OPINION
Reaching out to each other Things are tough for many at the moment and I know that many people are struggling, from the ongoing impact of the storm, the pandemic and lockdown, remote learning, remote working, uncertainty for many businesses and not knowing when things will get better. We know that the single most important thing that helps communities recover from disaster – storm, pandemic or otherwise – is connection. I feel lucky to live in such a wonderful community, who I know care for each other greatly and have shown this in spades over the last year. During times like these, it can feel like a connection is hard to make. Reaching out to people you know, people who live nearby or someone you haven’t seen in a while, can make the world of difference to the both of you and if you can, small gestures like a regular coffee or a takeaway meal is a great way to connect wit and support local businesses afloat and the locals who work for them. For those doing it tough, please know that support is out there. We have incredible local groups, such as HICCI, Dandenong Ranges Emergency Relief Services and countless others providing essentials. If you’re not sure where you can go for help, please give us a call on 1300 368 333 and we’ll connect you to local agencies. While we’re in the midst of the current COVID-19 outbreak, we’re still working behind-thescenes on our recovery from the June storms. The cost of clean-up from the storms is likely to be in excess of $65 million, with hundreds of tonnes of tree debris collected, thousands of
From my
desk Fiona McAllister
Mayor of Yarra Ranges tree and drainage requests being actioned by our teams and branches still being collected around Yarra Ranges. We’ve written to the Prime Minister, asking the Federal Government to assist with the storm recovery clean-up costs and business support measures, while we continue this work. Some of our other priorities are advocating for better telecommunications infrastructure across the region – something we’re all the more aware of after the storms, asking the State Government to reclassify our rural areas as Regional Victoria for COVID-19 restrictions and working to make it easier to get vaccinated locally. We’re continuing to push for outcomes on these critical challenges and will keep you updated on any progress we make. We know there’s a lot of fatigue in the community, as the pandemic continues, restrictions stay with us and energy levels get lower. So take the time to check in on and look after your mental health and reach out for help and support if you need it. Stay safe and take care.
CARTOON
Sweet Girl has little taste Sweet Girl is a generic, poorly-made thriller whose daring twist can’t quite save it. After his wife dies from cancer, Ray Cooper (Jason Momoa) and his daughter Rachel (Isabela Merced) seek vengeance on the corporation that withheld lifesaving medication. Momoa and Merced are a solid duo, with Momoa conveying rare pathos and Merced delivering an engaging combination of resolve and reluctance. Lex Scott Davis is bland as FBI Agent Meeker, and is the worst victim of the film’s contrived, utilitarian dialogue. Manuel Garcia-Rulfo is amusing as an amiable, very casual assassin, but his light persona clashes with the film’s gruff solemnity. The plot is driven by a half-baked conspiracy narrative, and progresses with little direction or urgency, dragging its feet through the first two acts before rushing the climax. The fight sequences are marred by quick cuts and shaky-cam, and the film has very poor audio mixing, with dramatic music frequently 12 MAIL
|
Tuesday, 31 August, 2021
obscuring the dialogue. Strangely enough, this is the second film of 2021 to feature a Fight Club-esque twist (the first being Major Grom: Plague Doctor). Sweet Girl’s twist has some intriguing implications on conscience and responsibility, but may violently turn some viewers away. Sweet Girl is an inept, boring thriller, and is available for streaming on Netflix.
Perfect writing brings Nine Perfect Strangers together To review Liane Moriarty’s books is difficult, not just because the New York Times bestseller’s writing is nearly perfect. It’s also because she’s a perfect writer in the eyes of many readers in Australia and overseas. Furthermore, it feels strange to review Moriarty’s Nine Perfect Strangers (2018) when the novel’s adaptation as a streaming television miniseries happens to have premiered this month. As all eyes focus on Australian actresses Nicole Kidman, Asher Keddie and Samara Weaving, it seems hard to divert anyone’s attention back to plain words on paper. But words matter, functioning as windows to the souls of a novel’s characters. In the case of those seeking “total transformation” promised by the health and wellness resort Tranquillum House in Nine Perfect Strangers, the character building process is lengthy but rewarding, revealing how they perceive others as well as themselves. Perhaps the quote from American comedian and author George Carlin at the start of the novel offers a clue: “Just when I discovered the meaning of life, they changed it.” Every time we think we understand each character’s mindset and why they behave the way they are, Moriarty offers a surprising plot twist and our self-righteous assumptions are thrown out the window. Moriarty leads us down the multiple memory lanes, slowly divulging the life-changing moments in each character’s past and the curious circumstances forcing those choices and decisions that they now regret. They now seek “to be transformed, to be someone else, to be someone better” – to leave Tranquillum House feeling “happier, healthier, lighter, freer” as described by their host, the mysterious Masha. As Masha employs a series of “unconventional methods” to invigorate their tired bodies and minds, these characters realise they’re
PASSION FOR PROSE WITH CHRISTINE SUN not just “perfect strangers” to each other but also to themselves. Indeed, part of the pleasure of reading Nine Perfect Strangers is to see how some of the characters are shocked to realise who they truly are. The journey of self-discovery is particularly thrilling when some other characters turn out to be far from whom they are thought to be. As the group dynamics change, each has to deal with their own demons in their struggles to survive. All we can do as readers is to go through the mental and emotional rollercoasters while hoping everything will be alright in the end. It’s often said that easy reading is damn hard writing. In this sense, Nine Perfect Strangers is a perfect example of a writer knowing exactly what her goals are and how they should be achieved. The writing is witty and full of compassion, fluent and sometimes fierce, and often tedious in a highly realistic way. We see ourselves in these characters, who are much, much more than the nine words listed on the novel’s cover – shame, guilt, loss, grief, privilege, insecurity, addiction, identity, and love. We ourselves are much more than these. Kindly read the novel before watching the streaming television miniseries. You’d be surprised by their different approaches to helping you “know thyself”.
Theatre lockdown wrap up Yarra Valley Opera Festival Australian Contemporary Opera is disappointed to announce that the Yarra Valley Opera Festival is not going to be possible this year. As hard as ACO tried, there are just too many obstacles to overcome, including funding uncertainty, regional travel restrictions and interstate border closures, all affecting the planning and capacity to rehearse and deliver in October. 1812 Theatre Ferntree Gully’s 1812 Theatre regrets to inform its audiences that the forthcoming play A Flea in Her Ear has been postponed until 2022. The Basin Theatre The Basin Theatre’s production of Anna Zeigler’s Photograph 51 was expected to return on Thursday 2 September until Sunday 12 September but due to Covid-19 restrictions, this has been pushed to the
Kemp’s curtain call end of September. The season will now run from Thursday 23 September to Sunday 10 October all being well. Photograph 51 takes us back to 1950s London, where the discovery of the DNA double helix structure would unlock the ‘secrets of life’ and Rosalind Franklin’s contribution would be overlooked for decades. This delicate play puts her back in the picture and shines a light on the challenges she faced as a woman in a male dominated field and the price she paid. mailcommunity.com.au