the Curb

On this episode, Andrew chats with American filmmaker Lola Blanc about her new short film Pruning. This creepy flick follows a Fox News adjacent political commentator, played by Madeline Brewer, who finds herself in a moral conflict when a mass shooter cites her as an influence for their actions. Over fifteen minutes, Lola Blanc forces viewers to question the morality of those who spout reactionary and inflammatory comments in the media, all the while trying to distance themselves from the violence that is inspired by their words.

In this interview, recorded ahead of Pruning's International Premiere at the Fantasia Film Festival, Lola talks about creating the main character with Madeleine, where her interest in exploring the fractured mindset that emerges from these kinds of fringe voices comes from, and then around the halfway mark we head into spoiler territory as Lola talks about some of the more fantastical and unsettling elements of Pruning.

Aside from being a filmmaker, Lola is also an accomplished musician and has a successful podcast called Trust Me. Find out more about Lola's work by visiting LolaBlanc.com.

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On this episode, I get to chat with Danny and Michael Philippou aka RackaRacka about their bonkers and brutal horror film debut Talk to Me, which lands in cinemas tomorrow. 

This fucked up flick is a possession story mixed with a touch of social commentary. Ultimately though, it's a film with no safety nets. It’s not mucking about at all. Talk to Me intends to make you have one of the most unsettling nights watching a horror film, and the best part is that the Philippou’s know that you’re going to enjoy doing it. Talk to Me is a new benchmark for horror films. It instantly stands as one of the grittiest, grimiest, gruelling and grotty, goretastic Aussie horror films ever. Sign me up for whatever the hell these Philippou brothers are going to create, because if it’s anything like this, then it’s going to be a bloody great time.

In the following interview, the Philippou brothers talk about how they crafted the film, what they learned from their explosive YouTube career, what working with screen legend Miranda Otto was like, and what it means to be an Australian filmmaker working today.

Talk to Me is a film you simply cannot miss on the big screen. 

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This interview contains discussion of mental health issues and suicide.

Albany based filmmaker Adam Morris returns to the region with his second feature film, Frank and Frank (or the Valley and the Walrus: Ruminations on the Mystery from Soup to Nuts). This introspective and explorative film follows Frank (Myles Pollard), a faith and financial influencer whose life is in turmoil as he faces a potential divorce as he heads out on a talking tour. In the throes of despair, Frank chances upon a stranger, also named Frank (Trevor Jamieson), and the two quickly become salvations for one another.

Frank and Frank is a film that explores masculine emotions in an open and honest way, with Pollard's Frank struggling to keep the ground under his feet - both figuratively and literally, as we see him try and reconcile with his faith one day by building a backyard crucifix to hoist himself onto, as if that will be the solution to his problems. The two Frank's share hard truths and engage in a soul searching journey together, lifting each other up.

This synopsis suggests that Frank and Frank is a dark, heavy film, and to be fair, it is at times, but it is also reflective of life in the sense that there are frequent moments of lightness and levity to bring a touch of hope to both of the Frank's lives.

In this interview, Adam and Myles talk about their working relationship, what changed in them as individuals during filming, and the joy of working the Great Southern region of Western Australia.

Frank and Frank (or the Valley and the Walrus: Ruminations on the Mystery from Soup to Nuts) has its world premiere at Perth's Revelation Film Festival on Saturday July 15 at 6pm at Luna Leederville, with a follow up screening on July 16 at 5:45pm at Luna SX. For more details, visit RevelationFilmFest.org.

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On this episode, I chat with WA local Ben Young about his new film, Devil's Peak, which features Robin Wright, Billy Bob Thornton, Hopper Penn, Jackie Earl Haley, and regular collaborator, Emma Booth. It's a thriller set in the Appalachian Mountains and focuses on a family torn apart by drug related crime. 

In this chat, Ben talks about working with mother-son relationship with Robin and Hopper, as well as the grounded nature of someone like Billy Bob Thornton. He also gives open advice about finding the right creative path forward as a filmmaker.

Devil's Peak is the opening night film for Perth's Revelation Film Festival on July 12th, with the night kicking off at 7pm at Luna Cinemas Leederville. Visit revelationfilmfest.org for more details.

We've got extensive coverage from the festival taking place this week, with interviews with filmmakers like soda jerk, Robert Machoain, Adam Morris and Myles Pollard. To read or listen to those interviews, head over to thecurb.com.au.

For now, here's a slice of the trailer of Devil's Peak followed by the interview with Ben Young. 

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Robert Machoian is an independent American filmmaker who continues to stun with a body of work that is emotionally shocking, and at times, darkly comedic. His previous film, The Killing of Two Lovers, stands as one of the towering achievements of modern American indie filmmaking, and it's with that strength and the fortitude of low budget filmmaking that he turns the story of a man trying to do the right thing for his family into a darkly comedic tragedy with The Integrity of Joseph Chambers.

Robert collaborates once more with Clayne Crawford, with Clayne playing the titular character. Joseph is a skewed version of David from The Killing of Two Lovers: dedicated to his family and their safety, yet unlike David, he is filled with a pride and misguided machismo that he believes will be enough to support his family in the event that there is some kind of massive event where food or supplies are no longer widely available.

Yet, while on the surface this may seem to narratively be a COVID-adjacent film, The Integrity of Joseph Chambers instead explores the meaning of masculinity in America, and just like Two Lovers, it shows a nation on the precipice of violence. Here, the violence is not delivered with purpose, instead it's a mishap, a soul-breaking act of accidental mayhem.

Integrity sits on the shoulders of Clayne, but it's buoyed by two performances that bookmark the film: at its opening is Jordana Brewster as Joseph's with Tess, where she is given a wealth of character development to work with in a short period of time compared to that famous series she's part of; and then at its close, Jeffrey Dean Morgan portrays a police chief, with Jeffrey delivering a stoic and empathetic performance that closes the film in a devastating manner. In the midst of this is a performance from Michael Raymond-James which is best described as one delivered with a resignation that hints at the desolate future that America faces as it continues to struggle with an epidemic of violence.

To be clear, The Integrity of Joseph Chambers is not a film that explores in depth America's relationship with guns or violence, but rather seeks to recontextualise and examine what the 'modern American man' actually is, and just how is someone who realistically should not own a gun, let alone shoot one, supposed to manage in a society that almost dictates the need to have one.

It's this discussion point that Robert talks about the most in this interview, recorded ahead of The Integrity of Joseph Chambers launch at Perth's Revelation Film Festival. Integrity screens on July 14 and 15, and tickets are available via RevelationFilmFest.org.

Make sure to listen to the previous discussion with Robert, where he talked about being influenced by Kelly Reichardt, on TheCurb.com.au.

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On this episode I chat with new author Monica Vuu about her first novel, When One of Us Hurts. This is a tight thriller set in a small coastal town. Tragedy has struck the region with a baby being abandoned at a lighthouse, while a teenager has drowned. The novel unravels in captivating fashion, following two characters - Livvy and Marie. Monica's writing vividly brings the their stories to life, leading to a gripping conclusion. 

In this interview, Monica talks about how she started writing, and the transition from living in Dubai to moving to Tasmania with her partner. 

When One of Us Hurts is published by Pan Macmillan Australia and a copy of the book was provided for this interview. When One of Us Hurts is now available through all good bookstores.

https://www.thecurb.com.au/when-one-of-us-hurts-author-monica-vuu-talks-crime-and-tasmania-in-this-interview/

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On this episode, Andrew chats with director Luzia Schmid about her stunning documentary Trained to See, which is screening at the Castlemaine Documentary Film Festival. It will launch at the in person screening on June 17, with online sessions available to everyone in Australia afterwards.

Trained to See tells the story of three American women journalists - Martha Gellhorn, Lee Miller, and Margaret Bourke-White - who each documented the Second World War in a fearless manner, putting themselves on the front line to capture their stories. Throughout Trained to See, we hear their stories from correspondence and journals that they kept during the period, and ultimately get to see the difficulties they faced as the power of misogyny arose during the war. This is both a powerful and engaging film, and is one of the finest archival documentaries of the year.

As mentioned, Trained to See is available to watch for Australian audiences via CDocFF.com.au, alongside other great films including the brilliant football-focused documentary Equal the Contest, directed by Mitch Nivalis, and tells about their journey to push for equality in Aussie football. Other films available to watch online are Watandar My Countryman, The Thief Collector, Into the Ice, Weed & Wine, and Young Plato.

For more information about the Castlemaine Documentary Film Festival, read interviews with Mitch Nivalis and Festival Director Claire Jager, and read Nadine's review of Trained to See here.

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Flyways is a visually stunning and emotionally enriching film about three different groups of endangered migratory shorebirds from around the globe. Each of these birds fly thousands of kilometers around the globe through migratory routes, traversing hemispheres and continents to reach breeding grounds. Often they will fly days without food or water.

Directed and shot by Randall Wood, Flyways is a passionate film that presents parts of the avian species that are threatened by humanity alongside the many bird watchers and scientists who eagerly follow their journeys. These scientists use tracking devices and location data, and occasionally, if luck is their side, visual verification from humans, to monitor where the birds move.

Flyways plays out like a blend between Travelling Birds and Jennifer Peedom's River and Mountain, acting as a plea for mankind to respect nature and to consider just how we impact the living world around us. With a soaring score by Cezary Skubieszewski, and gentle narration by Mia Wasikowska, Flyways is a soul-enriching film that deserves to be seen on the big screen.

In this interview, Randall talks about the importance of capturing these images, how documentaries can be advocacy films, as well as the Q&A sessions that he's embarking upon throughout May and June across Australia. For more information, head to flywaysfilm.com.

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The Blue Caftan screens at Perth Festival from March 20th to 26th, before having a theatrical release in cinemas.

Maryam Touzani’s sublime and sweet drama, The Blue Caftan, is a film that will stick with me for a long time. Filmed in Morocco, a region of the world where gay relationships come with a criminal sentence, this tells the story of Halim (Saleh Bakri), a maalem, or a master tailor, who works with the support of his wife Mina (Lubna Azabal) to craft stunning, intricate and personal garments.

In this interview, Maryam talks about how the titular garment, the Blue Caftan, was created, how she presented the sense of touch on screen, and about the power of giving her actors the space to explore emotional intimacy.

Throughout the film, we see Halim work on crafting the titular ‘blue caftan’ for an extremely demanding client who cannot understand why he’s taking so long. After all, the machine made garments can be constructed in half the time and, to their eyes, look just as good.

Halim and Mina have a tender, caring relationship with one another, and it’s a testament to simply how great Maryam Touzani’s direction is that she’s able to give these two actors the space to create a loving, genuine relationship on screen. Equally important is the understanding that the two have in their relationship, with Halim seeking the comfort of men outside of his relationship with Mina.

Knowing that the art of being a maalem is dying out, Halim brings on an apprentice, Youssef (Ayoub Missioui) to learn the trade. On paper, The Blue Caftan suggests that it’s going to lean into some very high drama stakes, but Maryam cares so tenderly for her characters that she allows them each to find a moment of joy in the time of darkness.

The Blue Caftan was shortlisted for the Academy Awards, and continues the great work that Maryam is creating after her previous stellar feature film, Adam, which also showed marginalised groups finding comfort with one another on screen.

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On this episode, Andrew chats with Anna Kaplan of Regen Studios ahead of the upcoming Australian International Documentary Conference (AIDC) in Melbourne. The conference runs from the 5th of March til March 8 with sessions in person and online. Anna is part of a panel on Wednesday March 8 called "Riding the Green Wave" which takes a look at the environmental footprint of filmmaking, how positive environmental action stories are being told on screen, and further. One of the key initiatives that Anna has been involved in is the Sustainable Screens Australia project, which is an industry-led initiative that addresses the growing need to reduce the screen industry's environmental footprint.

Anna is also head of production and impact at Regen Studios, the impressive group that has helped bring transformative and powerful documentaries like That Sugar Film, 2040, and the most recent film, Regenerating Australia, to screens.

In this interview, Anna talks about working with Damon Gameau to bring those stories to life, how the Sustainable Screens Australia project came about, and what to expect from the Riding the Green Wave seminar at AIDC. Anna also mentions Albert, an organisation establish in the UK to address climate change and film and TV industries.

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