Julia's Disappearance - Movie Poster

Julia's Disappearance

3.5 Anne Murphy

A comedy about aging, youth and other eternal truths.

"Julia's Disappearance" is a sophisticated and diverting exploration about growing older. The central characters are old enough to dread those once-a-decade 'milestone' Birthdays, events that are funny to everyone but the guest of honour. The cast are congenial and witty, so it is a pleasure to be in their company, or at least experience their on screen banter. The plot is threaded with charming short stories, all themed around aging, and thankfully told with enough heart and humour to prevent the topic becoming tiresome. It's well crafted and sophisticated, but where is Julia?


The Silence - Movie Poster

The Silence

3.0 Anne Murphy

The bicycle of a missing girl is found in the exact place where another girl was killed 23 years ago.

A cold case that mirrors a current crime is reopened, and the dual storyline is effective as each amplifies the loss and despair of the other. Beyond the suspense of the police investigation are stories of suffering by the families of the victims. Not surprisingly, the criminals are revealed as unsettling individuals. It's the depth of the characters, revealing chilling psychological profiles of the transgressors, that sets this movie apart from TV dramas with similar story-lines. Worth talking about.


Goethe! - Movie Poster

Goethe!

3.0 Anne Murphy

Young law student Johann Wolfgang von Goethe is in love with Lotte, but Albert Kestner also laid an eye on her.

A key figure in German literature might be considered fusty as the subject of a romantic comedy. Think again, as the author, poet and philosopher is dusted off and enthused with a jaunty vigour. "Goethe!" is a heady and light-hearted costume drama. The rebellious, romantically driven figure may attract new readers, even if the historical integrity of the movie is questionable. The portrayal of the period is superb, and the exploration of the subject's early years is captivating, if shallow.


Single by Contract - Movie Poster

Single by Contract

3.0 Anne Murphy

A teenage girl falls for the lead singer in a popular rock band without knowing he is famous.

A classic storyline, retold for adolescents, is romantic and pleasing, if schmaltzy. By sticking to a tried and true formula, "Single by Contract" is predictable, but the story is still amusing to watch. The strong affable leads create interest and play out their romance with wit and style. This version of the tale about the celebrity and the simple girl gives something really joyful to an implausible plot... we can even forgive them for being surrounded by a cast of clichéd characters. Apparently contracts are made to be broken.


The Day I Was Not Born - Movie Poster

The Day I Was Not Born

4.0 Anne Murphy

During a stopover in Buenos Aires, Maria recognises a nursery rhyme being sung in Spanish.

The storyline of "The Day I Was Not Born" is original and disquieting. Hefty political themes are narrated through a personal lens of family and identity, and the Buenos Aries setting is perfect in capturing a city with an atmospheric sense of the recent past - it looks both foreign and familiar, balancing the disoriented characters. Sensitively told with an assured minimalism, the movie is understated and the acting is restrained, creating compelling viewing. A tale of dislocation that carries both wounds and warmth.


Nanga Parbat - Movie Poster

Nanga Parbat

3.0 Anne Murphy

Drama about the tragic Nanga Parbat expedition by the two Messner brothers in 1970, on which Reinhold Messner's younger brother Günther died.

Nanga Parbat is a magnificent peak in the Himalaya's; this movie carrying the mountain's name was mostly shot on site, and is similarly magnificent. This is a film to be enjoyed by adventurers, not only for the stunning scenery, but also for the human story of endeavour and conquest. The spirit of the expedition and the climbers as they challenge nature are captured, as are the petty disputes among the team. Always one more mountain to climb...


A Year Ago in Winter - Movie Poster

A Year Ago in Winter

4.0 Anne Murphy

A renowned artist must uncover a young dancer's secrets in order to truly capture her likeness for a commissioned work.

"A Year Ago in Winter" deftly explores themes of grief, guilt, and longing; as a meaning for suicide is sought by those left behind asking 'why?'. Troubling family relationships are delicately mined, and troubled souls are sensitively exposed. Various reactions, feelings and emotions, not healed by time, are faultlessly laid bare as winter approaches. However, the cold reality is that there's little sense to be made of the senseless.


The White Ribbon - Movie Poster

The White Ribbon

4.0 Anne Murphy

Strange events happen in a small village in the north of Germany during the years just before World War I, which seem to be ritual punishment.

"The White Ribbon" is visually mesmerising, artistically captured in black and white with a period detail that is meticulously reproduced, particularly in the costumes of the farming villagers. With its fascist undertones this film is a harrowing watch for all of its lengthy run time, and even then there is no reward of a conclusion or explanation. Austere, relentless, seething with hatred and cruelty, this is unforgiving viewing. The film evokes a sense of impending doom, with blue ribbon success.


Kebab Connection - Movie Poster

Kebab Connection

3.5 Anne Murphy

In Hamburg, Ibrahim "Ibo" Secmez wants to direct the first German kung-fu movie.

The story line is captivating and the comedy a little slapstick, but the combination creates enjoyable watching. "Kebab Connection" is a feel good teenage romance to sit back and enjoy, as it makes no demands. The main characters are from a migrant community, the actors are not Hollywood-styled and so credible they could be from your very own neighbourhood. Social tensions are threaded throughout the plot, and prejudices are aired in a comedic way with take-away food emphasising cultural themes. Don't go hungry, connect with this kebab.


Whisky with Vodka - Movie Poster

Whisky with Vodka

3.0 Anne Murphy

A renowned actor named Otto is the epitome of the problematic but beloved ladies man.

Movies about producing movies are always interesting, and "Whisky with Vodka" doesn't disappoint on that front. With lots of takes and re-takes as the talent misbehaves, this film within a film starts to take shape. Themes of aging are explored without connecting directly to the emotions involved, and the script plays more for gags than for soul searching. It suffers from not being more tightly edited, but perhaps there were too many anecdotes drawn from real life to squeeze into the plot. Amiable and spirited without a lasting hangover, it will be dissipated by the morning after.


Welcome to Farewell-Gutmann - Movie Poster

Welcome to Farewell-Gutmann

1.0 Anne Murphy

The Human Resources Department of the pharmaceutical company 'Farewell-Gutmann' has lost its director; his underlings all vying for the job.

This is a dark and sadistic view of corporate life in an HR department. The film is as visually drab and colourless as the executives seeking promotion. The vain, ruthless, and broken characters offer little to engage with as they humiliate one another - the hypocrisy of the slippery slope to the top doled out with a heavy hand. Lacking the essential dexterity of a good black comedy, few will be sorry to say 'adios' to "Farewell-Gutmann".


Jerichow - Movie Poster

Jerichow

3.0 Anne Murphy

A young man earns the trust of the owner of a string of fast food outlets, and the attention of the entrepreneur's restless wife. Their liaisons form a classic love triangle.

"Jerichow" is quintessential film noir, balancing the vintage ingredients of lust, betrayal, and suspicion. The scheming characters are restrained and edgy, each wary of one another and careful not to reveal too much. The rural backdrop is similarly subdued with shadows to provide cover for the deceptions. Edge-of-the-seat-tension gradually builds to culminate in a final dramatic twist which while anticipated, is not obvious.