"The Actress" is definitely a "no frills" film - apparently made for just a few hundred dollars and, frankly, it looks like it. But, it also serves up an assured piece of storytelling from a young director (Zak Hilditch)and vibrant and appealing performances from a novice cast. Maybe the pace flags a little from time to time, but there are many memorable scenes as the comic/dramatic tension generally ratchets up throughout the film. If you're looking for grand production values, look elsewhere - but if you enjoy edgy, contemporary (and very funny) performance-based films give "The Actress" a go. As the other commentary on this site also mentions, Steve McCall's performance is a wonderful (and realistically grounded)comic turn. And Zak Hilditch's direction suggests there are even better things to come in the future. To come clean, I do know the filmmakers - but this is an honest appraisal: "The Actress" is an entertaining piece of no-budget film-making, it is authentically Australian in many respects and there are lots of moments when - as we Aussies are wont to say - it's as funny as buggery!
Review of The Actress
