Love stories between two lost souls, set adrift by their own doing can feel as if they are all cut from the same cloth of the sweeping romance. Dirt Music tries to be slightly different with its cast, location and even the characters themselves, but you can’t help but feel that is like another story you’ve seen played out before. Except this one come with an amazing view.
Full review over at Filmhounds HERE.
Having grown up in isolation, Claudia finds herself alone and scared after her mother suddenly dies. By chance Grace stumbles into her home and her life, igniting a friendship and special bond in both of them. But as the girls become closer, so do the police, trying find out what happened to the reclusive author who used to live in the middle of nowhere. With the threat of Claudia’s discovery coming ever closer, the girls try to make plan but can they’re new found love survive this?
Each of the girls crave something and when they find each other, a piece of them is found. Claudia, having grown up with just her mother and dog, Tobey for company, companionship, you can understand that she’ll behave slightly strangely towards anyone. She is both in shock and a state of grief throughout the film which is only paused once she gets used to having Grace around. Grace has a difficult home life and seeks companionship. With a neglectful mother and the uncomfortable presence of her boyfriend, she has no desire to be at home. She also doesn’t seem to have any friends. The girls give each other what they need. They’re slow and gentle cautious romance feels inevitable from the moment they meet and it unfolds at a pace befitting their characters. Nothing is done in haste, including the unfolding of what happened to Claudia’s mother. The realisation of her suicide is revealed in hazy sun-soaked flashbacks but doesn’t give much away as why she planned it out in this way. More back story for Claudia and her mother would have been helped explain a few things, including their relationship but as the focus is the girls, its given to us as an afterthought.
The scenes where the girls are just enjoying summer, playing, decorating Claudia’s room, eating fruit in the garden are full of joy. Even the tentative moments, as they kiss for the first time are treated with such care. It’s as if the delicate nature of which we find Claudia is expressed throughout the film. A tender first love, over the long hot summer story that weaves in elements of the coming of age genre, bringing hope that this genre can still offer up surprises.
Grief is a difficult thing. Everyone grieves in their own way that others may not understand and interpret in other ways. The Greenhouse is a physical manifestation of one family’s journey through the past and present, centred around the death of a parent.
On the weekend of her mother’s birthday, her siblings are coming back home, where Beth has never left. Still grieving for her other mother who died, Beth feels stuck where she is. But one day she enters the greenhouse which sends her back in time where she can watch moments in hers and her family’s life and she gets to see her mum again. But as she spends more time in the greenhouse avoiding her present, fractures and old arguments start to break through.
The family dynamic is clearly set up within the first few minutes of The Greenhouse, giving us a great insight to how this family lives. With mums Lillian and Ruth at the head of the family, Beth and her other adopted siblings; Raf, Doonie and Drew seemed to have a rather harmonious life together. But outside their home there were issues faced. Things seems to have fallen apart after the death of Lillian yet Beth still can’t leave her childhood home or her mum Ruth. As the child left behind it feels as if the other siblings resent her for staying yet don’t feel guilty for going, leaving Beth stuck in limbo. The Greenhouse itself feels like a gateway, a limbo like area that joins the past and the present but it’s unclear how long this gateway has been there. There is a possibility it was created after Lillian’s death as Ruth is fully aware of its power yet didn’t share the discovery with Beth. Once the other siblings enter the greenhouse, they too see visions of the past, which Beth tries to prevent, not wanting them to see certain moments. This only ramps up the tension between the siblings. Not respecting how their sister grieves is one aspect of the story but this angst that has built up comes to a head, giving them all space to say exactly how they feel.
Another part of the story is how Beth and her best friend Lauren fall in love as teenagers but as young adults Beth is unwilling to go any further. She is unable to leave town with Lauren, therefore prolonging her own happiness and denying her own feelings for the sake of her two mums. This sacrifice is used against her by her angrier siblings to call her out for not being her true self, causing even more pain for Beth. The love story element does muddy the main story about the family slightly but it is necessary so we can see Beth as more than just the one who stayed behind.
Blending family grief with a science fiction twist in the form of time travel makes for a sombre watch at times, given the subject matter, but it is beautifully shot and the family members are well rounded characters are believable that they are an actual family.
Rams is a comedy with equal part heart-breaking and heart-warming moments all centred around sheep, rams and the farmers that raise them is unexpectedly entertaining and, in some moments, rather thrilling.
Full review is over at Filmhounds and can be read HERE.
If you'd also like to read my post about the original Rams, you can go HERE - its short but sweet.
Mulan
Babyteeth
Freaky
Undertaking Betty
Soul
