forbidden love story unfolds. Burning Hearts is directed by Pippo Mezzapesa and was the Best Cinematography winner at the 2023 Nastro d’Argento Awards.

Based on a non-fiction book by Carlo Bonini and Giuliano Foschino, Burning Hearts is inspired by the true story of Rosa Di Flore. Mafia rival clans, the Malatesta and the Camporeale, have a history of bloody feuds. After a fragile truce, Andrea, Michele Malatesta’s son, falls in love with Marilena, the wife of fugitive Santo Camporeale. The affair becomes public, leading to a murder that will renew war between the rival clans. Andrea, driven by vengeance, returns home determined to eliminate the Camporeales.

Singer Elodie makes her acting debut in Burning Hearts as one-half of the forbidden lovers, Marilena Camporeale. As an acting debut, Elodie gave us a very solid performance. Francesco Patane played Andrea Malatesta and gave us a convincing performance of a loving son turned cold-blooded killer set on vengeance. Another stand-out performance was that of Lidia Vitale, who played matriarch of the Malatesta clan, Teresa.

The style choice from Pippo Mezzapesa was apparent throughout the film and reminiscent of the Film noir style. The black and white tones add to the story’s crime element and make action scenes more intense. This choice adds depth to the characters’ expressions. However, strangely, there were a few instances during the movie when the sound or music seemed out of sync with the story being told.

Andrea Malatesta’s character arc in the film serves as a cautionary tale about the corrupting influence of power and the potential consequences it can bring. I did not read the book before watching this film, so I cannot comment on any differences between the book and the film. If you are a fan of crime dramas or Italian cinema, then this is one to watch at the 2023 Italian Film Festival.

The Italian Film Festival runs from the 19th Sep to the 25 Oct, although check the dates for regional variations. Check out the movie session times in your local area on the Italian Film Festival website. Ciao!

This review also appears on It’s On The House.

Connect Online

Dark Stories True Crime Tours

© 2024 Dark Stories Pty Ltd     ♦     Whats The Show