On this page: AMANDA | A PLACE OF OUR OWN | SISU

< < F O R E I G N > >

Porcaroli gives a remarkably committed performance in the title role, balancing impatience with a deeply internalised yearning. She may stomp around complaining about everything that might have been and the way nothing goes her way, but she also has an earnestness that's compelling. So it's telling that her scene-stealing 8-year-old Jesus-loving niece is so drawn to her. And each member of the supporting cast plays their characters with the same jumble of hilarious eccentricities, hinting at their own off-screen epic journeys.

There are similarities between this film and Joachim Trier's The Worst Person in the World, another nuanced, blackly comical portrait of a young woman who seems to do everything wrong as she tries to work out who she is and how she fits in. Cavalli's approach is darker and even more provocative, challenging audience perceptions by revealing sympathetic details in someone who might quickly be labelled as a self-absorbed slacker. Yes, she's privileged, but there's more going on here. And almost anyone can identify with that.

themes, language

6.Feb.23

Newcomers Soni and Muskan add astute undercurrents. Soni plays Laila as a woman exhausted by the prejudice that surrounds her, while Muskan's Roshni is more matter-of-fact about how things are, trying to make the best of the situation while also ready to put up a fight. She also knows that police, doctors and officials won't be any help. Together, they make earthy jokes while wryly observing the awkward, ignorant or cruel people around them.

As the film follows these two plucky women, it notes a rage of challenges that face trans people who are marginalised and struggle with basic processes like renewing an identity card, all while facing the threat of violence in a society that simply turns a blind eye to it. The salient point is that they are not a separate culture, but part of society as a whole, and certainly not an enemy. These ideas have pointed echoes all around the world, which allows the film to become an important cry against fear and hatred.

themes, language

10.May.23

At the centre, Tommila has steely presence as the wordless Aatami, and yet his thought processes are clear, anchored in his primal survival instincts. It's a terrific performance, full-bodied and fierce, but also imbued with touches of earthy humanity in his rejection of pointless cruelty (and his connection with his loyal dog and horse). By contrast, Hennie plays Bruno as a man driven by anger, frustration and greed, so his flailing actions can only lead to a colourfully climactic demise.

Because the film is set out as a modern action movie about a retired commando cutting loose on nasty villains, there's little attention to the period setting. Indeed, Helander simply uses Nazis as baddies without even a nod to narrative or thematic complexity. But his inventively stylised visual approach, the story's driving momentum and Aatami's astonishing perseverance make the film both gripping and entertaining. And the undercurrent of gallows humour makes it a proper guilty pleasure.

themes, language, violence

10.May.23