CINEMA REVIEWS
TRANSIT
Beaucoup de bouquets are once more in order for J’aimee Skippon-Volke and the crew that bring us the Byron Bay International Film Festival. Because cinephiles cannot rely entirely on camp Marvel violence and cheesy rom-coms for stimulation, J’aimee has made it her mission to celebrate the art of film by screening original and provocative, weird and wonderful features from around the globe. German director Christian Petzold’s Transit is a bit like Groundhog Day meets Franz Kafka. The place is Marseille, the time is now – or maybe the day after tomorrow. Paris has fallen to neo-Nazis and those who can have fled
to France’s second city in the hope of finding a passage by sea to safety in the West. Among the refugees is Georg (Franz Rogowski – a dead ringer for Joaquin Phoenix), assuming the identity of a novelist who has committed suicide. In Marseille, he inadvertently comes into contact with Marie (Paula Beer), the novelist’s wife, and Richard (Godehard Giese), a doctor who is Marie’s current lover. All three of them are hoping to obtain visas that will allow them to sail to Mexico. Officialdom and missed boats leave them stuck in existential limbo, with Lyon taken by the unnamed putsch and time running out. Despite the contemporary setting, the movie has a claustrophobic,
BY JOHN CAMPBELL
STARS BY LILITH
1940s feel and a pungent hint of Ilsa and Victor before they arrived at Rick’s Bar in Casablanca (it might easily have been shot in B&W, and there is no suggestion that there might be flights out of the city). With the rise of the Right in an increasingly unstable world, this is an edgy movie that never lets you be certain of anything.
And then there is the mystery of the narrator – who is he? And how does he know so much about Georg? Or is Georg merely a character in a story by the novelist whose name he has taken? The Festival opens on Friday 12 October – check screening times and dates and try to fit this one onto your list.
LADIES IN BLACK Bruce Beresford is one of Australia’s finest filmmakers. Well into his seventies, in this he has directed the sort of movie that, if your life experience does not include blood-drenched gunfights and car chases, you wish you could see every week. Based on the late Madeleine St John’s best seller, it is set in Sydney in 1959*. Lisa (Angourie Rice) has just completed her Leaving Certificate and wants to be a poet. In the meantime she has been taken on as a temp at Goodes’s department store (in reality, the seventh floor of David
Jones, with the gloriously kitsch Mark Foys building used for exterior shots). It is a coming-of-age experience for young Lisa, as the period is for the nation as a whole. Refugees (reffos) have flooded into Australia after WWII, bringing with them strange customs and a yearning for high culture. Wide-eyed Lisa, who has changed her name from Lesley, is exposed to these middle European influences by fellow saleslady Magda (Julia Ormond) and her husband Stefan (Vincent Perez). As homage to a more naïve era, this is a sweet
ENTERTAINMENT
ARIES: Aries have generous natures and that’s a good thing: unless you let others take advantage, which someone may be inclined to this week. Or is it you who’s expecting too much? Either way, the balance of give and take is presently up for examination and some equitable adjustments. TAURUS: This week’s learning curve continues repairing your foundations by highlighting what needs a grateful goodbye and how past actions, attitudes and beliefs are presently manifesting in your life. Meantime, Plutonic energy on the forward move in a fellow earth sign gets Tauran money and business balls rolling again.
and caring portrayal of a teenager and a city on the cusp of, literally, growing up. There is so much to love about it (including some snide put-downs of Melbourne), but its refusal to treat an earlier, Anglo age in a mocking tone, as
happens too often when the yarts goes into Sir Les Patterson mode, is primary among its qualities. Lisa’s father (Shane Jacobson), a typesetter who likes a beer, and housewife mum (Susie Porter) might so easily have been just caricatures, but Beresford is too smart for that. Instead, his characters are shown respect and encouraged to be normal, resulting in the flawless cast delivering pitch-perfect performances. Rice glows with girliness, Noni Hazelhurst finds deep poignancy in her role as the spinster manageress, while the romance of Fay and Rudi (Rachel Taylor, Ryan Corr) provides the touching through-line. Don’t miss it – it’s fabulous. * The champion racehorse Galilee, backed by Jacobson, was not yet foaled in 1959.
GEMINI: This week of exceptionally chatty gatherings and social media interaction recommends protecting private information, both online and face time. Be very aware of the possible repercussions of what you share with who and if in any doubt at all, don’t. Asked a question you’d rather not answer? Be discreet: you know how. CANCER: Specific information could be hard to evaluate in this week’s sea of opinion, gossip, misinformation and intrigue, so listen to your intuition. Unknown variables are at work, and sharing critical opinions or grievances could lead to needless drama. Best times will be nesting with besties or your favourite plus-one. LEO: Feeling misunderstood, underappreciated, ganged up on? Take it easy. Contrary to certain opinion, attack isn’t the best form of defence; your feelings and interests are better protected by maintaining your guard. Under late-week Leo moon’s spotlight, no-frills pleasure won’t appeal, so by all means spoil your majestic self. VIRGO: This week it’s wise to keep your personal life private, so be careful what you share and cautious what obligations you sign up for. If you need to make a stand against festering hostilities, do it, but stay a free agent. Most important of all, administer some luxury doses of self-nurturing.
36 October 3, 2018 The Byron Shire Echo
PLUTO’S RETROGRADE PHASE INVOLVED DIGGING AND RETRIEVAL, NOW ITS FORWARD MOTION IN CAPRICORN RENEWS AND REINSTATES BUSINESS ETHICS AND PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITIES… LIBRA: If communications get a little edgier than you like or expected this week, with persuasive, articulate Mercury in Libra what you say and the way you say it can make a big difference. So choose words and language that emphasise common ground, and arguments designed to move proceedings forward amicably. SCORPIO: During these last weeks of Jupiter’s year in your sign it’s worth assessing what you’ve learned, and all you have to be grateful for – including the experience you’ve gained to deal with this week’s conflicting signals, mixed messages and mistrust issues. Clandestine backstage skulduggery happening? Then enjoy the gameplay… SAGITTARIUS: Sagittarians hate not knowing, but others didn’t sign up to be your open book. If people are unforthcoming this week they have their reasons, so respect that. No need to poke, provoke, start controversial conversations or attend every argument you’re invited to. Invite your kind, inspiring, entertaining self to the stage. CAPRICORN: As Pluto moves forward in Capricorn in tandem with practical Saturn, not everyone will have your confidence and command. Try not to engage this week’s indecisive mindset in my-way-or-thehighway mode. If you need to negotiate terms of endearment or engagement, stay open to creative alternatives. AQUARIUS: Plenty of artistic ideas and interesting suggestions in this week’s airwaves, which may lose traction when it comes to putting them into practice. In the midst of a mayhem of mind-changing, hold off on committing until things settle. Under late week’s dramatic moonlight, tact and diplomacy are your smartest social accessories. PISCES: As October eases into a cautious kind of forward momentum, Piscean finances continue to dominate this week’s agenda. Are there any existing skills or resources you’re able to repurpose in a new way? Group activities, especially those supporting humanitarian causes, are getting an extra cosmic boost at the moment.
Byron Shire Echo archives: www.echo.net.au/byron-echo