FRIENDS AND STRANGERS

Stars: Fergus Wilson, Emma Diaz, Victoria Maxwell, Amelia Conway and Greg Zimbulis.
Writer/Director: James Vaughan

Reviewed at International Film Festival Rotterdam 2021 (online).

Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★

Director James Vaughan achieves considerable success with his debut feature, the meandering, understated, ultimately rewarding Friends and Strangers, if only via the skill with which he imbues millennial mumblings with meaning and resonance. Vaughan has his able twenty-something cast communicate via the discordant verbal punctuations (‘like’, ‘um’, ‘D’you think...?’, ‘I don’t know’) synonymous with the generation, utilising the very un-cinematic cadence perhaps as best as can be.

Chief mumbler is Ray, played by Fergus Wilson in a characterisation that alternates between excruciating and endearing. Ray reconnects with Alice (Emma Diaz, nailing ‘fading tolerance’ in most of her scenes) upon her return to Sydney, ultimately inviting himself on a camping trip she has planned. These early scenes mostly consist of Ray not really listening to Alice’s attempts at conversation, with Alice gradually, if politely, distancing herself from him. Once at the campsite, she favours the insight of a pre-teen fellow camper Lauren (Poppy Jones; pictured below, left, with Diaz) over anything Ray offers.

The narrative rejoins Ray back in Sydney, moping about Alice’s rejection to the increasing frustration of his video production company partner Miles (David Gannon). They have a client meeting with waterfront McMansion owner David (a fun Greg Zimbulis), father of the bride (Amelia Conway), to prepare for the wedding shoot, as if a love-starved, self-obsessed minor-man could capture the essence of someone else’s most romantic day. Finally, Vaughan turns to an Allen-esque comical set-up, as Ray stoops to spying on Alice after a chance encounter.

The commentary he affords the solipsism of contemporary, well-to-do lives and their tendency towards introspection to the point of self-obsession has drawn comparisons to French New Wave great Éric Rohmer, particularly his late career work, A Summer’s Tale (1996). Rohmer would often focus on educated young adults and the world they populate, such as beaches, parks and lovely homes (so, Sydney). 

Vaughan has generational malaise and middle-class white privilege in his crosshairs. Friends and Strangers (the title itself carrying Bergman-esque tones) may present as a loosely-structured echo of its lead character’s directionless wanderings, but that would do a disservice to the debutant director’s skill as an observational storyteller and satirist. (The influence of European masters extends beyond the cinematic greats; a lovely shot of a middle harbour bathing spot clearly reflects George Seurat’s iconic painting, ‘A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte’).

Opening credits play over artwork from Sydney’s colonisation, preparing the audience for a story in which the setting is as important as the characters. Vaughan’s Sydney is not sweeping shots of foreshore icons (the city skyline is occasionally glimpsed as background detail), but instead the Sydney of affectation - cafes, hairdressers, manicured parks and affluent homes. Just as notable is DOP Dimitri Zaunders expert framing of the ‘ugly beauty’ of big-city life - stacks of pallets jammed under an overpass, the jarring juxtaposition of historical masonry and modern steel beams of which Sydneysiders have become inexplicably tolerant. 

We first meet Ray and Alice not on a park bench silhouetted against the Harbour Bridge, but leaning on a concrete barrier, struggling to connect over traffic noise and looking down upon (literally and figuratively) the boring minutiae of city life. It is an establishing sequence of a confident filmmaker, conveying thematic intent and character depth, and signaling Vaughan as a young director already in touch with his own film language.

IN CORPORE

Stars: Clara Francesca Pagone, Naomi Said, Kelsey Gillis, Sarah Timm, Frank Fazio, Christopher Dingli, Timothy McCown Reynolds, Amelia June, Simone Alamango, Don Bridges and Naomi Lisner.
Directors: Sarah Jayne Portelli and Ivan Malekin.

Available to view via LIDO at Home. 

Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★

The challenges faced by four women who just want to shape their destinies on their own terms is the bridging device that binds this portmanteau drama from co-directors Sarah Jayne Portelli and Ivan Malekin.  

Confronted with personal and social hurdles stemming from traditional gender stereotyping, the protagonists in this bracingly contemporary work are not always likable, but that’s kind of the point; whether you love them, hate them or just don’t get them, if you don't respect the decisions they make in the running or ruining of their own lives, then you are part of the problem.

In Corpore (a Latin adverb, meaning ‘in body; in substance’) is broken into four stories, each one focussed on vibrant young women coping with relationship complications. In Melbourne, sculptress Julia (Clara Francesca Pagone) is visiting her friends and parents on a brief trip home from her New York base. Recently wed to a much older man and with broadminded views regarding polygamy and open marriages, Julia indulges her desires when she has morning sex with her old friend Henri (Frank Fazio).

In Malta, Anna (Naomi Said) is facing pressure from her long-term boyfriend Manny (Christopher Dingli) and her extended family to bear children, a life-changing decision that she is not yet willing to undertake. In Berlin, gay couple Rosalie (Sarah Timm) and Milana (Kelsey Gillis) are struggling with jealousies and insecurities steadily on the boil. Then, in New York City, we rejoin Julia as she shares her moment of meaningless infidelity with her silver-fox husband, Patrick (Timothy McCown Reynolds), who, like most of the men in the film, reacts with self-centred petulance and brattish intolerance.  

Two key directorial decisions ensure In Corpore will surface mostly in daring festival placements and in the homes of indie-minded inner-city urbanites. Firstly, the dialogue is improvised, with the actors bouncing off each other with a delivery style that is sometimes pitched a bit high. When it is done right, it conveys heartbreak and honesty and humanity with an aching accuracy; best among the cast is Naomi Said, whose soulful performance is lovely.

The other stylistic choice that Portelli and Malekin gamble with are intensely staged and extended sex scenes. These sequences are clearly designed to positively convey the nature of the emotional connections shared by the characters; in the wake of a particularly heated argument, Timm and Gillis have rough shower sex that speaks to the desperation they are both feeling as their relationship frays. Said and Christopher Dingli make passionate love, yet when their motivations are revealed, the awkward honesty captured is remarkably moving. Many filmmakers claim they only use sex scenes to advance their narratives and build character, but few achieve that noble goal; Portelli and Malekin, and their fearless cast, do so with grace and class.

In Corpore is a slyly subversive battle-of-the-sexes commentary that positions modern young women determined to chart their own course through life as a kind of new heroic narrative arc. The DNA of such landmark empowerment films as Paul Mazurky’s An Unmarried Woman (1978) and Claudia Weill’s Girlfriends (1978) courses through its veins. Like those independently-minded films, In Corpore may also emerge as a work that ushered in a period of social change.

BLACK WATER: ABYSS

Stars: Jessica McNamee, Luke Mitchell, Amali Golden, Anthony J. Sharpe, Rumi Kikuchi and Benjamin Hoetjes.
Writers: Ian John Ridley and Sarah Smith.
Director: Andrew Traucki

In select Australian cinemas from AUGUST 6; available on Blu-ray/DVD from SEPTEMBER 23 and early digital purchase from SEPTEMBER 16.

Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★

Few filmmakers have committed themselves so determinedly to the ‘man-vs-beast’ horror subgenre as Andrew Traucki. From crocodiles (Black Water, 2007), to sharks (The Reef, 2010), to mythical leopards (The Jungle, 2013), the Australian director has taken barebone narratives and potentially stereotypical characters and crafted solid, occasionally gripping, nailbiters. Thirteen years after his debut film hit big internationally, Traucki returns to face off against the apex Australian predator in Black Water: Abyss, a terrifically effective sequel that exhibits what a masterful teller of suspenseful stories he has become.

His latest borrows from a certain ‘shark attack’ classic in establishing early on the fatal threat posed by his reptilian villain. A pair of lost tourists stumble into the lair of a saltwater crocodile and meet an ugly demise; just as with Spielberg’s Jaws, the fate of anyone that crosses the creature’s path is firmly etched in the audience’s mind from these opening frames. Working from an appropriately lean script by Ian John Ridley and Sarah Smith, Traucki then nimbly introduces his protagonists and establishes the dynamics, before getting them in the water quick-smart.

Hero-guy is Eric (Luke Mitchell), an outdoorsy, adventurous type who coerces his significant other, Jennifer (Jessica McNamee), into a caving trip in Northern Australia. Along for the material is their travel journo friend Viktor (Benjamin Hoetjes) and his up-for-the-experience girlfriend, Yolanda (Amali Golden), the party of four entirely under the laddish leadership of local guide, Cash (Anthony J. Sharpe). After blowing off a storm warning (“Nah, it’s headin’ south”), the group plunge themselves into an underground cavern system, an environment prone to a) flooding and b) tourist-eating reptiles.

It is in this enclosed environment that Black Water: Abyss spends most of its running time and really hits its stride, with Traucki and his skilled DOP Damien Beebe creating a vivid sense of geography and often nerve-jangling tension. The crocodile, its presence always felt, is only fleetingly glimpsed; one underwater sequence, during which an ill-fated character’s torch slowly reveals the creature laying in wait, it’s mouth agape, is pure nightmare material. 

There is no denying that crocodiles and alligators, with their ruthless carnivorous drive and prehistoric visage, make for great movie ‘bad guys’ (see, Alexandre Aja’s Crawl, 2019; Greg McLean’s Rogue, 2007; Steve Miner’s Lake Placid, 1999). However, animal lovers will appreciate that Traucki doesn’t go all out to demonise his crocodile co-stars (at least, not until the final confrontation), instead applying some science to explain their actions and treating them as wild animals merely doing what wild animals do. 

The pic benefits from solid acting across the board and a humanising subplot that adds just enough backstory to the four friends to distract audiences from guessing who’ll next be dealt the infamous ‘Death Roll’. Credit also due to Traucki and his writers for continually finding plausible ways to get the cast off that rock ledge and back in the water and to editor Scott Walmsley for his precise skill in clipping together some of the best jump-scares in recent memory.

THE VERY EXCELLENT MR. DUNDEE

Stars: Paul Hogan, Rachael Carpani, John Cleese, Chevy Chase, Wayne Knight, Jacob Elordi, Nate Torrence, Kerry Armstrong, Roy Billing, Charlotte Stent, Julia Morris and Olivia Newton-John.
Writers: Robert Mond and Dean Murphy.
Director: Dean Murphy.

Rating: ★ ★

It seems entirely appropriate that The Very Excellent Mr. Dundee, Paul Hogan’s latest feature film comedy, bypass cinemas to premiere on pay-platform Amazon Prime. Not only because ‘Hoges’ made his name as a small-screen comic 50+ years ago (a legacy that the production drives home in a nostalgic credit sequence), or because his only profile for many years was during the 6 o’clock bulletin. But because, under regular collaborator Dean Murphy’s static direction and a leaden script that asks too much of the leading man’s still-roguish charm, The Very Excellent Mr. Dundee plays like a sitcom pilot destined not to be picked up.

The 80 year-old Hogan plays a version of himself one suspects is not too far removed from real life. Still ensconced in the L.A. lifestyle, he has become a relic of 80s-era celebrity, not relevant at all since the second Crocodile Dundee film made some money a long while back. He is still taking meetings, discussing a new project with fawning Hollywood suits who think pairing him with Will Smith in a father-son premise is plausible (such is the level of industry satire in Murphy’s and Robert Mond’s script).

The big development in Hogan’s life is an invitation to accept an honour from Her Majesty, a ceremony that will only take place if he does what is demanded of him by his manager Angie (a game Rachael Carpani) - stay out of trouble. Cue trouble, largely in the form of Hoges’ inability to handle modern life, his largely befuddled state humoured by such celebrity pals as Chevy Chase, Wayne Knight, Reginald VelJohnson and Olivia Newton-John in cameo bits that fall flat. The only co-star who ups the ante is John Cleese, who riffs on his own tarnished celebrity as an alimony-burdened Uber driver willing to do anything for money.

The Very Excellent Mr Dundee is a particularly strange beast, in that it demands you recall what made Paul Hogan a global star, however briefly, then buy into why it has been a mixed blessing all these years. The takedown of a lifetime of celebrity trappings by a figure who has sought to exploit the very same feels awkwardly disingenuous. A sharper focus on the fleeting nature of celebrity or the long, dark shadow it casts might have worked; instead, the narrative dawdles and stumbles towards a contrived and convenient denouement. 

That said, as the final act in the career of a beloved industry patriarch, one can (sort of) forgive the sentimentality and melancholy that plays out in the film’s final frames. The Very Excellent Mr Dundee wraps on a fairytale high that Hogan’s legion of fans undoubtedly believe he has earned in real life; too bad it is denied his movie alter-ego, who deserves a better send off than this.

THE LEGEND OF THE FIVE

Stars: Lauren Esposito, Gabi Sproule, Leigh Joel Scott, Nicholas Adrianakos, Deborah An, Beth Champion, Eric James Gravolin, Matthew Pritchard and Tiriel Mora.
Writer: Peter McLeod
Director: Joanne Samuel

Rating: ★ ★ ★ ½

The Breakfast Club go to Ferngully in The Legend of The Five, the new Aussie Y.A. indie romp that leans heavily on the ‘80s teen movie beats to soft-sell a contemporary and urgent environmental message. Director Joanne Samuel and writer Peter McLeod show a lot of respect for their target audience, those socially-aware, issue-driven young people who look to Greta Thunberg in the same way their parents looked to Molly Ringwald.

The core group of characters are a demographically-diverse lot, clearly designed to appeal to as many corners of a modern high-school courtyard as possible. The key protagonist is displaced American Zoe (Lauren Esposito), whose dad has chosen to move to Australia to help cope with the death of Zoe’s mom. A loner at her new school, Zoe crosses paths with perky alpha-girl Caitlin (Gabi Sproule); her jock bf, Javier (Nicholas Adrianakos); dark, arty type Kaylee (Deborah An); and, bespectacled book-worm Brit, Owen (Leigh Joel Scott).

On a school excursion to a museum, the group find themselves in possession of a mystical wooden shaft (introduced in a thrilling prologue, set in 1922 and straight out of an Indiana Jones-type spectacle), that soon hurtles them across space and time into a woodland fantasy realm. Here, an ageing wizard (the great Tiriel Mora) sets their quest in motion - the chosen five are ‘elementalists’, representative of nature’s forces, and they must seek out The Tree of Knowledge (recalling James Cameron’s own enviro-epic, Avatar) and save it from an evil sorceress (Beth Champion) before the forest, then the world, is destroyed.

Gen-Xers will have a blast spotting nods to the films of their youth that have provided inspiration for Samuel’s first directorial effort, coming 41 years after she played Max’s wife Jessie in Dr. George Miller’s iconic 1979 actioner, Mad Max. The bickering besties are cast a little older, but they could be The Goonies, or its more fantastical offshoot, Explorers (both 1985). The creatures of the make-believe world (stunningly shot amongst Sydney’s Blue Mountains by DOP Casimir Dickson) recall Ridley Scott’s Legend (1985), Jim Henson’s Labyrinth (1986) and, more recently, Andrew Adamson’s The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (2005).

Where Samuel and McLeod most successfully stake their claim as strong, legitimate voices for the younger generation is in a sequence that takes their characters deep into a darkness where they must confront their own negative selves. The scene highlights teenage fears, jealousies, grief and insecurities in very real terms, utilising the fantasy setting as a means by which to conquer those forces that bear heavily on young minds and emotions. 

It is a bold narrative sidestep that adds resonance to a film that might have otherwise played too simplistically for the 13+ age bracket. As it stands, The Legend of The Five is solidly-packaged, all-ages Australian entertainment with strong international prospects.

THE LEGEND OF THE FIVE will play a limited Australian theatrical season from June 25; other territories to follow.

WHAT GOES AROUND

Stars: Catherine Morvell, Jesse Bouma, Gabrielle Pearson, Charles Jazz Terrier, Taylor Pearce, Aly Zhang, Maximilian Johnson and Ace Whitman.
Writer/Director: Sam Hamilton.

Currently available globally via Prime Video, Genflix and Vimeo on Demand.

Rating: ★ ★ ★

The cinematic DNA of ageing ensemble shockers Scream (1996) and I Know What You Did Last Summer (1997) is coursing through the bloody veins of Sam Hamilton’s What Goes Around. Hinting at the cyclical nature of the slasher movie fad from the title on down, this splattery, silly but undeniably entertaining reworking of shopworn stalk-&-stab tropes will wear some deep critical cuts but also prove a blast for audiences for whom the ‘90s is that distant decade in which their parents got married.

Aiming for a demographic smart enough to know its horror movie references but not so gratingly ironic as to dismiss them outright, Hamilton’s feature directing debut talks the talk to today’s 20-somethings - his cast drink a lot of coffee (and milkshakes), text all the time, converse (and dance) awkwardly at parties. Out front is Erin Macneil (the terrific Catherine Morvell, recalling Emily Blunt by way of Kerry Armstrong; pictured, top), a socially withdrawn film-school student who remains in touch with her bff, Rachel (Gabrielle Pearson). 

The ol’ high-school gang are also around, including tart-mouth stirrer Marnie (Ace Whitman), upwardly-mobile jerk Cameron (Charles Jazz Terrier), his doormat gf Cara (Aly Chang), and support players Jake (Taylor Pearce) and Tom (Maximilian Johnson), for whom these sort of movies never end particularly well.

Erin’s documentary-class crush is Alex Harrison (Jesse Bouma; pictured, above), the narrative’s ‘Skeet Ulrich’-type, who somewhat suspiciously leaves his laptop right where Erin can find it. Find it she does, and soon spying upon his private emails is she. Things turn ugly when Erin opens an email from ‘Snuff Boy’, and a brutal killing-video unfolds before her disbelieving eyes. As with even the best of this genre (throw in Urban Legend, Halloween H20, The Faculty, all the Scream and Summer sequels), the plot moves forward based upon one or more characters making bad choices; here, Erin ignores said snuff footage and allows herself to be wooed by Alex. 

As the bodies pile up and the group’s backstory comes into focus, Hamilton’s skill at moving his story along at a clip (the pic is a thankfully tight 78 mins) is appreciated; implausibilities are pushed aside and the cool stuff that slasher fans pine for moves centre-stage. The kills are staged with efficiency and build with intensity; come the final frames, nail-guns and hacksaws feel about right.

Bring a few grains of salt. The gruesome murders all take place in a middle-class Australian suburb with seemingly no police force; despite several bloody deaths amongst their core group and a cyber-crime component which places it under federal jurisdiction, no character is ever interrogated or seeks counselling. Things move pretty fast in slasher movies, rarely allowing for such affectations as mourning or police procedural work.

Not that the lack of such subtleties proves an anchor for What Goes Around, as Hamilton knows what makes the genre tick. The balance of charismatic performers, a bloody bodycount and the occasional wink to the audience in service of the mid-level mystery plot is what rejuvenated the slice-&-dice romp 25 years ago, and may do again.

What Goes Around | Official Trailer from Bounty Films on Vimeo.

BEING GAVIN

Stars: Jamie Oxenbould, Catherine Moore, Kate Raison, Ed Oxenbould, Brian Meegan and Ray Meagher.
Writers: Mark Kilmurry and Sara Bovolenta.
Director: Owen Elliott and Mark Kilmurry.

Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★

Back before superheroes and their teen fanbase ruled the box office, studios made movies for grown-ups. Names like George Segal and Walther Matthau and Dudley Moore starred in movies about marriage, infidelity and midlife crises that were funny, sad and smart. They stopped making them when the star system faded and the audience grew younger, despite being box office gold and Oscar friendly in their heyday.

Being Gavin harkens back to films like Cactus Flower (1969, with Matthau), A Touch of Class (1973, with Segal) and 10 (1979, with Moore), in which comfortably married, middle-class husbands complicate their lives by taking vibrant young lovers who complicate arrangements by falling in love. Directors Owen Elliott (helming his first feature since the acclaimed Bathing Franky in 2012) and Mark Kilmurry have crafted a contemporary, re-energised spin on a genre most considered dated, even moribund.

The titular ‘Gavin’ is the owner of a struggling cafe inherited from his ageing father (Ray Meagher). His life changes one morning when, like a personality whirlwind, struggling singer Samantha (a lovably boisterous Catherine Moore) presents herself as the life force that Gavin didn’t know he needed. Despite their wildly divergent individualism (a genre trope, to be fair) and his patchy bedroom skills, Gavin and Samantha bond with promise of much loveliness to come.

But the co-directors have a second-act twist that puts pressure on both the lovebirds and his narrative. Gavin is in a 22-year marriage, not to some some shrill ballbreaker as might have been the case four decades ago when the genre was soaring, but to Elaine (Kate Raison), a caring wife and mother, successful professional and totally undeserving of the grief that Gavin’s actions make inevitable. As Gavin’s actions become comically frantic, and with his life twisting in on itself through his lack of responsibility and awareness, Being Gavin takes on a somewhat bittersweet trajectory; things aren’t going to end well for anyone, but let’s hope it’ll be fun getting there anyway.

Gavin is played by Jamie Oxenbould, a likable journeyman actor who has earned his leading man status after decades as a respected ensemble player. He has some lovely scenes opposite his real-life son Ed Oxenbould (Paper Planes, 2014; The Visit, 2015) who plays surly teen Josh. Notably, Oxenbould Snr. channels that other significant figure of the 'reluctant philanderer' genre, Woody Allen, with a performance that mirrors the comedian's breathy delivery and nervous energy. 

The directing team also takes cues from Allen's late ‘80s oeuvre, films such as Hannah and Her Sisters (1986), Another Woman (1988), Crimes and Misdemeanours (1989) and Husbands and Wives (1992); works that tackled similar themes and revealed the maturing of the Oscar winner as an insightful observer of human foibles. There is further evidence of Elliott's and Kilmurry's fondness for Allen’s classics, with a shot of fireworks against Sydney’s skyline a homage to Manhattan (1979) and the use of Allen’s iconic Windsor Light credit font.        

If the first-act meet-cute machinations feel pitched a bit high, the dramatic developments and satisfying denouement provide Gavin’s re-emergence with a heartfelt honesty. Just as importantly, the film honours Elaine and Samantha in its truthful depiction of how they love, cope with and ultimately rise above Gavin’s flaws. Being Gavin grows wiser and smarter in line with its protagonist, shifting from fidgety shallowness to self-aware maturity in a narrative arc as wholly refreshing as it is delightfully old-fashioned.

Photo credits: 76 Pictures Pty. Ltd.

MY YEAR OF LIVING MINDFULLY

Featuring: Shannon Harvey, Neil Bailey, Amit Bernstein, Judson Brewer, Willoughby Britton, Vidyamala Burch, Nicholas Cherbuin, Richard Davidson, Gaelle Desbordes, Elissa Epel, Anna Finniss, Timothea Goddard, Daniel Goleman, Dan Harris, Craig Hassed, Amishi Jha, Willem Kuyken, Marc Longster, Kimina Lyall, Kristen Neff, Hilda Pickett, Matthieu Ricard, Mogoas Kidane Tewelde, Nicholas Van Dam, Marc Wilkins and Jon Kabat-Zinn.
Writers/Directors: Shannon Harvey and Julian Harvey.

Available to watch FREE at the My Year of Living Mindfully website until June 3. Also available for pre-order on digital and DVD.

Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★

“[Mindfulness is] the awareness that arises from paying attention, on purpose, in the present moment, and non-judgmentally.” - Jon Kabat-Zinn, PhD; Professor Emeritus at University of Massachusetts. 

Undertaking a kind of Super Size Me for the psyche, journalist/filmmaker Shannon Harvey puts her body and mind on the line in the name of mental health science in My Year of Living Mindfully. Diving deep into the layered application of meditative practices as a healing tool, the award-winning health sector scribe chronicles just how effective centering her consciousness to combat physiological and psychological ailments can be.

A sequel-of-sorts to her 2014 mind-and-body doc The Connection, Harvey opens up about the growing toll that a combination of modern living (stress, insomnia) and ages-old afflictions (lupus) is having on her dangerously imbalanced inner-self. From that starting point, she begins her investigation of and complete immersion within the use of meditative mindfulness, seeking out the professors, practitioners and proven beneficiaries for whom the determined restructuring of one’s focus through concentration has been life-changing.

As a front-person for this journey of self-discovery, Harvey is an engaging protagonist, owning personal doubt in her ability to apply herself to the yearlong commitment and not hiding her own insecurities as her treatment demands introspection (husband and co-director Julian Harvey remains mostly off-screen, but admirably supportive). She also exhibits her award-winning skills as a journalist, with increasingly complex academic theorising from the many leaders in the field at her disposal presented with clarity.

The most profoundly human of the on-screen stories are those Harvey uncovers within her ‘case study’ subplots (of which she is the final subject). After many years as a warzone reporter and dealing with subsequent mental scars by self-medication, TV news presenter Dan Harris had an on-air breakdown in 2004; with her whole life ahead of her, Vidyamala Burch became a paraplegic after a car accident, aged just 24. Both relate the stark horrors their lives presented to them and the recovery process that eastern philosophies and meditative mindfulness inspired.

After 70-odd minutes of pristine hospital rooms, university halls and leafy Sydney surrounds (at one point, we accompany Harvey on a 10-day bush retreat), my nagging skepticism that ‘mindfulness’ was another wealthy white-person privilege grew louder. Almost on cue, Harvey addresses just such concerns with the production wisely shifting the third act to a Middle East refugee camp to gauge the impact of meditation on some of the most emotionally damaged humans on the planet. 

It is a decision that speaks to the deeply existential endeavour at the core of the mindfulness movement. While the science-based medical/sociological studies presented are fascinating and crucial to understanding meditative consciousness, My Year of Living Mindfully is ultimately about how effectively it has and can, with increasing knowledge of its benefits, serve all mankind in the face of the mental illness epidemic gripping the planet.

100% WOLF

Voice cast: Ilai Swindells, Jai Courtenay, Samara Weaving, Magda Szubanski, Rhys Darby, Akmal Saleh and Jane Lynch.
Writer: Fin Edquist; based upon the novel by Jayne Lyons.
Director: Alexs Stadermann

Available to rent in Australia from 29 May on Foxtel, Fetch, Apple, Google Play, Sony PlayStation and Microsoft Xbox.

Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★

The frantic, funny, family-friendly animated energy that powered the likes of Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs and Hotel Transylvania to global box office heights ought to earn 100% Wolf a similar number of eyeballs when word spreads what a cracking piece of all-age entertainment it is.

Adapted from the bestselling 2009 YA-fantasy novel by expat British author Jayne Lyons, director Alexs Stadermann and scripter Fin Edquist (reteaming after the success of 2014’s Maya the Bee Movie) pitch the excitement level high from the first frames. A pack of werewolves bound over moonlit rooftops (recalling the artful imagery of Bibo Bergeron’s A Monster in Paris), before rescuing humans from a burning house. Along for the adventure in preparation for his transformation from human boy to teen wolf is Freddy Lupin (Ilai Swindells), son of the clan’s ruling high-howler Flasheart (Jai Courtney), a position that Freddy is predestined to fulfil.

Six years later, the night of his first ‘transwolftation’ is an embarrassing disaster; in a whirl of supernatural mist, Freddy transforms not into a snarling lycanthrope but instead a fluffy white poodle. Banished from werewolf society, he befriends street-tough mutt Batty (Samara Weaving) and becomes entwined in a good-vs-evil battle, pitting him and his unlikely dog-friends against villainess The Commander (US import Jane Lynch) and his own family black sheep, Uncle Hotspur (Rupert Degas, putting his spin on Jeremy Iron's intonations in The Lion King, which this film occasionally recalls). Also in the narrative mix are book favourites Harriet and Chariot, aka Freddy’s terrible cousins (Adriane Daff and Liam Graham, respectively) and wolf hunter Foxwell Cripp (Rhys Darby, lightening up the central bad guy of Lyon’s book).

The clear subtext in both the book and film is one of accepting that which makes us unique, of celebrating the individual. Metaphorically, Freddy is faced with a struggle against both his family’s expectations and his changing body, a universal conundrum for pre-teens. Double-down on the symbolism of his appearance (that shock of very pink hair) and overt non-alignment with gender stereotypes and our hero, and his movie, prove far more fearless than they might first appear. Parents, older siblings and enlightened tots will appreciate the character depth in the midst of all the frenetic slapstick, staged with giddy efficiency by Stadermann and his top-tier contributors.

Backed by the Oz sector’s governing body Screen Australia, with state-based financiers Screenwest and Create NSW on board, and produced by leading animation outfit Flying Bark Productions with the help of post-production house Siamese, 100% Wolf has a pedigree that demands international exposure. Already a hot literary property, the feature will go into German-speaking territories via distribution giant Constantin Film, while 26 short-form Freddy Lupin adventures are being co-produced by Australian Broadcasting Corporation and Germany’s Super RTL; in January, a vast merchandising line was introduced at the International Toy Fair.

That is a lot of responsibility being placed upon the fluffy poodle-shoulders of our protagonist. But, as 100% Wolf teaches us in the midst of a lot of giggly fun and colourful adventure, when given the opportunity to defy expectations and choose your own path in life, anything is possible.

2020 OCEAN FILM FESTIVAL

Reviewed at the Hayden Orpheum Picture Palace, Cremorne, Sydney on March 5, 2020.

Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ ½

Those special humans that feel an attachment to the world’s great bodies of water are unshakeable in their bond. Sportsman, adventurers, explorers, whether upon or below the oceans, lakes and rivers of our planet, are so steadfast in their connection to ‘The Big Blue’, it takes a rare filmmaking talent to convincingly represent their passion on screen.

The Ocean Film Festival understands both its audience and its contributing filmmakers like few events of its kind. Once again guided by Festival Director Jemima Robinson, the 2020 incarnation exudes a more pure sense of celebratory ‘oneness’ than perhaps any other edition in the festival’s history. At the Hayden Orpheum Picture Palace on Sydney’s north shore last night, the evening was enhanced by pre- and mid-show live musical accompaniment, an understated sponsor presence and warmly professional hosting skills that further united the sell-out crowd.

The two-tiered program featured seven films, beginning with the playful, funny A CAMEL FINDS WATER (Dir: Ian Durkin; 8 mins; USA), an account of how a discarded, landlocked hull was resurrected to its former glory, now serving as a run-about for two British Columbian surfers, Trevor Gordon and Tosh Clements. Evoking the same sense of joy that one derives from stories of damaged animals finding  new owners, A Camel Finds Water (pictured, above) is a short, sweet story celebrating a destiny fulfilled.

The true tragedy of how global warming has impacted polar bears is starkly conveyed in BARE EXISTENCE (Dir: Max Lowe; 19 mins; USA). Detailing how bears now need to spend long periods on shore instead of hunting seals in the open sea, Max Lowe’s bleak, beautiful film defines the connection between a township, its people and the plight of the increasingly desperate wild animals they live with. In one tragic turn-of-events, his cameras capture an act of infanticide brought on by starvation. Presented in conjunction with the conservation group Polar Bears International, it is a sobering work.

Nature’s wonder at its most beautiful and brutal is also central to the mini-feature DEEP SEA CORALS OF POLYNESIA (Dirs: Ghislain and Emmanuelle Bardout; 36 mins; France). Having achieved fame for their dives under the North Pole ice flows, Ghislain and Emmanuelle Bardout seek warmer climes in French Polynesia, where they join a team of biologists deep-diving to 170 metres to discover previously unknown forms of coral. The azure beauty of the region and emotional sense of discovery is shattered in one extraordinary moment when, in a frenzied defence of its territory, a black-tip reef shark turns on one diver; the footage is terrifying.

The second half of the evening began with SCOTT PORTELLI: SWIMMING WITH GENTLE GIANTS (Dir: Stefan Andrews; 10 mins; Australia), a profile of the acclaimed undersea wildlife photography as he interacts with humpback whales. Not for the first time this evening, like-minded audience members related audibly with the film, emitting sounds of awe at footage of mothers and their calves. Similar warmth was clearly felt for a very brief short that profiled Grace and Phil Hampton, an octogenarian couple who, in July 2017, entered the Guinness Book of Records as ‘The Oldest Married Couple to Scuba Dive.’

The 2020 Ocean Film Festival wraps up on two works of staggering visual beauty. Utilising the structure of a traditional surfing ‘road movie’, A CORNER OF THE EARTH (Dir: Spencer Frost; 26 mins; Australia) accompanies pro-surfer Fraser Dovell and his boisterous bros on a sort of ‘Endless Winter’ odyssey to the black surf of the brutally picturesque Arctic (accompanied by the night’s best soundtrack); then, a forty year-old canoe journey into Alaska’s majestic Inside Passage comes full circle, as a family’s legacy is fulfilled in THE PASSAGE (Dir: Nate Dappen; 25 mins; USA).

The spiritual connection that audiences shares with filmmakers, their protagonists and the environments on-screen make these sessions some of the most deeply rewarding on the festival calendar. That affinity for and understanding of what programming an environmentally-themed film event means to their patrons is one of the great strengths of the Ocean Film Festival.

The 2020 OCEAN FILM FESTIVAL (AUSTRALIA) is currently screening at selected venues across Australia. For all ticket and venue information, visit the event's official website.