Innuendo

This is my first review of a film, so bear with me. I had the pleasure of viewing an Australian production by Finnish-Australian producer/director/screenwriter/actress Saara Lamberg. Lamberg's feature debut is a Scandi-style art-house thriller that is rarely, if ever made in Australia. This was an ambitious project made in Finland and Australia on a tight budget; I have been told. It follows the story of twins Tulli and Suvi (both played by Lamberg herself) raised in a religious and oppressive Finnish family. Tulli was the more neglected and abused of the two, while Suvi was the parent's "Angel", as Tulli would refer to her sister. Most of the story takes place on Tulli's trip in Australia, interwoven with flashbacks of the twin's childhood in Finland. Tulli is hell-bent on wreaking havoc on anyone who comes in contact with her, especially the people she befriends. She explains to us her motivations for all her atrocities by the end of the film, but I will not reveal those, as it will spoil it for the viewer. The film provides us with numerous memorable scenes, a lot of them shocking and some unexpectedly humorous. The latter are interspersed randomly but perfectly throughout this gloomy film. The ambiguous ending leaves the audience pondering; what happened? I would recommend this film to anyone who is interested in art-house cinema. It is not a popcorn movie but a thought-provoking film beautifully written, directed, produced and most importantly starring the extraordinarily talented and hardworking Saara Lamberg.

• Dusan Dobrilovic

Innuendo is a low/zero budget independent film that can keep you entertained throughout the whole film if you are ok with films with low production value. This is thanks to its well written story which is its strength. But then it is let down by the moments that really show the lack of budget, and these moments are enough to take you out of the film.

The film is cast of some practicing actors and some amateurs, and while this can work well on some films, in this case the good performances of the leading cast are overshadowed by the lacklustre performances of the supporting cast and the extras.

All low budgets independent films are a mammoth task to complete, so what this film has achieved with the low budgets is commendable. I'm surely if the key creatives had more time and budgets they could've done much better. And I look forward to their next project.

Director Saara Lamberg has created a film that resists easy categorization, so I'll go with psycho-sexual drama.

Tulli and Suvi (both played by the deliciously off-kilter Lamberg) grew up in Finland, and were subjected to contrary parenting whose legacy is now being visited on Tulli, who has relocated to Australia (as Lamberg herself did).

Like its uncertain genre, it's also uncertain here what is autobiographical and what is fiction –– ultimately, it matters not, but the drama possesses a strong scent of earthy authenticity. What the audience gets is a whirlwind odyssey to Toxic-Town as Tulli emotionally and physically rampages through the lives of everybody she meets and annihilates.

As it skilfully sets up its premise, it skilfully fulfills its promise also with a conclusion that intelligently wraps up its many open sores.

With its stark and perverse humour, tangy eroticism, and detours into surrealism blended with kitchen sink drama, INNUENDO is the orgasm Aussie cinema has been begging for.

Saara Lamberg brings to life the quirky, unhinged and deliciously despicable character Tuuli who travels to Australia to start a new life after leaving her homeland in Finland. Tuuli uses her sexual power to get what she wants from men, and leaves behind a trail of destruction and devastation. We discover early on that Tuuli has a twin Suvi, and the film jumps back and forth from the past in Finland to the present day. Ms. Lamberg plays both roles with pathos, also the subtle nuances required to convey each character is ever so present which is a testament to Saara's skill as an actor. Innuendo features many local actors from Melbourne, notably Andy Hazel who plays the timid and dejected Thomas and Brendan Bacon delivers an engaging, heartfelt and cheeky performance as the love interest Ben.

Shot in Melbourne, Australia and in Finland on a micro budget, the debut feature also written and directed by Saara Lamberg leaves the viewer absolutely mesmerized by chainsaw sculpting, nude modelling, very very fringe and experimental theatre and the utterly reprehensible actions of the protagonist.

A truly ambitious independent feature that delves into the psyche. The talented Saara Lamberg is definitely one to watch in the future.

The film's production notes rather comically dare to compare this amateurish Indi piece to the work of David Lynch and Roman Polanski among others. These pretensions to greatness are sadly misplaced in this budget-priced flick which admittedly does contain a heady mixture of twins, chainsaws, nude modelling, murder and the most garish collection of wigs you are guaranteed to have ever seen continually paraded on screen. Does seem like a project with which Lynch might want to involve himself, but sadly folks, he's not there.

Writer/Producer/Director/Lead Actor Saara Lamberg clearly has ambitions to create an intriguing web of mystery for the audience with this tale of a Finnish twin leaving her supposedly dysfunctional family and travelling to Australia to start her life anew. A rather large hurdle she has to overcome however, is that she can't act to save herself and she's onscreen for much of the movie's running time. Go figure. Brendon Bacon, as the nominal male lead is a little more convincing as Ben, her chainsaw-sculpting companion in the second half of the film.

Special mention needs to be made of the soundtrack music by someone by the name of Charly Harrison. Suffice to say, it's nails dragged across a blackboard aurally excruciating. Its repetitive drone is dished up right throughout the film , challenging us to decipher the dialogue being spoken by a cast perhaps best described as enthusiastic, rather than professional.

One certainly has to admire Director Lamberg for obviously being prepared to devote so much of herself in getting this project to the screen, but I for one hope that any future works, see her anchored firmly behind, rather than in front of the camera.