The Curb

Director Imogen McCluskey continues her exploration of suburban Australia with the comedy-drama film Nugget is Dead: A Christmas Story. This delightfully relatable Aussie Xmas tale was written by Jenna Owen and Vic Zerbst, who both act in the film alongside Aussie screen legends like Gia Carides, Damien Garvey, Ed Oxenbould, Steve Rodgers, Mandy McElhinney, Kerry Armstrong, and Tiriel Mora, and more.

Steph Stool is a dermatologist in training who has her feet in two worlds. The shiny sheen of Sydney where the pull of her bougie boyf (Alec Snow) sees her drawn towards spending Christmas with his family. Early in the film we meet his mum (Tara Morice) who gives Steph the complicated and intense rundown of what's expected from their family experience. For them, Christmas will be the 'introduce the family to the girlfriend', a factor that further drives a wedge between Steph and her family who she carries a level of shame about.

But, Steph's disconnection with home is short lived when she receives a call from her mum (Gia Carides) saying that the family dog, Nugget, is dead. Well, not exactly dead, he's just not feeling that well. Not wanting to miss seeing the pup she grew up with one last time, Steph rushes home to be with her family, all the while thinking she'll be able to return in time for her boyfriends Christmas.

What follows is a rapturously delightful and utterly joyous celebration of Australian Xmas, full of a deep reverence for the tackiness of the tinsel strewn households, replete with a Coles bought pavlova and overburnt sausages on the barbecue. There's an emotional honesty and warmth to Nugget is Dead that is found in Imogen's first feature film, 2019's Suburban Wildlife, a narrative that explored the pressing disconnect that younger generations face when they want to seek a life out of the suburbs and in the city where they can grow.

That concern is within Nugget is Dead, but it's presented in such a deeply relatable and enjoyable manner that, by the time the climax arrives, you're not completely aware that you're shedding tears of joy and sadness at once.

As you'll hear in the following interview with Imogen, I loved this film a lot, and particularly enjoy experiencing the work of Imogen McCluskey and seeing how her perspective on Australia grows and changes on screen. Throughout the conversation, we chat about working alongside actors who are also the writers of the film, what her time at the AFI Directors Conservatory taught her as a filmmaker, and what she hopes audiences will get from watching Nugget is Dead together.

Nugget is Dead: A Christmas Story launches on Stan. on 21 November 2024.

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Welcome to a special Adelaide Film Festival round up discussion featuring myself, Virat Nehru, and Nadine Whitney. While we have known each other for years, the 2024 Adelaide Film Festival was our first opportunity to meet up in person, watch some films, and do what film critics do best: talk about them afterwards.

The following discussion sees us traipse along a path of the highs and the lows of the Adelaide Film Festival, with each critic highlighting some of their favourite films for the festival, and some of the films that have left them wanting. 

Films discussed in the following episode include: The Correspondent, Emilia Perez, Lesbian Space Princess, Make It Look Real, Good One, The Wolves Always Come at Night, Anora, All We Imagine as Light, The Seed of the Sacred Fig, No Other Land, and more. 

There are few experiences which leave a mark on you and change how you experience the world, and yet, for me, the Adelaide Film Festival was one such experience. This is partly because of the festival itself, which provided such a wide array of cinematic, theatrical, and critical experiences that kept poking, prodding, and provoking immense thoughts, excitement, and bolstered my passion for cinema and the arts, but it's also partly because of the connection I have had with the following people you'll hear. Meeting my long time collaborator and friend Nadine was as wonderful as I'd hoped it would be, and getting to meet Virat, another person whose work I admire immensely was equally exciting. I hope you enjoy listening to the following discussion as much as I did recording it. 

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In the heart of Adelaide, a movement is changing the conversations about film and film culture. That movement is called moviejuice, a ground up driven collective of artists, filmmakers, film theorists and enthusiasts, who commune to watch, experience, and talk about film and art culture together. Created by Shea Gallagher, Daniel Tune, and Louis Campbell, moviejuice was born in the backyards of Adelaide, spotlighting the sonic landscape of the city with live music and films like Tim Carlier's energetic and invigorating Paco.

Over its brief existence, moviejuice has made its mark on Australian culture and cinema, showcasing films that would otherwise go unnoticed or underappreciated. Films like Gabe Bath's Ships that Bear or Tim Baretto's Bassendream, unique experiences that genuinely shift the filmic language of Australian cinema.

Now, in 2024, moviejuice have teamed up with Adelaide Film Festival to present a must see experience, a cinematic double featuring Jordy Pollock's Wabi Sabi Rendezvous and Audrey Lam's Us and the Night. In the following interview, Daniel and Shea talk about their history with moviejuice, the vision for the collective, what it means to work with an organisation like Adelaide Film Festival, and naturally, the importance of celebrating and amplifying this kind of Australian culture.

I am in awe of what the moviejuice team are creating from the heart of Adelaide. They are helping shape how we respond to Australian culture and ensuring that filmmakers like Gabe Bath, Tim Baretto, Tim Carlier, Jordy Pollock, and Audrey Lam, are continually talked about and are part of the ongoing conversation that is Australian cinema.

moviejuice presents Wabi Sabi Rendezvous and Us and the Night at Adelaide Film Festival on Saturday 2 November 2024. Tickets are available here.

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Director Samuel Van Grinsven returns to our screens with his sophomore feature film, Went Up the Hill, a powerful drama about an abandoned child, Jack (Dacre Montgomery), attending the wake of a mother he never knew, and encountering her grieving widow, Jill (Vicky Krieps). As Jack and Jill navigate the fractured existence they find themselves in, Elizabeth's spirit emerges in curious and strange ways by possessing each character, resulting in a narrative that flows into the realm of being a possession drama, while never truly immersing itself in the genre expectations that one might have when they hear that this a film with a 'grief driven possession narrative'. 

Like Samuel's first film, Sequin in a Blue Room, there's an unexpected nature to Went Up the Hill which comes from a foundational level, and is realised in the films sound design, its choice of location - a remote farm in Aotearoa/New Zealand - and the notion that this is a triple hander film delivered by two powerful, impactful performances from Dacre and Vicky.

There's an emotional vulnerability to the film that reveals itself as it progresses in a way that feels real and lived-in. How that emotional vulnerability was achieved is what's explored and discussed in the following conversation with Dacre Montgomery, recorded ahead of the films Australian premiere at the Adelaide Film Festival on Saturday 26 October, where Dacre will be in attendance, and Sunday 3 November. 

In the following interview, Dacre talk about his studies at WAAPA, the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts, before discussing the tangible aspects of his performance that helped Vicky and himself ground their characters in the moment, while also being able to immerse themselves in the role of Elizabeth as she possesses their characters. 

Went Up the Hill is another towering achievement of emotional filmmaking from Samuel Van Grinsven, a filmmaker who is defiantly making his mark on global cinema with stories that feel deeply personal, yet completely universal at the same time. 

If you want to find out more about the work we do on The Curb, then head over to TheCurb.com.au. We are a completely independent website that lives on the support of listeners and readers just like you. If you can and want to support us, please visit Patreon.com/thecurbau to keep our lights on from as little as $1 a month.

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Kate Blackmore's feature length film debut, Make It Look Real, navigates the intricacies of utilising an intimacy coordinator on the set of a film. Kate follows intimacy coordinator Claire Warden as she embarks on the collaborative process of presenting sex on screen for Kieran Darcy-Smith's film Tightrope, which features three Australian actors who each are asked to simulate sex on screen in different ways.

Throughout Make It Look Real, we see frank and open conversations between Claire, actors Sarah Roberts, Albert Mwangi, and Tom Davis, about the purpose of the sex scenes employed in Tightrope and how they play into the characters narratives. Then, we see conversations with Claire and Kieran and hear how they negotiate the progression of the narrative, leading Kieran to reflect on the third act threesome he had planned. In between these discussions, Claire and Kate take audiences on a journey through film history where we hear from actresses who have pushed themselves to unnecessary and unsafe places to work through a scene that features nudity or simulated sex scenes.

What results is a documentary that takes a holistic approach to intimacy coordination and proposes a safer, more inclusive future where the rights and safety of the actors is considered on a foundational level.

In the following interview, Kate talks through the process of intimacy coordination, how the concept of utilising a constructed film like Tightrope came about, and what Kate has experienced as a creative who has explored ideas like representation on screen and how that intertwines with body autonomy and respect. Kate also talks about how she hopes a film like Make It Look Real will be received by audiences.

Make It Look Real is an Adelaide Film Festival Investment Fund production and will premiere at the festival on Saturday 26 October where Kate, Sarah, Albert, and producer Bethany Bruce will be in attendance. It will then screen again on Sunday 3 November. Tickets are available here.

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Regular readers of The Curb will know that I have a particular soft spot for the work of Sally Aitken. Through her expansive filmography that tells stories that span the globe, from David Stratton, to Valerie Taylor, to The Wiggles, and now to Every Little Thing, a film about Terry, a wildlife carer in California who runs a rehab facility for hummingbirds, Sally has managed to provide a generous, kind, and considerate perspective of the world and how we interact with it.

Every Little Thing is a sonic and visual delight of a film that wonders the senses with cinematography that fully immerses us in the world of the hummingbird, all the while presenting the dedication and care that Terry Masear gives to these tiny, fragile creatures who flit about the world, acting as harmonious pollinators who enrich the ever-increasingly human dominated nature that they live within.

I've seen plenty of films about animals being cared for, or about the communities that spring up in a fight for animal activism, and yet, I've never really seen a film like Every Little Thing. In the following interview, you'll hear me talk to Sally about why I feel this is a purely unique film, one that manages to present the role of an animal carer in a deeply compassionate and understandable way. I'm in awe of the majesty on display here, and while I've always loved Sally's work, I feel that Every Little Thing is yet another grand step forward in her role as a humanistic filmmaker.

Every Little Thing screens at the Adelaide Film Festival on Thursday 24 October, and again on 2 November. Sally will be in attendance on 24 October and will attend a panel on documentary filmmaking on Friday the 25th of October. Visit AdelaideFilmFestival.org for more details.

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Director Silje Evensmo Jacobsen's documentary A New Kind of Wilderness won the 2024 Sundance Grand Jury Prize for World Cinema – Documentary and will be screening at the Adelaide Film Festival on Saturday 26 October and Tuesday 29 October.

This serene and moving film follows a young family in the midst of transition. Parents Maria and Nik are raising their four children on a remote farm in Norway, teaching them a self-sustainable way of life and learning how to live alongside the land they call home. With Maria's photography helping provide a steady income for the family, all seems to be moving along comfortably, that is, until Maria passes away leaving Nik to raise their children. With no means of financially supporting the family, Nik is faced with the difficult decision of shifting his family to a new home and possibly moving away from Norway back to his home country of England where he has stronger familial support.

While this sounds like a heavy experience, Silje reflects on Maria's life perspective, her photos, and her journal writings which can be found on her blog, and in that process she manages to transform A New Kind of Wilderness into a beautiful, enriching, life affirming film that will leave you with a renewed perspective on family, nature, and the lives that we live.

In the following interview, Silje talks about how she shot A New Kind of Wilderness and the relationships that she had with the family on and off camera, while also reflecting on the relationship that the film will have with audiences around the globe.

A New Kind of Wilderness screens at the Adelaide Film Festival on Saturday 26 October and Tuesday 29 October. Tickets are available here.

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Documentarian Ian Darling's filmography includes a myriad of films that explore the fabric of Australian society. With Paul Kelly - Stories of Me, Darling immersed viewers into the poetry of one of Australia's greatest lyricists. In The Final Quarter, the excoriating and cruel racism inflicted upon footy legend Adam Goodes is explored through the media's coverage of the event. Then, working as a producer on a film like The Department, Darling shines a light on the people who keep the child protection system moving in NSW.

Each of these stories paints a picture of the kind of Australia that we live in - a complicated and multifaceted community that stretches from Western Australia to the shores of Bondi Beach in NSW. It's near those Bondi shores that Darling takes audiences with his latest film, The Pool, a mood driven documentary that presents a year in the life of the iconic Bondi Icebergs Club, a varied group of individuals who call the stunning seaside pool home.

The Pool sways through different styles of documentary filmmaking. At once, it's a nature documentary, with Ben Cunningham's camera capturing every shade of blue and purple that the sea, its sunrises and shadows of sunsets offer, at other times it leans towards a talking heads style documentary as swimmers, lifeguards, and trainers each tell personal stories about what the pool means to them. Darling matches the tone of the pool with an array of iconic songs that are masterfully paired with Paul Charlier's score.

What emerges from the salty waters of Bondi is a tonal poem that embraces the feeling and mood of being immersed in a body of water and being at one with yourself and the world, free from thoughts and worries. It is, quite simply, a unique experience that feels wholly appropriate for a documentary about a swimming pool.

Midway through watching The Pool, I couldn't help but be reminded of Apichatpong Weerasethakul's view that to fall asleep during one of his films is an honour. While I didn't fall asleep during The Pool, the experience that Darling has created is so relaxing that I couldn't help but want to drift off with the sounds of his film playing in my mind, wondering where the stories I hear would take me.

This is a question I wish I asked Ian when I interviewed him ahead of the films screenings at the Adelaide Film Festival, and the national release for The Pool on 7 November. Instead, our discussion swayed into the realm of talking about what swimming means to him, how he worked in the different colour palette for the film, and what his perspective of the truly Australian nature of this story is. The Pool is a film that, if you give yourself over to it, will certainly transport you to a different place, and is a visual treat on the big screen.

The Pool screens at Adelaide Film Festival on Sunday 27 October, where Ian Darling will be in attendance and on Sunday 3 November. Tickets are available via the Adelaide Film Festival website here. For those unable to attend, The Pool will release nationally on 7 November.

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The AFLW was established in 2016, expanding from an initial eight teams to eighteen in 2022. In the years since it launched, the league has grown to showcase the different styles of football that each corner of Australia has to offer. In Sal Balharrie and Danielle MacLean's essential documentary Like My Brother, we follow four AFLW hopefuls from the Tiwi Islands, Rina, Freda, Juliana and Jess, as they follow their dream to become league players. 

But, dreams aren't always meant to happen overnight, with the film following their journey away from their home in Tiwi to Victoria where they have to train and try out for consideration with the major teams. On this journey, we see the difficulties that the AFLW hopefuls face, especially those from communities like the Tiwi Islands where the same kind of opportunities that come easily for male players are simply not afforded to the women players. 

In the following interview with Sal and Danielle, the co-directors talk about their journey of bringing this story to life, what kind of change they want to see in the AFLW, and the importance of hearing stories that have rarely been told on screen.

Like My Brother launches in Australian cinemas nationwide from today, 17 October 2024. It's a must see Aussie doco that you can take your whole footy loving family to.

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Over the span of eleven minutes, the impressive short film Yeah the Boys sways and swerves through a boozy night with the lads in nondescript backyard Australia. Drinking culture, Aussie larrikinism, and the masculinity that finds fertile ground in these areas is brought to life with a pulsing score by The Avalanches. Oh, and all of this is presented with an the organic dance movements choreographed by Vanessa Marin. 

Yeah the Boys is written by Vanessa, with her partner Stefan Hunt taking directing duties. The titular boys are Neven Connolly, Kieran Crowe, Hadley Davidson, Jackson Garcia, Jordan Hill, Rob McLean, with Bailey Spalding appearing at the shorts start. 

It is, quite simply, one of the most unique and invigorating slices of Aussie cinema you'll see this year, and after winning the Best Australian Short award at the Oscar qualifying Flickerfest in 2024, and winning the Innovation Award at the St Kilda Film Festival, where it was also nominated for Best Cinematography, and receiving nominations for Best International Short at the Palm Springs Short Fest, Yeah the Boys will be available to view online from 15 October. 

Ahead of the films launch on Vimeo, YouTube and Instagram, I caught up with Stefan and Vanessa to talk about the process of planning and creating Yeah the Boys, I also ask Vanessa about how she managed to flow organic, natural movements in with the boys dancing, before I close the chat with asking Stefan about how Yeah the Boys plays into his relationship with death. This really is an interview that goes everywhere. For those interested in Stefan's work, including delving into his views on death, head over to StefanHunt.com.

Yeah the Boys is a fantastic realisation of creativity let loose, embracing Australiana, warts and all. It stands as a reminder why Aussie films of all lengths need to be recognised and celebrated - short films are films. 

If you want to find out more about the work we do on The Curb, then head over to TheCurb.com.au. We are a completely independent website that lives on the support of listeners and readers just like you. If you can and want to support us, please visit Patreon.com/thecurbau to keep our lights on from as little as $1 a month.

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