A ghostlight is a theatre tradition. One light is left on in the theatre after all the others have been turned off. The image of one light shining in the darkness resonates through Ghostlight, the remarkable new indie film from Kelly O’Sullivan and Alex Thompson. Ghostlight marks the first directing collab between O’Sullivan and Thompson;…
Donald Trump is one of the most controversial and divisive figures in contemporary American politics at the moment. And he has dominated the political landscape for the better part of a decade. In the lead-up to the 2024 election it’s easy to see why he and his campaign have tried to ban this drama. The…
The classic German legend of Faust is transported to the British theatre scene of the 1930s in Anand Tucker’s stylish but dark film, The Critic. Tucker hasn’t directed a feature film since 2010’s Leap Year; but he has two very well-received films on his resume in Hilary & Jackie (1998) and Shopgirl (2005). While its…
The second instalment of the Joker series is, in part, a musical. Who would have thought that, notwithstanding the starring role for Lady Gaga? But it’s hardly mainstream entertainment. Rather, it has the feel of a dark independent film, which I appreciated for the layers within. Like he did so brilliantly in Joker, Joaquin Phoenix…
Tough, gritty and uncompromising. That is the incendiary combination that marks the work of co-creators Patricia Cornelius (also writer), Susie Dee (also director) and Nicci Wilks (also performer). They have done it before with RUNT, a study of the underdog, and now Bad Boy, which tackles misogyny and domestic violence. A female actor, Wilks, get…
Francis Ford Coppola (The Godfather) brings a re-imagined Roman Empire into modern times in his passion project Megalopolis. He proposes that the American Republic is not all that different from old Rome and then asks whether it will fall victim to the appetite for power of a few? Coppola began developing Megalopolis in the early…
The price of fame drives one of the most intense and remarkable films of the year. The Substance is about physical beauty, adoration, self-love and loathing. It explores the lengths someone will go to remain relevant. Elisabeth Sparkle (Demi Moore) used to be a movie star, before transitioning to hosting a successful workout show on…
A moderately engaging Australian drama set in the 1970s, Kid Snow is set against the backdrop of circus troupes of tent boxers that travelled through the outback. This is a tale of outsiders on the fringes of society fighting for survival; and also something of a comeback story and a redemption tale. The film centres…
Survival is at stake when three young men find themselves lost in the middle of the ocean with no food and very little water and no way back to dry land. When they set off in Isaac’s 81-year-old grandfather’s small fishing boat, his grandad was with them, but now he is nowhere to be seen….
Outstanding performances distinguish an extraordinarily insightful, Pulitzer Prize-winning script about the human condition in Cost of Living. Unfolding with heart, humour and pathos, it is a bravura production in every regard – simply stunning. Eddie (Aaron Pedersen) is lonely and desperately missing his wife Ani (Rachel Edmonds) who has passed away. A former truck driver…
