Art Smitten: Reviews - 2016

Hunt for the Wilderpeople is a film written and directed by Taika Waititi, based on the book Wild Pork and Watercress by Barry Trump. It opened in New Zealand on March 31st 2016 and set box office records, which is no surprise because the film is phenomenal.

 It follows the story of Ricky Baker played by Julian Dennison, a young delinquent from the city. He is sent by child welfare to live deep in the country with foster parents Bella, played by Rima Te Wiata, and Hec, played by Sam Neill who Ricky calls Aunt and Uncle.

Bella is very fond of Ricky and they quickly form a strong bond, but Hec clearly doesn’t want to be part of Ricky's life. Shortly after Ricky is settled and loving living with Bella, she is found dead by Hec. Child welfare send them a letter informing them that Ricky will have to be sent to another foster home. Ricky runs away into the bush because he wants to stay, Hec follows him to bring him back. Child welfare arrive to find a house empty and presume Hec has kidnapped Ricky.  A national manhunt ensues.

The film shows the journey Hec and Ricky while they are being pursued by both the police and Child welfare.

The cinematography was beautiful in showcasing New Zealand’s beautiful mountains and rivers.

The film combines a beautiful musical score with odd pacing and clunky, witty humour that reminded me a bit of the Australian TV series Around The Twist. The film was really fun and a joy to watch.  

Hunt for the Wilderpeople is a beautiful film that explores themes about belonging, family and loyalty.

It runs for 101 minutes and is opening in select cinemas on May 26th

Review written by Ebony Beaton. 

Review read aloud by Lee Klein-Butler

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Will had the opportunity to review 3 shows from the Next Wave festival: microLandscapes, Ground Control and Voices of Joan of Arc. 

All shows are being performed at the Northcote Town Hall until May 14th except for microLandscapes, which finishes on Sunday May 8th

Image: Janine Gibson from Voices of Joan of Arc, Next Wave Festival 2016

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Review by Ebony Beaton

Studio Ghibli’s lesser known film Only Yesterday is this year celebrating it’s 25th anniversary and is being re-released in Australia.

Only Yesterday is unlike other studio Ghibli films. It cuts back the magical and child-like imagination that is usually the main premise within their films. It is a realistic drama, it is made for adults and is particularly aimed at women.

It’s set in 1982 and follows Taeko, she is 27 and unmarried, and she grew up and lives and works in Tokyo. She takes a holiday to the countryside to visit the family of her elder brother of her brother-in-law, and is helping them on their organic farm to harvest safflower. She travels on the over night train and on her journey there begins to recall her childhood back in the 1960s. When she arrives at the station she is greeted by her brother in law's second cousin, Toshio, they barely know each other but quickly create a very strong bond. Through the film she finds her self more and more nostalgic of her past and it makes her reflect on her memories, good and bad, the film switches between the present and the past, showing us Taeko’s memories’ about childish romance, puberty and periods and the frustrations of math and boys. The film deals with growing up both as a child and the growing up you do when you’re an adult.

One of the most beautiful parts of the film was when Taeko compared her self now and her past self going though puberty to that of a caterpillar turning into a butterfly, and how this time in her life and how when she was going though puberty to be the chrysalis stage of the caterpillar to butterfly, which to me is a really important message in how we never stop growing and learning.

This film is filled with beautiful poetic imagery like this. The end of the film was particularly moving when Taeko was faced with either staying in the country side or to go back to the city, she boarded the train to go back to Tokyo, but before she reached the next station she was provoked by a vision of her past self as a 10 year old and she knew she belonged to stay in the country side.

This film is amazingly beautiful, it speaks to so many themes and issues about growing up and how we never stop growing and how our past informs the present.

Only Yesterday is in Japanese with English subtitles, it runs for 1 hour and 58 minutes and opens May 5th and is showing at Nova Cinema in Carlton

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Content warning: contains swearing.

Review by Ebony Beaton

Fucking Parasites directed by Adam J A Cass, is a grim look into the world of two teenage girls who are imprisoned in an immigration processing centre and waiting to find out if they have been granted refugee status after fleeing from their homelands with their parents. They spend their time playing and parodying adults in their lives, such as nurses, their parents and lawyers.

It is written by Swedish playwright Ninna Tersman, she wrote it about 10 years ago and was inspired by her experience in Sweden with refugees as well has her experiences while traveling New Zealand, and is based on interviews with asylum seekers, refugees, migration board officers, lawyers, doctors and policemen both in New Zealand and Sweden.

I really enjoyed Adam J A Cass’s and this casts interpretation of this text. The set was quite abstract and stark, pastel blue boxes as rooms with small passages ways to each painted on the floor, with furniture and objects in the space being made of Lego-like blocks, and four hanging fluorescent light blubs hanging from the roof. Lots of the props including water and medication were made of Lego which I thought was a very beautiful idea. There was an eerie drone through the whole piece, stopping at different times, creating a moment of intense alertness and tenseness. This all added so much and really spoke to the piece in an interesting way. Weather it was intentional or not the sound scape made the piece feel longer than it was, I wonder if this element was intentionally woven into this piece, to make the audience feel more immersed and speak more deeply to the idea of waiting for asylum, the sound was created by one of the Actors Elizabeth Esguerra. The script was very sombre and does not give the audience the happy ending they want, I felt leaving the play very hard because we did not achieve resolution, but perhaps that was the effect the playwright wanted.

Elizabeth Esguerra and Asha Khan both performed well and matched each other’s energy. Adam J A Cass’s direction and interpretation of the script was simple and clean, and very immersive and consuming.

Fucking Parasites opened the day after the Papua New Guinea Prime minister announced that the detention centre on Manus island was unconstitutional and that the Australian government must make other arrangements for 850 asylum seekers, much like the characters in this play, their fate still unknown. I don’t know if this play can change the views of people who disagree with bringing and settling asylum seekers in Australia, but at the very least I hope it can spark a conversation.

Fucking Parasites is showing until May 8th at La Mama Theatre, Carlton.

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Katie reviews Metanoia Theatre’s production Coriolanus.

Coriolanus is being performed at Heartstring Theatre until May 8th.

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