Puffball - L'occhio del Diavolo

Tedg summed this film brilliantly. Objections feel as if some viewers didn't really 'get it", were expecting something else and certainly aren't readers of Fay Weldon (Life and Loves of a she devil) I'm not faulting your take but golly gosh do you know the director?

I was recently honoured to attend a screening of Nicolas Roeg's new film 'Puffball', at the Phoenix Cinema, East Finchley. 'Puffball' is Roeg's first major film in some years. Many of you will know his name and work via such classics as 'Don't Look Now', 'Performance', 'Walkabout' and 'The Man Who Fell to Earth'.

Nic Roeg 'enjoys' quite a reputation. In simplistic terms, he's considered something of a maverick; an occasionally wayward genius, a visionary director and a legendary cinematographer, he's responsible for some of the most striking, poetic and downright beautiful imagery committed to celluloid.

I'm sure he'd wince at the term 'style' when applied to his work but Roeg's films tend to be characterised by, among other things, a fluid, fractured, elastic, playful manipulation of time and space (largely achieved through some utterly idiosyncratic and unpredictable editing) and an uncommon, uncanny knack for revealing and dissecting hitherto 'hidden' connections and correspondences. They're often liberally peppered with literary and artistic allusion too...none more so than 'The Man Who Fell To Earth'.

Roeg's 'Puffball' is (reassuringly) utterly unsettling. To me, it seemed like a meditation upon thwarted desires...lust and betrayal, 'homicidal' jealousy, "green-eyed" rage and grief.

Kelly Reily plays a young architect who arrives in a beautiful but remote backwater of Ireland with a dream - to build a spectacular home upon the deserted ruins of a burnt-out cottage. But that cottage carries its own dark, secret history, and when Reilly falls pregnant, the envy of the superstitious, witchcraft-practising locals is aroused and old enmities are stirred. A confrontation, if not a conflagration, is in the offing...

The film re-unites Roeg with Donald Sutherland although his role is relatively minor, and the wonderful Miranda Richardson surpasses herself as an unhinged, tormented soul who craves a fourth child. Despite some dark themes and darker deeds, humour abounds and Roeg watchers will spot numerous in-jokes and allusions to other works. That said, there are some uncomfortably tense and gruesome scenes including one nightmarish flight of fancy which almost rivals the climax of 'Don't Look Now' for nerve-shredding tension. As always with Roeg, there are some startling and provocative visual surprises. OK, maybe I "haven't lived" but I've never witnessed an ejaculation from the "point of view" of a woman's cervix before!

The term "return to form" always strikes me as particularly cheap and meaningless. However, for my money, 'Puffball' is more engrossing and enthralling than any of Mr Roeg's works during the Eighties or Nineties. Highly recommended.

I'm afraid I cannot tell you when the film goes on general release in this country but I would urge you to make a "mental note" to see it when the time comes.

Andy p.s chastising people for minor spelling errors as this site does can only put us off posting. I actually find it annoying in the extreme. Site admin - you really should turn this irritating and patronising function off.

First of all this is about a 6.5 I gave a 10 because obviously some people arent to bright. This was worth the watch. I was hesitant at first to watch it but it was a slow 4 days off and I thought what the hell. I enjoyed this flick. I dont know that I will watch it a second time but I certainly didnt feel my time was wasted either. Give it a watch.

I wanted to write a review of "Puffball" when I saw the rather negative post that rated it 1/10. While I understand that some might see this film as a disappointment, I didn't want other moviegoers to dismiss Nic Roeg's latest right away.

Set in the Irish countryside, "Puffball" tells the story of Liffey (Kelly Reilly), a young architect who finds herself unexpectedly pregnant while renovating a rundown cottage. Her new neighbor Mabs (Miranda Richardson) has three daughters already, but is desperate for a son. Convinced that Liffey has "stolen" the baby, Mabs' mother Molly (Rita Tushingham) resorts to witchcraft to put Liffey and her fetus in peril. Though quite bizarre, "Puffball" still manages to teach the audience about relationships, motherhood and family.

Another user described "Puffball" as a mess. Though I clearly enjoyed the film more than they did, I understand, to a certain extent, what they meant. When watching the film, I got the distinct impression that beneath what I was seeing, a better film was struggling to get noticed. For this, I think the blame lies mostly the editor (who seems to have an unhealthy fondness for fade outs) and the numerous composers (who clearly weren't working together), because the images are lovely, the film is very well shot, the performances (particularly Reilly's as Liffey) are strong and the story is compelling. The script shows a few weaknesses (the point the other reviewer made about Odin's standing stone is a fair one), but all in all demonstrates a fascinating interpretation of Fay Weldon's novel. Of course, fans of Fay Weldon's "Puffball" may very well be confused by her son's adaptation (the novel and the script hardly resemble one another), but I think anyone with an open mind will find something to appreciate in this film.

Nic Roeg, Miranda Richardson, Rita Tushingham, Donald Sutherland - there were a lot of reasons to go and see this film. However, (and I'm holding back here) - this is the worst kind of unadulterated nonsense I've seen in a long time. It gives me no pleasure to slate this director and cast, but what were they doing? It's a complete mess of a film, highly insulting to it's audience's intelligence and I can't imagine what Nicolas Roeg was thinking of. Obviously these high caliber actors were well paid for the trip to Monaghan, Ireland - but what it was doing being shot there is anybody's guess. The original novel by Fay Weldon set the rural community as Somerset; the film screenplay by her son Dan Weldon doesn't even bother to adjust to it's Irish setting. A focal point is Odin's stone - a Norse god! This film looks set for minority interest; a once great director fallen on his sword, and for the dubious sexual scenes horribly overacted by the floundering cast.