![]() ![]() Seen at Genesis, London, Sunday 16 August 2020. The choices that the filmmakers take are pretty bold-although I think the romantic story between Milla and the older Moses (Toby Wallace, playing a 23-year-old to her teenager) required a little bit more thought about the way that age gap would play, although certainly it is acknowledged within the film-and so I think they pay off, but ultimately this is an actors’ film and they excel.ĭirector Shannon Murphy Writer Rita Kalnejais (based on her play) Cinematographer Andrew Commis Starring Eliza Scanlen, Toby Wallace, Essie Davis, Ben Mendelsohn Length 120 minutes. Still, for all that it’s pulled down some fairly mixed reviews, I find myself liking this film quite a lot. ![]() The film itself has a rather arch structure, little chapter headings popping up on screen, and an at times whimsical and stylised presentation. However, I think the real focus, because it’s where the greatest pain lies, is in the parents and as far as casting goes, you don’t get much better in Australian cinema than Essie Davis and Ben Mendelsohn. Of course, the 20-or-so-year-old Eliza Scanlen has recent form for playing dying children, but she plays them well so it’s no surprise she’s excellent as Milla here. It’s a strange category because it’s hard-wired to be a weepie, but it’s too often made into this romantic thing given the demographic involved. There’s basically an entire sub-genre of films about terminally-ill teenagers, and it’s probably also fair to say that they don’t always get the best reception. It clearly doesn’t work for everyone, presumably to do with its themes and the way it presents them, or perhaps the age differential in the central relationship (her age is somewhat skirted around), but I really liked it. ![]() However, this Australian film tempted me back into a cinema, because it looked like one of the highlights of the London Film Festival last year. I’ve still only seen five films in a cinema since lockdown rules were relaxed, because I am still very careful about how much I’m stepping into cinemas (and there’s still a relative paucity of new content available, quite aside from the fact that the institutions I most often frequent, like the BFI Southbank and the ICA, are not yet reopened). ![]()
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