Kindling

Kindling is a heartwarming film that tells the story of a group of young men who reunite to celebrate the life of their terminally ill friend. The film explores themes of friendship, love, and acceptance in a poignant and touching way.

The characters are well-developed and each one brings a unique personality to the group. The interactions between them feel authentic and the chemistry between the actors is evident. The film successfully portrays the bittersweet moments of life and the importance of cherishing the time we have with our loved ones.

The cinematography is stunning, capturing the beauty of the town where the story takes place. The soundtrack is also noteworthy, with the music adding an emotional depth to the film.

Overall, Kindling is a touching and beautifully made film that will leave you feeling grateful for the people in your life. It is a celebration of life and friendship, and a reminder to cherish every moment we have. Highly recommended.

Kindling is the most uplifting film about death I've ever seen. Throughout the course of the story, we peer into these beautiful moments of serenity in companionship. Boys walking through a field just for the sake of it, a young man and women swimming in a lake, simply to swim, and a mother washing the dishes with a helpful man. Connor crafted this film from a very personal experience, as he too has lost people very dear to him. His maturity on the subject is truly the golden center of Kindling. Especially through the entourage of friends pouring out their emotions in some of the most vulnerable scenes I've seen on screen. I could go on... The acting is phenomenal. I personally found Geoff to stand out in his roll as the Father trying to connect. David Wright's Cinematography is stellar throughout giving a warm, safe atmosphere. Harry Brokensha's score swells with the emotional moments perfectly. Connor's script ties it all together. This film has some laughs, some awe, and plenty of tears. I couldn't recommend this enough.

Maybe it was more powerful because I was familiar with it beforehand.

I found it gripping. Compelling. I wanted to hear every word. I wanted to see and take in every scene from a photographic impact point of view. Both from the scenes value to the whole and its visual affect on my consciousness and emotions. Also as one whose whole life has been concerned with imagery. My early years were comics , were about stories in pictures , about visual impact and few words.

Interestingly from that point of view it was very powerful. I suspect without sound it would still work and the message would still be there. Then obviously silent movies had to have impact and get the story across , to keep you interested.

Kindling kept me glued to the screen in a trance.

Was it because I have had two near misses recently ? They say a cat has 9 lives and I have lost many including

Surviving Meningitis , leukaemia and Heart Attack.

So maybe it meant more to me than others.

You can safely be sure that it was a Film I totally related to from that point of view.

Then there is the loss of loved ones. I believe we live on in everyone we have ever met and shared time with. And they live on in us.

Kindling 2023. It's great to go to the cinema, watching a well made movie when it's a riveting exciting story, it is a great form of escapism. Sometime the film doesn't even have to be exciting, but interesting to make it thought provoking or a challenge. This film was neither.

What's even better is when your given a free ticket (thanks sis), so by default I didn't spend any money on the movie. Although I did go have a couple of beers, a gherkin and a pickled egg with my mate John afterwards (all true) so it wasn't all bad.

What of the film I hear you cry, the premise is quite simple a group of five friends who reunite to spend one last summer before one of their group dies. That's it really, think of every film about people with a terminal disease well all the cliché's are here. Well this film is maudlin in its delivery and what is aimed to be a celebration of Sid the central character becomes a long drawn out cliché of a hearse of a movie . 5/10.

"Sid" (George Somner) has had a terminal diagnosis and in light of this news, assembles four of his lifelong friends so they can all see him off in style. He's still perfectly mobile and so decides that he wants each of them to bring something that connects them and him to an almighty bonfire they will build so they can give love, friendship, family, setting and home all a baptism of fire. His plan is to ensure that this provides the ultimate memorial and it's as they set about this task that we discover what really makes these lads tick and take a look at just why their bond is so strong. Obviously, tensions and emotions are running high not just with his pals, but his parents Geoff Bell and Tara Fitzgerald are also having to deal with a man, not a boy, who is determined not to just sit indoors and wait. Things become even more complicated when he meets "Lily" (Mia McKenna-Bruce). There's an hint of romance but he decides to try to keep it secret from his friends and maybe his best pal "Diggs" (Wilson Mbimio) takes that hardest. In the end, though, the question of whether the group will emerge intact at their conflagration isn't really in doubt. Indeed, jeopardy isn't really the point here. It's a poignant exposition of male behaviour that demonstrates that men can have solid and enduring relationships with each other. They can be just as possessive, jealous and irrational as so many chick-flicks have shown us over the years, and there's something really quite honest about that, here. Somner delivers engagingly as does Mbimio and Bell as his troubled but stoic-minded dad and the story moves solidly along. There aren't many contemporary movies where men say "I love you" and it not make me grimace. Here - well it worked.