Ab Film Review & The Last New Wave

Daniel Monks is an award winning theatre and film actor who hails from Perth, Western Australia. He received an AACTA nomination for Best Actor in a Leading Role for the feature film Pulse, a story about a disabled teen who undergoes radical surgery to turn into a beautiful woman in a bid to be loved and embraced. Daniel wrote the script and worked with his close friend, Stevie Cruz-Martin, as a director. It's a film that helped launch his career as an actor in both Australia and London, where he has performed opposite Emilia Clarke in The Seagull, and where he won the Best Performer in a Play award at The Stage Debut Awards for his turn in Teenage Dick, Michael Lew's darkly comedic retelling of Richard III.When I first watched Pulse, I saw an actor who brought a complicated and conflicted character to life on screen with deep empathy and understanding. We open the discussion by talking about the origins of Pulse, leading Daniel to reflect on the almost ten-year journey between that film being shot and now. I

Listeners should note that the following interview contains discussions on childhood sexual abuse and trauma.Writer-director Carl Joseph Papa's The Missing follows Eric (Carlo Aquino), a young man who lives alone, maintains a crush on his coworker Carlo (Gio Gahol), and has a strong bond with his mother Rosalinda (Dolly De Leon). Rosalinda's request for Eric to check in on his uncle who they haven't heard from in some time coincides with the presence of an alien. These unexpected events cause Eric's repressed memories of trauma from his childhood to reemerge, amplifying the other aspect of his life that's causing him alarm: he's starting to lose body parts. When we first meet Eric, his mouth is missing, and then as his hold on life and reality starts to slip, other parts of his body start to go missing: an ear, a hand, and more.Narratively, The Missing is a layered and emotional experience that resonates long after the credits have rolled, but it's how Carl and his creative team use the form of rotoscope anim

Carissa Lee is a Noongar actor and writer whose work spans from critical analysis, to theatre, to the new ABC Kids series, Planet Lulin, where she plays Principal Cruz. Carissa's critical work has appeared in publications like Kill Your Darlings, IndigenousX, and Witness Performance, where her writing examined culture and the arts through an Indigenous lens. In her must read piece on Kill Your Darlings, How Acting Saved My Life, she talks about the complexity that comes with navigating class barriers both off and on stage.In the following interview, I asked Carissa about her journey into acting and how her writing has informed her work as an actor. I'm lucky with the array of people I get to interview and talk about their work with, but this chat with Carissa was a particularly enjoyable one given the way we discuss her writing and acting, while ultimately asking the question about what our national cultural identity really is. As we yarn about Carissa's work, the conversation sways into talking about identit

Robert Connolly is one of Australia's great modern directors, having exploded onto the film scene some twenty years ago with The Bank, which was nominated for Best Picture and Best Director at the AFI awards, which he swiftly followed up with an impressive body of work that includes Paper Planes, The Turning, Balibo, Blueback, and the 2021 adaptation of Jane Harper's best seller, The Dry.That film, which featured Eric Bana as Detective Aaron Falk, set the box office afire in 2021 alongside High Ground and Penguin Bloom, with the trio making Australian film history as the first time that three Aussie flicks topped the local box office. Given the success of The Dry, it made sense that Connolly and Bana would return to Jane Harper's Falk series with the second novel, Force of Nature. Where The Dry focused on a murder mystery in the middle of nowhere, Force of Nature takes Detective Falk to the Grampians to try and find missing business woman Alice (Anna Torv). Alice did not return with her colleagues (Deborra-Le

For as long as I've been a devotee of cinema, I've followed the career of Patricia Clarkson. Patricia is a genuine queen of the screen, featuring in films like The Station Agent, Far From Heaven, The Green Mile, and Pieces of April, for which she received an Academy Award nomination. Her latest films is the magnificent drama film Monica, featuring Trace Lysette (Transparent, Hustlers) who plays the titular character, a trans woman who poses as a support worker to visit her dying mother, Eugenia (Patricia Clarkson). Due to Eugenia's abusive nature, Monica left the family years ago, only to be drawn back into the fold by her sister-in-law, Laura (Emily Browning), to make amends with her mother.Unresolved trauma hovers under the surface of Monica's exterior, with Trace Lysette delivering a performance that stuns with its authenticity and complexity, and when she shares the screen with Patricia Clarkson, the film truly soars. Director Andrea Pallaoro, alongside co-writer Orlando Tirado, has crafted a masterful tr

Jon Bell's unsettling 2021 short film, The Moogai, receives the feature film treatment with his 2024 horror of the same name. Making its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival, The Moogai follows in the steps of other Australian horror films (Talk to Me, Relic, You Won't Be Alone) to have left their mark at the fest.It follows the story of Indigenous couple Sarah (Shari Sebbens) and Fergus (Meyne Wyatt) as they welcome their new child into the world. However, Sarah's birth is a traumatic one, with her dying on the table, leading her to be revived in a horrifying manner. Back at home and still rattled from her birthing experience, Sarah endures another torturous event in the guise of a malevolent spirit that wants to take her baby: the moogai.Jon Bell explores the traumatic history of the Stolen Generation in The Moogai, layering in Aboriginal myths and legends, alongside the complexity that comes with Aboriginal kids being raised by white parents, as we see with the character of Sarah. Her culture has b

Australian horror is experiencing something of a renaissance at the moment with the box office boom of Talk to Me, and the critical success of Godless, Monolith, You'll Never Find Me, Birdeater, and so many more. As we leave 2023 in the dust and we head into 2024, we want to start the year by continuing this celebration of ocker horror with the new short film Bad Vibrations, which makes its world premiere at Flickerfest on Saturday January 20 in the Best of Australian Shorts bunch. Writer/Director Nicole Delprado brings this one-shot horror flick to life, where one housemate (Erica Long) gifts the other housemate (Annabel Maclean) a music book for her to play on her theramine. As she plays one of the songs, she unknowingly summons a demonic force in their house.In the following interview, Nicole and Annabel talk about how they met each other and where the idea of using a theramin as a source of terror came from (shout out to Moog Synthesizers for their support to Bad Vibrations). They also explore how they pl

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Aussie indie filmmaker powerhouse Heath Davis is back with his fourth feature film, Christmess. This seasonally appropriate flick follows on fom his grounded work with his solid debut film Broke, in 2016. Heath quickly followed this up with the black comedy Book Week, before swerving into thriller territory with Locusts.Here we follow washed up alcoholic actor Chris Flint - the never better Steve Le Marquand - who's getting out of rehab just in time for Christmas. He arrives at the halfway house run by Nick - a phenomenal turn from Darren Gilshenan - only to meet a fellow recovering addict Joy - played by Middle Kids lead singer Hannah Joy. Together they aim to make the best Christmas they can have, while also getting Chris onto the path of some kind of normal.Christmess sees Heath at his very best, showing a drive and fight for indie storytelling here in Australia that we would usually attribute to that of the American indie filmmakers. There's a sense of honest Australiana at work here as the heat of a summ

Much of what I do with The Curb is in a bid to shine a light on voices that may not often get the chance to be heard. That mindset carries through with director Marion Pilowsky's tenderly empathetic and joyfully curious documentary Isla's Way. Here we meet Isla Roberts.Isla isn't a lesbian. She's not a lezzo. She's not a dyke. She's just Isla Roberts.She lives with her 'friend' Susan and throughout the course of the film we hear their stories. Isla is persistent and resilient, living for her country and the ponies she rides with. She's shaped by the land and the land has shaped her soul and world view.In reflecting on the past, we see the way Australia has changed and shifted thanks to the women of the nation. Isla is a proud feminist, and her efforts to ensure that the women of the region are supported in their endeavours is rewarded by having a street named after her.Isla talks about a man she meets in a supermarket who has a broken back. He sees her hugging a friend and he asks 'What does one need to do to

When the short story Cat Person by Kristen Roupenian was published in The New Yorker in 2017, it immediately went viral with readers resonating with the way modern day dating can quickly turn toxic. It's a compelling place for director Susanna Fogel to build from with her adaptation of the short story, scripted by Michelle Ashford.Here, Cat Person follows Emilia Jones' Margot, a ticket person at a cinema in America. She awkwardly encounters Robert, played by Nicholas Braun, and eventually the two start dating. He tells her that he owns cats, and outwardly seems like a pleasant individual, but as the relationship continues and Margot visits his house, she realises: there are no cats.Meanwhile, Margot's friend Taylor, played by Geraldine Viswanathan, is ringing verbal alarm bells over Robert. Is he the man he actually appears to be? Or, is there something nefarious at play?This tension builds to a masterfully staged sex scene between Margot and Robert which presents the action of consent playing out.In the foll

Scott Hicks is an Academy Award nominated director, with his Best Picture nominated film Shine bringing his work to international attention, alongside the work of the films subject, pianist David Helfgott.We're now some twenty-six years removed from the release of Shine, and the echoes of its impact continues to resonate within the creative minds of those who have become vessels for music. In Scott's latest film, The Musical Mind: A Portrait in Process, he explores just how that well of creativity is tapped into as he follows the lives and stories of four interconnected artists.First is David Helfgott, the centrepoint for each figure and a vital creative force who encourages, inspires, and energises those around him. Moments with his wife, the late Gillian Helfgott, show a supportive, nurturing relationship at work; one where Gillian sees the brilliance of David's mind and the manner that it operates and navigates his path of musicality.Then we meet the man who as a boy played the role of a young David Helfgo

Every so often a presence swirls into our lives in an unexpected manner and changes it just a little bit. For many Australians, whether they be wealthy or not-so-wealthy, that presence is David Bromley. Here is a celebrated artist whose work features on the walls of galleries and private art collectors, while the same artwork adorns cologne labels, reusable water bottles, and more. As mentioned in Sean McDonald's raucous and energetic documentary Bromley: Light After Dark, in Australian cinemas from today, David's work gives people hope, and hope is not something that should be restrained for those who want to access it by how much money is in your bank account. What this means for Bromley as an artist is that his work is everywhere. His critics would say he's overproduced and mass marketed, while his supporters - myself being one of them - would say that he's making high art accessible to all.Either way you look at it, a David Bromley art piece is a slice of his personality, and through Bromley: Light A

Madeleine Dyer is a writer, actor, director, and producer, whose body of work includes the 2017 comedy series Sexy Herpes, the acclaimed comedy series Colin from Accounts, where she worked with her sister Harriet Dyer, and now her latest film, A Savage Christmas, out in cinemas on 16 November 2023.A Savage Christmas tells the story of the Savage family as they meet for a sweaty summer Christmas in Queensland. After years of estrangement, trans woman Davina, played by Thea Raveneua, returns home with her partner Kane, played by co-writer Max Jahufer. Davina's well meaning parents, James (played by David Roberts) and Brenda (played by Helen Thomson), are still coming to terms with her transition and in a distinictly Aussie boomer-ish fashion, they struggle to understand the importance of pronouns and transitioning.Davina naturally expects her transition to be the focus of the family dinner, but her brother Jimmie Jr (Ryan Morgan) brings a cyclone of disruption along his way with a looming debt he needs to pay t

Radheya Jegatheva is a Perth based filmmaker. His work includes the award winning short Pacing the Pool, about Perth local Richard Pace, and The Quiet, an animated film about an astronaut contemplating existence.His latest short animated film, Bird Drone, is a collaboration with writer Clare Toonen and producer Hannah Ngo. It tells the story of a seagull who finds an unexpected connection with a human-operated drone. Presented in a striking painterly style, this animation features a wonderful use of natural sound design by Keith Thomas.In the following interview, Radheya talks about the collaborative process of working with Clare and Hannah, what it means to work alongside his father, Jay Jay Jegathesan, an accomplished performer in his own right, and what Radheya's interest in animation is.Bird Drone has screened at the Academy Award qualifying Warsaw International Film Festival, and will screen at the upcoming Joy House Film Festival on 12 November in Sydney.To find out more about the film, visit here and t

With her delicate and gentle drama Damage, director Madeleine Blackwell has crafted a parable that layers grief, trauma, a sense of location and what it means to live away from home, and more into an emotionally enriching experience. Damage follows Ali, played by Ali Al Jenabi, a refugee in Australia using a friends taxi license to earn some small aspect of a living. As he drives the streets of Adelaide at night, he picks up Esther, played by Madeleine's mother Imelda Bourke.Esther is a lost soul who's unsure of the name of where she needs to go, and certainly has no idea of how to get there. Equally so, Ali is unfamiliar with the streets, relying solely on a soulless GPS device to guide him where he needs to go. At first, their relationship is a fractured one, with Ali quickly becoming frustrated with Esther's inability to tell him where he needs to go. Equally so, Esther's frustration is levelled at how Ali is treating her, as well as her ambivalence in regards to his accent.On paper, Damage suggests that i

Filmmaker, critic, and cultural historian Bill Mousoulis has forged a career as, in the truest sense of the word, an independent filmmaker in Australia. His filmography spans over decades, with his works showcasing a keen sense of curiosity for the world around him, whether it be Greece, Melbourne, or as in his latest film My Darling in Stirling, the humble city of Stirling in the Adelaide Hills.In the following interview, recorded ahead of the world premiere at the Adelaide Film Festival, Bill talks about the inspiration for My Darling in Stirling, while also touching on what it means to be an Australian filmmaker working right now.I've long respected and looked up to Bill for his work alongside Chris Luscri as they champion Australian independent cinema with their ongoing screenings under the banner of Unknown Pleasures, all the while Bill has fostered a support for alternative Australian cinema with his website Pure Shit. It was a pleasure to be able to talk with Bill about his work, both as a filmmaker an

Garth Davis is a filmmaker who has explored the human need for connection in his films. Whether it's in his Best Picture nominee Lion, or in his latest film, Foe, that sense of being one with the person you love is a tangible thread throughout his career. In the following interview, Garth talks about that sense of connection, while also talking about one of the core themes of the film: Artificial Intelligence.Foe stars Saoirse Ronan as Hen and Paul Mescal as Junior. They are Midwest lovers in the future who find their lives upturned when an unexpected visitor played by Aaron Pierre arrives to tell them that Junior is to be sent to space for some time. As a replacement and for company, Pierre's mysterious man proposes that they create an artificial clone of Junior to keep Hen company. From here, the science-fiction and dramatic tone of Foe interweaves Ronan and Mescal bouncing off one another.Foe is in Australia cinemas from November 2.To listen to other interviews, visit TheCurb.com.au Hosted on Acast. See ac

Filmmaker Anupam Sharma talks about his new documentary Brand Bollywood Downunder in this in depth interview which touches on the cross-cultural relationship between India and Australia on screen, what makes a Bollywood film a Bollywood film, and about the Australian Indian Visual Co-Production treaty.Anupam is the director of cross-culture films like UNindian and The Run, and has worked on a line producer for major Bollywood films like Love Story 2050 and Prem Aggan, both of which feature in Brand Bollywood Downunder.To launch the film, Anupam is touring around Australia, with screenings in Adelaide, Perth, Sydney, the Gold Coast, and more. To find out where Brand Bollywood Downunder is screening, visit the Facebook page for the film here.The listen to other interviews, visit TheCurb.com.au. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode, Andrew interviews celebrated author Paullina Simons about her latest novel, Light at Lavelle. It tells the story Finn Evans, a Bostonian banker who at the end of the 1920s finds his life unexpectedly swirling into the orbit of Isabelle Lazar, a young Ukrainian farmer. Light at Lavelle takes readers on a journey over the breadth of its five hundred plus pages of romance fiction through stories of war, unspeakable hardships, and the unexpected unions that arise during these difficult times.In the following interview, Paullina talks about her own emotional journey of bringing her characters stories to life, especially as she is the first person to get to know them and hear their stories. Paullina also talks about the emotional connection that her readers have built up with her over the years since her worldwide best seller debut Tully and her bestselling novel The Bronze Horseman. She also talks about bringing herself into the world of her novels, amongst many other fascinating topics.Light at L