Tabu - Movie Poster

Tabu

1.5 Anne Murphy

A Lisbon woman seeks out a man who has a secret connection to her neighbour’s past life on a farm by Mount Tabu in Africa.

The film-maker's craft is skillfully realised in stunning black and white, and "Tabu" is visually rewarding. Innovative audio techniques leave the telling of the background story to a narrator with a flat style that eventually weighs down interest. The real let down is a plot that lacks depth. The movie is not redeemed by its symbolism... a crocodile obviously warns of lurking danger. Ironically it's the very same reptile that remains the only snappy thing about this film. Not fabu(lous).


Lost in Siberia - Movie Poster

Lost in Siberia

3.0 Anne Murphy

A shy German logistician of a mail order company is sent to Kemerovo in Siberia to accomplish better work flow in the Russian subsidiary company.

Sometimes we have to travel far from home in order to find ourselves, and that mantra is central to this movie. A conservative business man becomes captivated by a traditional singer, an attraction that highlights the economic and social differences of individuals and their respective homelands. "Lost in Siberia" is quirky and heartwarming, the perfect antidote to a working week that might leave you feeling a little jaded. The best thing about getting lost is being found.


Shores of Hope - Movie Poster

Shores of Hope

3.5 Anne Murphy

Two friends working on the docks in East Germany in the 1980’s make plans to defect to the west.

Friendship, conscience, and politics from the last century make an engaging story, especially as everybody is plotting against somebody. The Stasi, the secret police, are portrayed as bumbling and brutal. It's alarming and intriguing to experience a world where betrayal is rewarded and nobody can be trusted. There is an austerity of style presented on-screen that lends credibility to the tale, and you may just pinch yourself in order to remember this is a story, although the setting was real.


Haute Cuisine - Movie Poster

Haute Cuisine

3.0 Anne Murphy

The story of Danièle Delpeuch and how she was appointed as the private chef for François Mitterrand.

"Haute Cuisine" is a tasty factional account of a woman cooking and making her way in a man's world. Kitchen environments are not known for their diplomacy, and the chef has a poise and self-assuredness that could provide a template for woman in business. Her spirit is inspiring. Expect light fare rather than a big meal, and it's satisfying nonetheless. The food provides as much entertainment as the politics, and foodies will enjoy the reverence paid to simple ingredients, not to mention the pleasure of eating. Gastronomic!


First Position - Movie Poster

First Position

3.0 Anne Murphy

A documentary that follows six young dancers from around the world as they prepare for the Youth America Grand Prix, one of the most prestigious ballet competitions in the world.

The physicality, athleticism and strength of mind of ballet students at the top of their art is extraordinary. Even so, in a world of reality TV competitions, the struggle to win has become all a bit clichéd. This is one for aficionados who will appreciate the achievements of the dancers, and for the rest of us this performance piece is heart-warming, if predictable, without being too tutu.


Rust and Bone - Movie Poster

Rust and Bone

3.5 Anthony Macali

Put in charge of his young son, Alain leaves Belgium for Antibes to live with his sister and her husband. Alain's bond with Stephanie, a killer whale trainer, grows deeper after a horrible accident.

As the stark title suggests, "Rust and Bone" is a confronting drama. The couple at the centre of the story come with a deep past, and their lives of torment provide the unlikeliest of captivation. Through hardship, they continually find themselves turning to each other for support, and watching the development of their rambling relationship brings the greatest satisfaction. Beautifully shot and personal, this engrossing film challenges your emotions through its entirety. Strength in love.


Hyde Park on Hudson - Movie Poster

Hyde Park on Hudson

2.0 Anne Murphy

The story of the affair between FDR and his cousin Daisy Suckley, centered around the weekend in 1939 when the King of England visited New York.

The most entertaining thread of "Hyde Park on The Hudson" comes from the pronunciation of 'hot dog' by the royal couple. Disarmingly straight-faced, they consider whether to eat one. It's a small highlight in what is an otherwise lacklustre production about a philatelist president and his dowdy cousin. "How I longed for him" is typical of the narration provided, courtesy of the mooning paramour to explain what isn't apparent on the screen. The Hudson reduced to a rivulet.


A Lady in Paris - Movie Poster

A Lady in Paris

3.0 Anthony Macali

Anne leaves Estonia to come to Paris and care for Frida, an elderly Estonian lady who emigrated to France long ago. Anne soon realizes that she is not wanted.

"A Lady in Paris" is a people movie with a small ensemble. The nature of the story grants our leads time to open-up, and the slow pace will not suit most. With some patience, the characters become a little more interesting as they begin to reveal the fun and frivolities of Frida's past. While the setup is rather conventional, it's the small details that set this film apart, sharing thoughtful insights into the perils of growing old and reflecting on life choices. An affair to last a lifetime.


Mt. Zion - Movie Poster

Mt. Zion

3.0 Anne Murphy

Turei's family are hard-working potato farm workers in rural New Zealand.

The town is Pukekohe and the year is 1979, it is hard to break away from family and community and young men have big dreams. "Mt Zion" is a modest movie that appeals with its simple earthy feel. You're left to wonder if we grow up too quickly and lose imagined possibilities. Subtitles are provided when a Maori dialect is spoken and there is the odd line of English dialogue that could use translation too, if you know what I mean bru. Singing songs of Zion.


North Sea Texas - Movie Poster

North Sea Texas

3.5 Anne Murphy

A teenage boy's search for love finds him fixated on the boy next door.

It's that time in life when emerging sexual desires inevitably involve the boy next door, as upsetting as that may be to his sister who also fancies the boy next door to her too. That statement about the plot, while accurate, is clumsy in comparison to the tender handling that first love receives in "North Sea Texas", a subtle and moody film. Movies in the understated style of this production often get labelled as 'little films' but there is nothing small about Texas, even when located on the Belgium coast.


Skylab - Movie Poster

Skylab

3.0 Anne Murphy

In July 1979, during the Summer holidays, in a house in Brittany, a family gathered to celebrate Granny Amandine's sixty-seventh birthday.

Family's are funny when generations gather to celebrate special events, the experience an odd mix of funny-ha-ha and funny-peculiar. "Skylab" is thoroughly charming as it highlights the oddities of a family get-together, full of beautifully observed moments and interactions readily remembered from our shared histories. Missing is a stronger narrative to glue it all together and provide a point to the production; as it is, the question 'so what?' remains unanswered. Pie in the sky…


Les Invisibles - Movie Poster

Les Invisibles

2.5 Tom Jones

Several elderly homosexual men and women speak frankly about their pioneering lives, their fearless decision to live openly in France at a time when society rejected them.

The lives of elderly gay men and women are rarely depicted, (hence the title) and unfortunately this film fails to provide any new light on the subject. For the most part, the interviewees look directly at the camera and tell the stories of their pasts, stories we have kind of heard before. The moments where we do get a glimpse of their lives today are compelling, but are cut too short. It's a gay old world - emphasis on the old.


Rebelle - Movie Poster

Rebelle

3.0 Anne Murphy

Somewhere in Sub-Saharan Africa, Komona a 14-year-old girl tells her unborn child growing inside her the story of her life since she has been at war.

The atrocities that surround a girl kidnapped by rebels when she was 12 years old are inhuman in their ruthlessness. Seen through her eyes, the story is a work of fiction but the situation is as credible as the one shown on screen. With its understated approach, "Rebelle War Witch" looks to be drawn from reality. Told from a child's perspective, the depiction of the fate of child soldiers is so plausible it's horrifying.


Thérèse Desqueyroux - Movie Poster

Thérèse Desqueyroux

3.0 Anne Murphy

The unhappily married woman struggles to break free from social pressures and her boring suburban setting.

Based on a classic French novel, "Therese Desqueyroux" is about the boredom of a life of privilege for a woman restrained within a marriage arranged by her family. The movie begins in 1926, but the theme of the suppression of self is timeless, the actions of the protagonist coldly calculated as her martial devotion wanes. Understated and restrained performances serve to highlight the banality of a life lived without passion. Is our fate within or beyond our control? Je ne regrette rien.


Cherry on the Cake - Movie Poster

Cherry on the Cake

2.5 Anne Murphy

A lonely woman with a crushing fear of commitment attends a New Year's Eve party that puts her in an uncomfortable predicament.

"The Cherry on the Cake" is a French rom-com that reminds us what hard work the dating game is. The plot is built upon a trivial but amusing premise that gets overworked until it becomes tiresome. Girl and guy meet, but girl tires of guy until guy becomes unavailable, and then girl is interested again. If it sounds irritating in premise,then it's a even more annoying when realised on screen; if only the film was played out with more humour. No cherry picking.