Corroboree

I don't think this is the finest piece of cinema , but it's definitely one of the strangest things I've seen in a while. Not fully original in concept but completely different in execution, if that makes sense.

It sets its standard (I think a high one) at least in terms of it achieving what it sets out to do) and maintains a graceful and lyrical quality throughout.

The script is particularly hard to follow, and seem purposefully obscure at times (at least as far as recent preoccupations in world cinema go). I didn't struggle with this but found myself dipping in and out of understanding which as far as I can tell, expanded the film universe to bring my own daydreams and musings to the story. I guess that is a way of viewing a film and I quite enjoy doing that as much as being told a good story. It's a different kind of movie experience and for that, I'm thankful.

I think there's an irreverent immaturity about the script's obscurity and it seems broadly relevant. This is the writer's and directors first work. But there is no sign here that the filmmakers are lacking in talent, simply time and resource and some of the production limitations do show on the screen in particular shots, scenes etc. Having said that the general level of artistic integrity was maintained throughout.

Some of the dialogue (particularly real life dialogue, outside of the "performed scenes") felt too theatrical for my liking. Perhaps stripping it back further would have helped the film's intention.

I'd like to particularly mention the costumes and art direction which were really beautifully rendered. The performances were also very interesting. It is true that some actresses carried their scenes better than others but because the film is about acting it didn't bother me.

I really liked the lead boy. He had a strong presence on the screen even though he was really only playing himself. A hard thing I imagine. Some of his improvised dialogue (as himself) was not so good but all things considered he did an admirable job.

Corroboree, Ben Hackworth's first feature length movie, is a visually stunning film about self-discovery and a journey into the magical mind of artistry. Similar in atmosphere to "Picnic at Hanging Rock", Corroboree follows the main protagonist, Connor, as he journeys through a house of mystery and intrigue, reliving the life of a dying film director.

However stunning the setting or the atmosphere of the film, it doesn't make up for the lack of credible acting, scriptwriting or composition. There is no doubting that this film looks beautiful. Katie Milwright, the cinematographer, has photographed the film with grace and beauty. However, Ben's choice of shots and framing do not make full use of her talents. We are unable to relate to the characters, or see their emotional struggles, as Ben chooses not to show us close-ups. The camera seems to be locked into one position every scene and we are unable, as an audience, to intricately follow Connor's mysterious journey. We feel detached, as if we are intruders that shouldn't be there.

This film had so much more to offer than what it did. As a film student, I could see what Ben Hackworth was trying to convey, it is just a shame that he couldn't pull it off. Australian cinema has so much potential to offer the world. We are right up there among the rest when it comes to cinematography and aesthetic. However, Corroboree is a fine of example of what we lack. Until we can find our own unique voice and convey that in script and storytelling format, Australia will always be a small blip on the international film radar.

I thought that this film started well - the thump of the motor, the car park and the ride in the bus that gave a great view of the countryside. The arrival at the boarding house kept my interest, it wasn't until the show moved into the boarding house that I became disappointed, the scenes shot from then on were poorly lit and poorly shot. I was prepared to put up with the innocuous script and terrible acting but not the lack of light and consequent lack of engagement with the characters. I left the cinema feeling that my friend had been robbed (she paid for the tickets and refused to take money from me - she walked out 20 minutes in).

Mystery and voyeuristic suspense in an abstract and even distant way abounds most of "Corroboree"from its very beginning right through to the end. We are taken on a very private, aesthetically beautiful and tonal journey, the darkness prevalent but also the light of nature, of the magic of light. It is a strange film, a film of unexplained urges and inclinations, a very physical and adventurous drama of daring and unique intimations. The suspense builds because of the silence and paucity of dialogue at times, which makes the audience work all their senses at once. Many questions spring to mind but most importantly there is a pervasive and lasting thought that one must not raise logical questions for logic and rationality seem to be no longer present and appear not to even need to exist. The control of Conor, the feeling that he is suspending criticism of those around him and his overriding acceptance and non-resistance to this journey are cues to how we are to engage in the drama that unfolds. I thought of Ingmar Bergman's "Cries and Whispers" and Thomas Mann's "Death in Venice" with Bogarde and a beautiful young man I thought reminded me of Conor with the glory of unlined and glowing young flesh. As a painter of such beauty, at least knowing I could most sensitively paint that flesh, especially with the visually resplendent last image of blood streaming down the torso, so extreme and yet with so much control and silence, is a haunting vision that stays with one.

I am not sure I understood a lot of the film. It tore at all the logical and everyday humdrum notions of what films are usually all about or how predictable they are, in the way they appeal to the popular masses. Perhaps I could be critical about some parts of the film but only if I could truly come up with an alternative reality but that would ultimately only be subjective and not my prerogative, for I am a mere onlooker and observer.

Many questions are summoned to the forefront of my at times feeble consciousness.....as a lover of aesthetically beautiful and visual feasts, I would have to say that Conor afforded a lavish smörgåsbord of assorted visual treasures which the film takes with it, bringing Conor from an obscure unknown and unassertive stance into the drama which then unfolded in all its personal and yet impersonal and at times cold and abstract way... The distances are accentuated from person to person, the private dramas of some of the characters seem to create distance or there is a quality of estrangement from the characters in the film. A deliberately undeveloped feeling of the characters is created.

I found this quote which betokens a meaning I might ascribe to the film:

"I want very much to tell, to talk about, the wholeness inside every human being. It's a strange thing that every human being has a sort of dignity or wholeness in him, and out of that develops relationships to other human beings, tensions, misunderstandings, tenderness, coming in contact, touching and being touched, the cutting off of a contact and what happens then." (Bergman in John Simon's book Ingmar Bergman Directs, 1972)

It's really refreshing to see something like this come out of Australia. While I was watching it during the screening, I noticed a few people in the audience were restless, which is understandable because we don't see a lot of cinema like this in Australia, except for during the festivals. This is more like an obscure Asian or old fashioned European film than the sort of drama we're used to from Australia.

The long takes, actors wandering in and out of the frame, the faded childlike colors evoking a nostalgia but also witty reference to the type of theatrical story it is.

I was most impressed by the acting. The boy is really good, and he gets better as the film goes on, which is clearly the intention of the film. And the actresses are really interesting. Particularly the hypnotist woman, who I have seen in other films but is especially good here. I also thought the spitting actress was very good too, quite detestable and quite warm also.

I also think the composition of the shots is one of the strong points of the film. Some beautiful attention to detail throughout gives the story a painterly feel.

Reading the other reviews, a few people lament the lack of story and dramatic signposts. I understand their sentiment, but I don't think it's really this kind of film. Maybe, because it's Australian that's what they expect.

If anything, the dramatic story moments such as the dark haired boy, (son of the director?) let down the film's austere quality. That's my opinion.

On a world scale, I'd give it a 6.5/7 .... but on an Australian scale.... I have to give it a 10.