Waiting City (Drama)

There seems to be a run of films on the theme of adoption at the moment and this Aussie movie is the latest. ‘Waiting City’, starring Joel Edgerton and Radha Mitchell, is a film about a couple that travel to India to adopt a child. The film tackles any issues and so I’m sure audiences will tend to focus on the most personally relevant storylines. For me, I found it to be mostly a sombre exploration of long term relationships, particularly those in which two people seem to change in different directions as they get older.

Ben (played by Edgerton) is a free spirited musician who is in no hurry to leave India and is keen to immerse himself in the Indian culture and traditions and to learn all there is to know about his daughter’s heritage. His character is contrasted sharply throughout the film against his wife, Fiona (played by Mitchell), a control freak lawyer who spends most of their trip working through case files, whilst also managing the administration of and compliance with the local adoption process.

The film is written and directed by Claire McCarthy, who is a relatively young Sydney based director. She knows a thing or two about adoption in India given her last film was a documentary following Claire and her younger sister as they spent two months volunteering at Mother Teresa’s Missionaries of Charity in Calcutta. The film is apparently the only Australian film shot entirely in India. The way the story is filmed, almost documentary- like, really makes you appreciate the hustle and bustle and colour of India’s capital city – Calcutta.

So much so, it made me want to travel there!

The two main actors definitely bring a richness and a realness to the characters but despite both of their impressive talents, the characters failed to really draw me in. Many times during the film I found myself wondering why these two were even bothering to stay together. It was at best a lukewarm connection, and it was hard to get a sense of any kind of closeness or affection, much less any kind of love left between them. As a result, I found it difficult to get swept up in the story, particularly their longing for a child together. The supporting performances were mixed. Samrat Chakrabati, who plays Krishna, their local guide, puts on a particularly engaging performance, while Isabel Lucas who makes an appearance as a hippy-ish musician and a distraction for Ben was physically captivating but not much else.

For me, albeit with the best intentions, this film came across as being overly ambitious. For example, the film explores the nature of long term love; the excesses associated with western vs. eastern values; the role and value of women who are unable to reproduce; and the importance of religion or spirituality particularly in modern societies. Not insignificant issues right?! But many of these themes were introduced and then not really pursued and I found myself confused about what kind of statements the writer was hoping to make with ‘Waiting City’. Not to say such issues aren’t attention grabbing – which is exactly why I thought it might’ve been nice if the film focussed on a fewer number of themes and took me on a bit more of a journey......

So in summary, ‘Waiting City’ is a good, enjoyable Aussie film set against the colourful and crowded backdrop of India, with some top Aussie actors. And given the breadth of topics covered, most people should be able to find something to grab their attention – even if it’s simply the charm and bustle of Indian street life.

Mother and Child (Drama)

‘Mother and Child’ is film about adoption, and it follows the separate lives of three women each with adoption at the centre of their stories. Firstly, there is Karen (played by Annette Bening) who has a complicated relationship with her own mother and is consumed by guilt over the daughter she gave up for adoption 37 years ago. Secondly, there is beautiful, successful, and fiercely independent Elizabeth (Naomi Watts) who plays the 37 year old daughter Karen gave up for adoption and who, up until now, has shown no interest in tracking down her birth mother. And thirdly, there is Lucy, an African American woman who is married but can’t bear any children so she and her husband decide to look into adoption as an alternative. Eventually, the stories of these three women intertwine in an unpredictable and un-Hollywood kind of way.

If like me - adoption is not a storyline that you feel you can immediately relate to – there are still plenty of reasons to see this film. ‘Mother and Child’ is also a film simply about mother-child relationships which almost all of us can relate to. In particular, ‘Mother and Child’ examines mother-daughter relationships, and the complicated and overwhelming connection that seems to bring all manner of comforts and discomforts to both mother and daughter over a lifetime.

The performances are all amazing and almost every actor pulls off their emotionally mixed up characters very convincingly. Particularly Naomi Watts whose character is so chilling during most of the movie she gives you goosebumps! The performances of the support actors are also compelling, including Jimmy Smits as Paco who plays a work colleague of Karen’s; Samuel L Jackson as Elizabeth’s new boss Paul; and Kerry Washington as Lucy. The only slight drawback is Annette Bening’s performance, which I still found very convincing but the transformation that her character undergoes from the first half to the second half of the film is a bit too extreme, and consequently feels a little far-fetched.

Seeing ‘Mother and Child’ was one of those rare but rewarding movie-going experiences I have where the stories and their characters stay with me for days afterwards. But the film is not without its minor blemishes, such as the almost too dramatic switch in Annette Bening’s character part way through the film that I referred to earlier, along with a couple of slightly cheesy messages every now and then, for example that the love of a good man can fix everything (that’s a bit retro isn’t it?!). But there are plenty of new, intelligent, and not so cheesy messages to get you thinking. It does leave you wondering about missed opportunities; about the fact that for some decisions in life the only time to act is now; and about how people always seem to be happier if they can manage to soften up a little.

I really loved this film, and found it haunting and moving even though the central theme was not one that was particularly pertinent for me which I think is one of the signs of a great flick. I highly recommend ‘Mother and Child’, although it’s probably not a great pick for a hot date, and may not be the best film to catch with your mum if you’re working through any serious “issues”!

• Director and writer Rodrigo Marquez is the son of Gabriel Garcia Marquez
• Naomi Watts only spent 8 days filming her role
• Annette Bening is actually only 10 years older than Naomi Watts, despite playing her mum in this film.
  

Heads up from the Unsophisticate

I didn’t get around to writing a full review on this film I was lucky enough to catch at the Sydney film festival but I wanted to tell everyone to go and see ‘The Most Dangerous Man in America’ – it’s an amazing documentary about Daniel Ellsberg a US Defence analyst working at the Pentagon during the Vietnam War. This doco was also a 2010 Academy Award nominee and received several awards at various 2009/2010 film festivals.

Is it better to betray your country or your friends? Most of us won’t find ourselves needing to ponder this question during our lives although we may certainly finding ourselves having to make a call between betraying a friend or a colleague for a greater good or for a bigger cause. It’s an evocative quandary and is the central question Ellsberg wrestled with back in the late 1960s when he was involved in preparing a report on the Vietnam War commissioned by McNamara, the US Defence Secretary at the time. Despite once having been a proponent for the Vietnam war –serving as a strategist and also as a Marine Corp Commander – the burden of the truth becomes too much for him and Ellsberg makes a decision to copy and circulate the reports 47 volumes to the Press (which hence became known as the Pentagon Papers). The events that then unfold are enthralling.

The story is incredibly interesting and has many parallels to the recent Iraq War and the Bush administration. So the conclusions and the questions highlighted are still very relevant to us today. The film is full of great footage from the time, interspersed with some animation to re-enact certain events, as well as recent interviews with Ellsberg, his family members, and other political and media personalities that were involved in the controversy at the time.

For Sydneysiders, it’s playing at the Chauvel, Oxford Street in Paddo and I don’t think it will be there for long so go see it this weekend. Otherwise be sure to add it to your Quickflix/Netflix queue when it comes out!