Karaoke Angels

Karaoke Angels is perhaps one of the most surprising and rewarding films on show in this year's event. Far from simply a documentary look at the strange (for some) world of Karaoke the work is a warm, humorous and at times quite moving slice of life.

Set in an isolated Welsh village, the film is a wonderfully gentle and involving look at the lives of a number of the townspeople who are linked by their once a week Karaoke release. As a backdrop, the Karaoke club is a fine and funny canvas, but below the surface exists lives of realised and unrealised dreams, innocent ideals, personal conflict and ordinary stories.

It's telling can't help but remind me of the gentle, subtle and respectful humour of films such as Brassed Off and it's style is refreshingly joyous despite the sometimes difficult stories. Indeed the style of the film is as surprising as the depth of the subject. It deliberately plays with the audience, capturing the spirit of the subjects and their environment with immense clarity of vision. In a little over 50 minutes, we are drawn into the lives, lounge-rooms, bathrooms and fields of this group of ordinary people.

A fine documentary.