Sydney Film Festival 2017 - Film Review - I Am Not Your Negro

James Baldwin - I Am Not Your Negro

Raoul Peck's documentary takes a different look at the era of the Civil Rights movement  in the United States and three of its key figures, Medgar Evers, Malcolm X and Martin Luther King Jr through the eyes of writer, poet, playwright  James Baldwin and his unfinished manuscript, Remember this House. Baldwin knew all three men and had himself returned to the US in 1957 from France where he had been living when the civil rights legislation was being debated in Congress. He later returned to France in 1970 remaining there writing until his death in 1987.

The film itself is anchored in Baldwin's personal reminiscences of the civil rights leaders, his own experiences including archival footage of interviews and his observations and analysis of American history. Baldwin takes a more layered and in-depth examination of race relations in the United States examining in particular the importance of economic standing and poverty as major factor of influence.
The film was produced with the assistance of the Baldwin estate and attracted a nomination for Best Documentary Feature at the 89th Academy Awards.

VERDICT
Rating out of 10	7
DVD or download ?	Download
Worth a cinema ticket ?	No
Collectible Yes or No	No

Sydney Film Festival 2017 - Film Review - Madame

(Lto R) Rossy de Palma and Toni Collete  - Madame

Toni Collete fans will no doubt enjoy this comedy-drama film directed by Amanda Sthers. Set in Paris, an American couple Anne, (Toni Collette) and Bob (Harvey Keitel) host a dinner party inviting ten of their friends. When their writer son Bob, unexpectedly arrives, Anne is disarray as it means there will be 13 people at the table and being superstitious, she invites her maid, Maria, to attend in the guise of being a wealthy Spanish friend . Bob however mischievously interferes in order to disrupt their plans and create a potential story for his writing. He sets up a family friend and antique dealer, David, with Maria on the basis that she is a woman of wealth setting the scene for a love affair between the two. This is not a fairy-tale with a happy ending however and it all falls apart when Maria's true identity is revealed.

This is a dark comedy and drama story with elements of emotional sleeve tugging but nonetheless, its easy viewing. Toni Collete and Harvey Keitel are well cast as Anne and Bob however the real star is Rossy de Palma. Its also a film for those who also love Paris.

Sydney Film Festival - Film Review - The Beguiled

The Beguiled

Sophia Coppola's latest film, The Beguiled has attracted considerable attention, no less for the subject matter than for the well known cast which includes Nicole Kidman, Kirsten Dunst, Elle Fanning and Colin Farrell. The film is based on the novel by Thomas P Cullinan, written in 1966 and described as being Southern Gothic in genre. Coppola's film is something of a remake as this story has already been placed on the big screen in a 1971 film starring Clint Eastwood with the same title. Coppola had viewed the 1971 film and felt she could approach the story from another perspective.

The storyline is set three years into the American Civil War and a wounded Union soldier (Colin Farrell) lost behind Confederate lines in Virginia is found and given shelter in a secluded girls college. The girl's school is run by Ms Martha Farnsworth (Nicole Kidman) assisted by Edwina (Kirsten Dunst). The rest of the film focuses on the sexual and social tension amongst all of  the young women at the school as they seek to foster attention from the Union soldier. In some respects they are also caught in an internal conflict for, as an enemy combatant, they are meant to hand him over to Confederate army patrols. The rivalries between the young women and girls is the focus for Coppola as she has sought to portray the story from a female rather than male perspective.  In a somewhat predictable end game the soldier becomes a liability when he starts to engage in more than flirtations with the women, ending with his quiet assassination by poison.

As producer, director and screenwriter for this film, Sophia Coppola has not quite succeeded in  reaching the emotional levels that such a story would suggest. Her characters are mainly wooden, one dimensional and artificial. This film certainly is a lesser result than her other clever work such as Lost in Translation. The cinematography captures the story setting perfectly with a grand Southern mansion, reminiscent of the cotton plantations, surrounded by forest and enveloped by  mist. Verdict: this is a DVD rather than cinema ticket film.

VERDICT
Rating out of 10	6.5
DVD or download ?	Yes
Worth a cinema ticket ?	No
Collectible Yes or No	No