domola Reviews

Manic (2001)

visceral tale of troubled youth

[31 July 2002]

This has been compared with 'One flew over the cuckoo's nest' but after watching it, I'm not convinced. They are both set in a mental hospital, there's a Native American in both but that's where the similarity ends. That's not to say this is less of a film as each film is attempting something different. The earlier film is really an allegory on life and not meant as cinema verite on mental health care. Manic has a realism about it - I believe, after watching the film, that this is a fairly accurate account of a mental health ward. Joseph Gordon-Levitt's performance was a real eye-opener after 'Third Rock..' fame. He captured disaffected nihilism perfectly. The scene where Chad and he put on the rock music and all the inmates moshed was especially good and made effective use of Digital Video's strengths: the grainy texture and frenetic camera work perfectly captured the music's effect. I was glad that we were not presented with yet another of cinema's psychotic therapists. Don Cheadle gave a great performance as a genuinely decent man with struggles of his own who was trying (with mixed success) to help. I went to see Manic with an optimistic but open mind, rather than high expectations, and I was pleasantly surprised.

Bad Guy (2001)

Uncomfortable and unpleasant experience

[29 July 2002]

I saw this at the Melbourne International Film Festival (2002) and I think it's safe to say that it was the most uncomfortable and unpleasant cinematic experience I have ever had (and I loved 'La Pianiste'). One hour into it I was praying it would finish soon - I watched people leave the cinema with envy and regret. Only sheer bloodymindedness kept me sitting there until the end but I would have been happy if someone could have told me what happened. It left me with a nasty taste in my mouth that even large amounts of comfort food could not shift. It wasn't explicit in the way 'Baise Moi' was (although I could hardly watch one particular scene). No, what made it repulsive was how the story played itself out. The plot was wafer-thin after the girl joined the brothel and the film just seemed to go on and on. Dialogue and interesting characters - don't expect them here. I cannot comment on the artistic quality of the film - to me, a few interesting images do not a great movie make.

Dirt (2001)

Sweet and genuinely funny

[29 July 2002]

Junior and Scooter's mother dies and they kidnap a woman from a supermarket car-park to replace her, bringing her psychotic husband after them. The plot may sound a little hokey but the actors flesh out any holes and it's so good humoured, you cease to worry if it's believable. Patrick Warburton, as the husband, is also genuinely scary. I went to see this film on a Friday afternoon, straight from work feeling tired and stressed. I left the auditorium smiling and feeling happy with the world. This is that sort of film. It's sweet in a good way. I had a genuine affection for all the characters and I laughed out loud on more than one occasion. It's a pity it's unlikely ever to get a commercial release in Australia.