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Effros finds nice balance in his performance as the uptight, vulnerable Martin, bringing out inner charm and deeper emotions. He has enjoyably prickly chemistry with the superbly relaxed Butz, whose Ted is grounded and honest. When they cut loose together, the screen lights up, catching us off-guard in ways that are funny and resonant. Cancelmi offers some enjoyably low-key zen philosophising as Ted's stoner pool guy, while Oteri brings plenty of scene-stealing spark to her role as a full-on estate agent.

The salient theme here is why we try so hard to be someone we're not while failing to see the people around us. Martin's biggest issue is his refusal to understand who his dad really was, rather than the inaccurate image he has cultivated all these years. This idea is casually woven into the core of the drama, making the point without ever pushing it. So the film's most intensely emotional moments unfold with a remarkably understated power.

themes, language

8.Feb.22

With a low-key, naturalistic performance, Audler keeps the film grounded in its own reality, making James a character the audience can identify with as he begins to think he's losing his mind. Even amid the wildest flights of fancy, he's earthy and real. As Bella, Fuller manages to be both dotty and savvy at the same time, encouraging James to look closer. And Glowicki brings the same open-handed curiosity to her younger version, adding possibilities that expand as the narrative takes several surprising turns.

Bella challenges James with the idea that our dreams aren't necessarily our own, and that things can be transmitted into them, including ads that make "them" money. This weaves in an element of knowing social media satire, offering provocative commentary on a society in which everyone is trying to sell something. And as the story's scale ramps up, the film remains engaged with its characters, creating a fanciful adventure into the nature of individuality in a consumerist culture.

themes, violence

15.Feb.22

The moment Isaacs enters the frame, the film kicks up a notch, as the actor invests the character with a bristling sense of real life. Everyone else feels gloomy by comparison, even as each delivers a solid performance. With muscly athleticism, Miller has a brooding intensity, but is never asked to show any crackle of energy or humour. Gordon and Zalar have presence in somewhat thankless roles as the concerned women in Ben's life. But his boisterous scenes with the terrific Ryan and Parsonson are encased in gnawing bleakness.

It's frustrating that it's so difficult to engage with this story, because there's plenty in here that catches the interest. But narratives like this require a mix of light and shade to bring the themes and situations to life. Instead, this is the kind of movie we watch, and sometimes admire, but never quite feel. This leaves the thematic messages feeling oddly trite, even if they're strong comments about second chances and the need to lose everything to discover who you are.

themes, language, violence

14.Feb.22