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Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 22 December 2020

In 2016, I hired a car with a friend and went on a golf-related road trip from New York down to Florida (visiting 10 states in total).  I passed by gated communities with large mansions, manicured lawns and idyllic views.  I also drove through small towns where every second place was boarded up and residents were sitting on the sidewalk with little to do.  Wealth inequality exists all around the world (that’s no secret) but to see the contrast presented so starkly in the space of a few days in the United States left an impression I’ve often reflected upon.

Nomadland opens our eyes and has us looking at a part of America that is seldom explored in cinematic form.  There are people who have given up their homes, for a variety of reasons, and now travel around the country in “wheel estate” – vans, campers, cars and rundown RVs.  They have no fixed address (that itself creates legal issues) and they pick up short-term casual work to cover their few costs – the biggest ones being food and petrol.

Two-time Oscar winner Frances McDormand (Fargo) is central throughout with her performance as the 60-something-year-old widower Fern.  She lost her house and her factory job in the aftermath of the economic downtown that rocked the United States a decade ago.  Unable to find permanent work and too young for retirement benefits, Fern now travels around the country in a simple van with a few small modifications (it’s only worth a few thousand dollars).  Despite her tough financial circumstances, she maintains an upbeat attitude and describes herself as “houseless” as opposed to “homeless”.

Fern is a fictional character but the others you’ll meet in the film are not.  Chinese director Chloé Zhao (The Rider) blurs the line between documentary and drama by using non-professional actors she encountered while travelling across America’s west.  Producers visited actual nomadic settlements a few days in advance of the shoot, listed to residents’ stories, and chose a select few to appear on screen.  It was a loose, spontaneous process that proved effective.

Those we see Fern interacting with include a Vietnam veteran dealing with post-traumatic stress disorder and folks who have lost family members to cancer and suicide.  There’s an unspoken bond between the nomads where they offer help and support to each other.  This could be as simple as listening to stories around an open fire or something more tangible such as sharing sustainability ideas or exchanging food, utensils and furniture.

Backed by a beautiful film score from Italian composer Ludovico Einaudi, Nomadland pulls you into this world and makes you feel part of it.  It doesn’t offer huge character transformations or a “they all lived happily ever after” finale.  It’s the kind of movie that asks you to observe.  You’ll care about these fragile people while also reflecting on the structural issues in society that allows them to be so easily abandoned.  It’s far from “black and white” though.  Some take comfort from the nomadic lifestyle and there’s a powerful conversation shared between Fern and her sister that touches on this point.

Winner of the prestigious People’s Choice Award at the 2020 Toronto International Film Festival, where Green Book and Jojo Rabbit have won the last two years, Nomadland offers much to think about.

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Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 14 December 2020

Australian Margot Robbie has come a long, long way.  She was still a teenager when she landed a recurring role on the forever-running soapie Neighbours and it earned her a Logie nomination for most popular new female talent (losing to Packed to the Rafters’ Jessica Marais).  Several years later, she came to the world’s attention in Martin Scorsese’s The Wolf of Wall Street and her career has continued on an upward trajectory ever since.  She’s now a 30-year-old with two Oscar nominations under her belt (I, Tonya and Bombshell) who can also carry an action blockbuster (Birds of Prey).  Not bad for a kid from Dalby, Queensland.

If you think that’s impressive, consider the fact Robbie co-founded a production company, LuckyChap Entertainment, in 2014.  Its goal is to tell women’s stories on screen while utilising female talent off screen.  Robbie starred in several of the company’s projects (I, Tonya and Birds of Prey) to help build its early presence but it has since expanded with productions such as Promising Young Woman starring Carey Mulligan (in Australian cinemas from next month) and the television series Dollface starring Kat Dennings.

Dreamland is another LuckyChap production where Robbie serves as both star and producer.  It’s the first feature film of writer Nicolaas Zwart and the second go-round for young director Miles Joris-Peyrafitte who won a jury prize at the 2016 Sundance Film Festival for his debut, As You Are.  Given the shoot took place in late 2017, it’s been a prolonged wait time for those looking to see the finished product (COVID-19 hasn’t helped).

That said, I’m not convinced there’s a wide audience that’ll be lining up to see this.  It’s a slow, formulaic drama that never gets out of first gear.  Set in Texas during the midst of the Great Depression, the story is centred on an unemployed young man named Eugene (Cole) who is meandering through life with little purpose.  He still lives on the farm with his mum (Condon), deputy sheriff step-father (Fimmel) and younger sister (Camp).

His simple world is upended when he comes across a beautiful woman, Allison (Robbie), hiding in the family’s rundown barn.  She has a bleeding bullet hole in her upper leg and Eugene immediately recognises her face from a much publicised “wanted poster”.  Local authorities are offering a sizeable $10,000 reward (the equivalent of about $200,000 today) given her suspected involved in a botched bank robbery where a 9-year-old girl was killed.

There’s a saying that good looks will take you further in life and yes, that’s the case here.  If Allison was some old, bearded, haggard man, Eugene would have turned him into the cops and taken the reward money.  Instead, Allison turns on the charm and successfully plays the “damsel in distress” card.  It’s not long before she has Eugene running increasingly dangerous errands (such as stealing a car) and looking for a way to slip over the border into Mexico.

That’s pretty much it.  She’s using him as a means of escape while he thinks he’s falling in love and doing good deeds.  These two characters have limited arcs and there’s not much else to offer in terms of action (we don’t even see the original robbery) or surprises.  Without giving too much away, I was also unconvinced by some of the decisions made by Allison in the final act – why would she want to spend more time with such a bland, boring guy?

Margot Robbie (the actor) is the best thing in this but I’m not sure it’s a project that Margot Robbie (the producer) should have green lit in the first place.

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Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 16 December 2020

If you believe the lore, Vincent van Gogh sold just one painting during his lifetime.  It’s a curious piece of trivia I’ve always remembered.  The obvious lesson – it can take time for the world to appreciate great works of art and further, they can endure long after our souls have left this world.

It’s not that African American playwright August Wilson wasn’t admired prior to his death in 2005 at the age of 60.  His plays have been performed on Broadway since 1984 and every single one picked up a Tony Award nomination for best play or best revival of a play.  He also won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 1987 and 1990.

Despite his success, it wasn’t until recently that the broader world had the chance to be dazzled by Wilson’s writings.  His estate approached Denzel Washington who graciously accepted the film rights to the 10 plays commonly known as Wilson’s “Centenary Cycle”.  Each takes place within a different decade and they delve into the experience of black Americans living through the 20^th century.

The first movie, Fences, was directed and produced by Washington who also starred alongside Viola Davis (The Help).  Released in 2016, the film was nominated for best picture at the Academy Awards with Davis taking home the statuette for best supporting actress.  Washington signed a deal (originally with HBO and now with Netflix) to produce the remaining 9 films and so the next cab off the rank is Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom.  It too is destined for Oscar nominations.

The film is narrow in terms of setting but wide in terms of themes.  Excluding a glorious musical opening that forms part of the opening credits, the entire movie (runtime is 94 minutes) takes place inside a Chicago recording studio on a hot summer afternoon in 1927.  Renowned signer Ma Rainey (Davis), referred to several times as the “mother of the Blues”, is there to record a new album.  She’s in the presence of her four-man band, her girlfriend, her manager and the studio’s producer.

Ma Rainey is a mesmerising character.  Based on her attitude in the opening scenes, many will first see her as an arrogant, ungracious prima donna.  However, the more we get to know her, the more we appreciate her intelligence and strategy.  That’s not to say she lacks vulnerabilities.  Ma Rainey constantly projects strength but insecurities lie beneath.

The film explores many topics (race, religion, money, music) but above all else, it’s a riveting tale of power.  From the producer (Coyne) looking to create a new style of music… to a 32-year-old horn player (Boseman) trying to play his way…. to Ma Rainey herself who demands a bottle of Coca Cola… it’s as everyone is trying to get others to bend to their will.  Who will yield and who will come out on top?

Director George C. Wolfe, best known for his work on Broadway, has extracted unforgettable performances from this ensemble.  It’s easy to forget you’re looking at the likes of Viola Davis and Chadwick Boseman given the way they embody their respective characters.  Several monologues resonate strongly.  There’s an added tinge of sadness given Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom was Boseman’s final role prior to his death in August and the film is dedicated to his memory.  He went out on the top of his game.

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Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 05 December 2020

I’ve noted this before but it’s often difficult to depict mental illness in visual form.  You’re dealing with something in one’s head as opposed to that which can be physically seen.  The leading character in Words on Bathroom Walls, Adam (Plummer), is battling schizophrenia and the choice of director Thor Freudenthal (Diary of a Wimpy Kid) is to illustrate this using narration and fictitious characters.

It’s the clunkiest element of the film and that’s partly because it’s overused.  You’ll tire (or become annoyed with) the three “voices in his head” as they rely on the same routine and the same jokes from scene-to-scene.  I also wasn’t sold on the black mist and shaky camera work which arrives when Adam is about to experience a serious attack.

Despite these limitations, Words of Bathroom Walls succeeds because of the casting and its emotions.  A few early scenes are over-written (such as a moment where Adam chats to a girl alongside a pier) but the more we get to know these characters, the more we empathise.  Having suppressed his troubled mindset for so long, Adam finally opens up and has powerful heart-to-hearts with his worried mother (a sublime performance from Molly Parker), his newfound girlfriend (Russell), and a happy-go-lucky priest (Garcia).

Skilfully played by Charlie Plummer (All the Money in the World), Adam is an easy protagonist to like.  He’s in his final year of high school and trying to get good enough grades so he can follow his dream and be accepted into a leading culinary school.  Unfortunately, his schizophrenia has made it difficult to study (he’s easily distracted) and forge friendships.  With the help of his mum, Adam has seemingly tried every drug on the market but his body is “treatment resistant”.

The film is largely focused on Adam’s interactions with his mother, stepfather (Goggins) and girlfriend.  He’s concealing his true self from all of them – partly because he wants to be treated like a “normal” person and partly because he’s worried about how they’ll react if they know his inner most thoughts.  It’s also the reason why his standard defence mechanism is to push each of them away (despite needing them) when times get tough.

It’s great to see a teen-oriented drama shine the spotlight on mental illness to help destigmatize the condition.  There’s a memorable scene where Adam compares himself to a cancer-suffering child in the Make-a-Wish program.  It asks us to open our minds and think about how we perceive those with similar troubles in our own lives.  An affecting film.

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Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 15 December 2020

I can still remember attending the Brisbane International Film Festival with a group of friends in July 2000 and seeing Eric Bana’s incredible performance as notorious criminal Mark Read in Andrew Dominik’s Chopper.  It was if his career had changed in a heartbeat.  Prior to that, everyone knew him as a goofy comedian from the popular sketch comedy series Full Frontal.  Post Chopper, he was landing roles in major Hollywood projects including Black Hawk Down, Hulk, Troy, Munich, Star Trek and Hanna.

Curiously, Bana has appeared in just one locally made film over the past two decades – Romulus, My Father which won the Australian Film Industry Award for best picture back in 2007.  I’m not sure what kept him away for so long but, after a lengthy absence, he’s teamed up with acclaimed writer-director Robert Connolly (who he first met making Romulus, My Father) in making The Dry.  It’s adapted from Jane Harper’s award winning book first published in 2016.

Pulling off a good whodunit can be a difficult exercise.  You don’t want to make the conclusion too predictable but at the same time, you need something that makes sense and fits with what’s been revealed in the lead up.  Connolly finds the perfect middle ground.  He uses distinctive actors and simple, ordinary conversations to flesh out the many characters during the opening act (each has a motive) and this provides a sturdy platform from which to reveal their secrets in the later stages.

As an added bonus, there are two mysteries to solve.  Aaron Falk (Bana) is a celebrated Australian Federal Police officer who has returned to Kiewarra, the small, drought-stricken country town where he grew up.  It’s the first time he’s visited in roughly 20 years and the circumstances are not pleasant.  He originally came for a funeral but he’s now found himself providing off-the-record assistance to the local police officer (O’Donnell) as they investigate a murder-suicide perpetrated by a close childhood friend.

Aaron isn’t welcomed with open arms and that’s because he, as a teenager, was suspected as being involved with the death of a female classmate who drowned in the town’s river.  No one was ever charged but questions remain unanswered and the trauma still lingers.  This subplot is told by way of effective, quick-fire flashbacks with younger actors stepping into the shoes of their current day counterparts.

Connolly deserves praise for skilfully weaving the subplots together but Eric Bana warrants just as much attention for his leading performance.  It’s hard to imagine someone more different from “Chopper” Read.  He portrays Aaron as a placid, softly spoken man who avoids confrontation.  There are scenes where other characters try to pick a fight (such as a moment on the hotel stairs) but Aaron knows the best means of defusing a tense situation is to keep his mouth shut.

Loaded with a glut of memorable supporting performances – everyone from Eddie Baroo as the hotel bartender to Miranda Tapsell as the local officer’s shrewd wife – The Dry is a wonderful addition to the canon of Australian cinema.