GasLand (PG)
Director: Josh Fox
Rating: 3.5/5
107-minutes; screening from 18 November
The producers of GasLand must be offering silent votes of thanks for the timing of the release of their film in Australia, for coal-seam gas mining couldn’t be more topical.
The Queensland government has been crowing with joy over the announcement of a billion-dollar venture using ‘fracking’ technology that frees up previously inaccessible gas reserves, and regional commentators are praising the new hope that the industry will offer the state’s economy and employment statistics. But at what cost? There have already been disturbing reports about contamination of water tables in and around Kingaroy, despite denials of responsibility from the miners.
Filmmaker Josh Fox has firsthand experience of the side-effects. After hearing of an announcement of intent by gas mining companies to begin extracting gas from beneath his New York State property, Fox started to hear disturbing reports about things that sometimes go wrong in the process. Neighbours told of unexpected explosions, noxious gases coming from the ground, and most frighteningly, drinking water poisoned and contaminated to the point of being flammable.
The filmmaker set off across the United States to track the extent of coal-seam gas-mining, and the awful cost it can exact on the environment. GasLand is a frightening film, not only for the way that an industry has essentially raped a landscape, but also for the extent to which that industry has lobbied and finagled extraordinary concessions out of the US government, gaining astonishing access to previously safe territories, and safeguarding themselves from prosecution in the event of accidents or negligence.
And the chief villain in this film? Halliburton. Is it any wonder? Queensland beware – this technology might be an economic saviour, but the possible side-effects warrant considerable regulation.
Awards await? I feel it in my bones
Winter’s Bone (MA15+)
Director: Debra Granik
Stars: Jennifer Lawrence, John Hawkes
Rating: 5/5 100-minutes; screening from 11 November
There’s a scene early on in Debra Granik’s second film, Winter’s Bone where a young woman stands in the doorway of her log cabin watching her neighbour dress a freshly killed deer. Her eight-year-old brother leans against her and suggests they ask for some meat – we can almost hear their bellies groaning with hunger. The sister looks down at the boy with disapproval and says: “Never ask for what isn’t offered.”
This simple statement sums up much of what this dark tale says about human dignity and tenacity. When the local sheriff comes knocking on the door looking for their father, Ree Dolly (Jennifer Lawrence) tips over the edge into barely-controlled panic, for the old man has signed over the house as security and then skipped bail. If he cannot be found within a week, the family will be thrown out into the gutter.
So begins Ree’s search for signs of her father in a strange redneck world where honour and tight-lipped secrecy travel hand-in-hand with shady arrangements to fill the pantry by cooking and dealing meth.
There’s so much happening in this quiet, but often harrowing story: Ree preparing her siblings for a life of hardship by teaching them how to shoot, dress, and cook squirrels; an astonishingly compassionate Army recruiting officer; an ugly Vietnam veteran ruling a community alongside a harem of vicious, wrinkled harridan sisters; and a surprisingly optimistic ending.
Jennifer Lawrence is simply amazing as Ree, offering what will hopefully be an award-winning performance, and her supporting cast of Deadwood’s John Hawkes and the likes of Dale Dickey (My Name is Earl’s daytime hooker, Patty) are excellent. I hope to see Winter’s Bone and its crew lining up for accolades soon.
THE BINGE
Soul Kitchen’s tasty treat
Soul Kitchen (MA15+) now available through Madman Entertainment
The Lost Thing (M) now available through Madman Entertainment
St George Brisbane International Film Festival – closes Sunday 14th November
Lovers of art-house cinema will be familiar with Turkish-born filmmaker Fatih Akin, who has made a name for himself as a daring filmmaker in Germany. Films like Head-On & Edge of Heaven offer wonderful but difficult stories of redemption and renewal. In Soul Kitchen, there are similar themes, but this film about a chef looking to keep his dream of an amazing kitchen live is much less emotionally-draining than its predecessors. Along with excellent performances, Akin’s film features a wonderful seventies and eighties soundtrack.
I’ve loved the storytelling of Shaun Tan since I read The Red Tree years ago. The film adaptation of his picture book, The Lost Thing marks the entry of Tan into animation, and as co-director with former music video producer, Andrew Ruheman, Tan has made a beautiful new version of this story about longing and loneliness. The DVD Extras feature an exclusive book – What Miscellaneous Abnormality is That? – production artwork, and a documentary.
The St George Brisbane International Film Festival will draw to a close on Sunday night, and there’s still time for cinephiles to catch up with some extraordinary films. Machete Maidens Unleashed! is the latest exploitation documentary from Mark Hartley (Not Quite Hollywood), and this time focuses on the extravagant grindhouse cinema of the Philippines. Hartley will be presenting the film on Wednesday night.
The Red Chapel tells the story of guerrilla doco-makers, Mads Brügger, who took a comedy duo to Pyongyang on the pretence of touring a show, but really wanting to document the repression of the world’s most reclusive police state. I don’t imagine this crew will be welcomed back in North Korea any time soon.
Lovers of animation will be lining up to check out the latest film from Sylvain Chomet (The Triplets of Belleville). And The Illusionist is a lovely reminiscence of the vaudeville era adapted from a play written by the great comedian, Jacques Tati.
• For more details about the program, check out www.stgeorge biff.com.au
