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Reviews
Watch the Sunset (2017)
One shot Aussie film is more than a technical marvel.
Watch the Sunset opens with a variety of news footage related to drug related crimes and issues. The film that follows is a one shot eighty minute journey through the town of Kerang, Victoria. Working as the feature film debut for the Jack of all trades team that includes (deep breath) co-director/co-writer/actor/co-producer Tristan Barr, co- director/co-writer/actor/co-producer Michael Godsen, cinematographer/producer Damien Lipp, Watch the Sunset is a powerful, immersive slice of work.
Australian cinema is full of crime stories, almost to the point that there is an unconscious tendency to lionise the criminals within the pieces. In the late nineties through to the early 2000's, there was a trend to celebrate the ultra-ocker, uber-blokey crime figures within films like Two Hands, Chopper, and Dirty Deeds. Finally, the Aussie crime genre reached a pinnacle with the Underbelly series, which in turn transformed real life court trials into tabloid fodder. The focus of most of these stories seemed more focused on the thugs and crims themselves than the people affected by the drugs that they willingly push to fund their criminal lifestyle. Watch the Sunset takes the crime genre and directly puts us in the mind space of someone who is recovering from drugs and wanting to create a better life for themselves. There is a conscious effort to humanise those who are stigmatised within media and politics.
After the introductory news footage, we spend a few minutes with Danny as he's driving back in to town. This protracted time with Danny allows us to become accustomed to the quiet mood within the town. The streets of which are mostly devoid of life. A playground that Danny's daughter moves through is completely vacant. An early moment with a church choir has the sound sucked out of the scene – these are voiceless people singing a silent song into a dark church. It becomes apparent through this quiet, almost lifeless town, how drug pushing gangs would thrive. Where boredom may breed creativity, it can also foster darker forces who through peer pressure and coercion can find ways to imbed their tendrils and control people.
It's at the church choir that we see Sally trying to find her place in a world that she almost doesn't belong in. The other singers appear to be mostly elderly, a sign that many of the younger citizens within the town have long left both religion and the town behind in search of a better life. Sally has long moved on from her drug embellished life in search of a better future for herself and her daughter. No matter how deep the ties with a person or a town may be, it is sometimes necessary to break that connection for the better of ones self, and it's evident that Sally would do anything for her daughter. Mid-song, she notices that Danny has slipped in to come whisk her away, and the memories of a traumatic past immediately come flooding back.
Unfortunately for both Sally and Danny, Shane (Aaron Walton) and Russell (Michael Gosden) are on their trail and seeking the retribution that they believe Danny deserves. Shane believes in honour and mateship, and Danny's abandonment and decision to break free of living a drug-related life works in contrast to Shane's world view. He is the hero in his own story and sees no troubles in bringing them back in line, no matter what level of violence and terror that means.
Even though we are not given a thorough back story for these characters, through solid performances from the three main leads (Barr, Zeller and Walton) we get a powerful understanding of who they are as individuals. Small touches add a powerful background as to what life in this small country town is like. A scene where Danny and Sally's daughter, Joey (Annabelle Williamson), plays in a playground by herself while her parents argue in a car is given a deeper emotional thread when we see her shooting an imaginary gun against imaginary thugs. We learn about a life a child lives from how they play, and through Joey's play-style we get a grand look at the world she has grown up within. It's sobering and heartbreaking. We immediately want the best for both Sally and Joey, and are purely invested in their fates going forward.
If there's a criticism I have with Watch the Sunset, it's a later scene which involves Joey, some impactful violence and drug use. While I respect the choice to showcase violence and drug use within a story, I struggle as a viewer when those scenes include a child. The violence and drug use is never directed at the child herself, however it's hard to not question the need to include her in these scenes.
Watch the Sunset is technically a brilliant film – a high-speed shot and the closing sequence stand out as truly impressive moments. (I would be remiss to not mention the great score by Richard Labrooy as well.) However, the film would be lesser if it were simply just a technical achievement, and it's thanks to great directing, acting and writing that it is elevated above its one-shot aspect. Watch the Sunset is a great feature debut, providing a great announcement of a group of great Australian talent that will no doubt provide immersive, challenging cinema going forward.
It's Not Just Me (2017)
Essential documentary about LGBTQI stories in Perth, Western Australia.
Focusing on four transgender men who are at various stages of their journey from transitioning from female to male, It's Not Just Me is a personal and powerful look into the Australian LGBTIQ experience. From the stories of Simon and David who we spend months with, to the day in the life of Max, and the self-directed GoPro perspective of Logan, there is a wide array of personal experiences and narratives that drive this story along. Created as part of director Jonathan Messer's PhD thesis, It's Not Just Me looks at an aspect of the transgender story that is rarely displayed in media – the voice of the trans man.
Documentaries are mostly considered an objective form of cinema. Usually the director selects a subject and then works about documenting that subject with their camera, rarely interacting with said subject, merely observing them. The subject of the film is rarely a collaborator within their own story – they are the subject after all. With Messer's documentary It's Not Just Me, the format of the traditional documentary is skewed a little to become a purely collaborative process between subject and filmmaker.
In the general public consciousness, the trans woman story has been widely noticed with outspoken public figures like Laverne Cox and Caitlyn Jenner talking about their experiences. However, the voice of the trans man has not had the same reach. Thanks to Messer's documentary, the trans man story has received a platform to extend their voices. Even though each character that the film focuses on identifies as a trans man, they are still have their own unique identity with their own unique challenges.
Often the narrative surrounding transgender folk is skewed towards tragedy. So, it's with great joy to note that thanks to the energetic subjects, It's Not Just Me is full with beautiful humour and in turn, wonderful humanity. There are still moments of heart break, and a keen focus on the emotional toll is still there, but they are surrounded by moments of levity – a party that David attends with his friends is a particular moment of humour.
Unfortunately due to societal ignorance, there still appears to be a lot of 'questions' about the transgender story. Even though it is not the documentaries aim to educate and inform, it is unavoidable that this may be the outcome for many viewers. Questions about the cost of transitioning, what happens to your body when transitioning, and the emotional toll of transitioning, are all addressed. This is not a documentary that aims to shy away from the reality of what goes in to transitioning with familial divisions being explored in depth through Simon's story. In more than one circumstance, relationships end for various reasons, and even though the subjects all identify as trans men, that is the only similarity between each person, making each relationship progress in a unique way.
While the focus is mostly directed towards Simon and David's journey, the addition of Max's perspective is a fascinating one. Through wordless scenes, we see Max catch a train to work, carry on through a day at work, and then going home. It's simple footage that may leave some asking – well, what about Max's backstory? But, to ask this question is to negate the purpose of showing 'a day in the life' of Max's life – that is, to show that Max is accepted in society and that there is no (visible) conflict. It's hard not to bring politics into the discussion when talking about LGBTIQ stories – especially given the heated discussions about what toilets people can use (which those against transgender folk using their respective toilets always seem to forget that their toilet at home is a gender neutral toilet) – so the inclusion of Max's story where he goes about life as per usual helps present a society that everybody deserves. That is, one that people can go about their lives without consequence.
Logan's story is captured from his perspective through a GoPro camera. Even though the film is a purely collaborative work, these segments provide us the opportunity to see Logan's story purely through his own eyes. Where Simon and David's segments showcase a more 'conversational' style of storytelling, Logan's segments show his life in a 'warts and all' manner. This is as personal a perspective as can possibly be delivered within the film – and it's all the better due to it.
As a documentary, It's Not Just Me is fascinating, entertaining and informative. For most audiences, they will walk away with a greater understanding of the transgender story and will hopefully have greater respect for transgender lives. However, for the LGBTIQ community, a film like this is massively important. Going through a life changing event such as transitioning between male to female or female to male is a monumental thing, and it's for those people that this film will work the best. For those people, they will realise that (just as the title suggests) they are not alone, that It's Not Just Me going through this journey.
As this documentary is created as part of Jonathon's PhD, it is unavailable for viewing yet. But, once Jonathan's PhD is completed it will ideally be released through a distributor or online in some format. Hopefully an Australian distributor picks it up at that stage as this is the sort of documentary that audiences deserve to be able to see.