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Both Brealey and Scholey are superb in understated roles as strong women who have lost their mojo, for very different reasons. So it's fascinating to watch them rekindle the childhood connection that they have spent decades trying to forget. Each has a prickly quality that obscures their deeper feelings, and the actors are able to peel away the defences in subtly honest ways. Surrounding characters are strong as well, providing both comical relief and emotional kicks.

Dandelion seeds and chicken feathers flutter through scenes, offering an offbeat visual connection. These two women are struggling against the fact that neither has truly begun their lives yet, and the thought of leaving their safe rut behind is terrifying. So even if the plot feels rather loose, peppered by scenes that are either goofy or wrenching, or sometimes both at the same time, the film has a quiet resonance that ends on a wonderfully hopeful note.

themes, language

16.Jul.24

Both Short and Afoa have strong charisma in their roles, which develop in parallel strands as Peter and Jason grapple with their personal issues against a storm of bigotry. They have terrific chemistry together, even when they fight, and even though they oddly don't turn to each other to face their individual battles. Side roles add strong textures, including the Folau in a remarkably complex role and McEwan as Peter's supportive daughter.

Director Oremland maintains an uplifting tone even as the story takes some rather dark turns along the way. How things will turn out is never in doubt, but the various wrinkles in the plot are pointed and thoughtful, creating a vivid exploration of the true nature of faith in a world that has warped and weaponised it. And while the final sequence is a bit odd, it's also full of hope for communities that choose acceptance rather than hatred.

themes, language, violence

22.Jul.24

Adam certainly isn't the usual movie protagonist, and Ayub underplays him beautifully. This makes him sympathetic even though we often want to shake him for so consistently refusing to do anything proactively. But as he becomes haunted by CCTV footage of his father's last day, there's a flicker of intention in his actions that leads somewhere intriguing. And the people around him are earthy and real, continually adding barbed edges to the narrative.

What all of this means is a little vague, as the film never quite settles on an idea bigger than that each of us can only move forward if we live as who we are, regardless of where we came from. Worrying about things he might have inherited, whether genetically, spiritually, culturally or economically, isn't going to help Adam work this out. The film almost whispers this idea as it paints an impressionistic portrait of this singular young man.

themes, language, violence

4.Jun.24