rolf de heer

Started by Pubrick, December 16, 2007, 06:06:27 AM

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Pubrick



rolf de heer is the herzog of australian cinema. whatever that means. you may know him from bad boy bubby which is probly his best movie, though my personal favourite is The Quiet Room cos it blew my mind how a low budget and no talent DOESN'T have to result in a horror film with atrocious acting. instead he made a quiet (though heavy in voice over) meditation on a troubled marriage from the point of view of the seven year old daughter (played by his own) who has capriciously decided to stop talking.

someone who didn't have a choice in her lack of speech is Heather Rose, writer and star of Dance Me to My Song. her story is of a cerebral palsy sufferer who has to deal with an abusive care giver. but it's uplifting!



TEN CANOES is none of those things. it's a story within a story as narrated by David Gullipili who began his career as the black kid in walkabout, and is also the tracker in rolf de heer's other aboriginal-conscious film pictured above. the story recounted by him in Ten Canoes frames another story about the lives of his aboriginal ancestors. it's not as convoluted as it sounds, and that's including countless flashbacks/forwards/suppositions within the central plot. a young man is jealous of his older brother who has three wives, he has none. the older tells him a story which parallels their own situation, but the tale follows the older's tribulations. the younger one is impatient, and asks when it'll get to the part about his character's desires, and he is told that his thread will come when the story requires it. and so that is the moral of the movie, in the end it adds up to a really long "joke".

the ending is slightly unsatisfying given the long road to it but the lesson is clear: all stories are branches of others. beginning with the great iguana lizard that carved the rivers and valleys.

as far as i know, his films don't generally get US distribution. so i dunno, you might want to wear a hat.

..

or visit his site for more info on his other films: availability, pics, etc
http://www.vertigoproductions.com.au/index.html

do NOT watch



just.. don't.
under the paving stones.

cine

syd brisbane?  kinda like our hometown actor, Sam Toronto.

squints

we've had Bad Boy Bubby at the video store for quite a while now. My boss has been telling me to watch it for ages. Tonight's the night i'm taking it home. I'm excited and intrigued.
"The myth by no means finds its adequate objectification in the spoken word. The structure of the scenes and the visible imagery reveal a deeper wisdom than the poet himself is able to put into words and concepts" – Friedrich Nietzsche

Pubrick

i'll say this, it's better than okkervil river.
under the paving stones.

grand theft sparrow

Years ago, I was on vacation at Disney World with the wife.  We were channel surfing in the hotel one morning and came across The Quiet Room on HBO or something.  I believe it was near the beginning.  Anyway, instead of going out to the park right away, we stayed and watched the whole movie first.  We had no idea what it was called and it took me weeks afterwards to recall Rolf de Heer's name correctly from the credits in order to look it up on imdb. 

I just looked him up on netflix.  Figures, Quiet Room isn't available in the US right now.  And Epsilon has been renamed Alien Visitor here!  Epsilon is the name of a movie I might be interested in seeing; Alien Visitor is not.  So I will listen to Pubrick and consider it Alien Visitor.

Bad Boy Bubby has been added to the queue, as has Dingo.  Any movie for which Miles Davis composed the score is worth a look, as far as I'm concerned.

Ravi

I rented Bad Boy Bubby today.  It had better not suck, P.

Pubrick

i'll say this, it's better than dingo.

the animal and the movie.
under the paving stones.

Ravi

I loved Bad Boy Bubby, though it gets somewhat unfocused towards the end.  This is a darkly comic story about a man-child who has never been allowed into the real world.  It is both disturbing and uplifting.  Whether you end up loving it or hating it, this is a film that everyone here should see.  Nicholas Hope's performance is amazing.

hedwig

ok i'm renting Bad Boy Bubby and Ten Canoes. it's too bad the quiet room hasn't been released. :(

Quote from: Ravi on December 24, 2007, 04:01:53 PM
I loved Bad Boy Bubby, though it gets somewhat unfocused towards the end.  This is a darkly comic story about a man-child who has never been allowed into the real world.  It is both disturbing and uplifting.

sounds like it would make an awesome double feature with the Enigma of Kaspar Hauser.

last days of gerry the elephant

I've also rented this Bad Boy Bubby.

Pubrick

i'll say this, the next step is to WATCH IT.
under the paving stones.

squints

Just finished Bad Boy Bubby. What a great movie. Thanks for the recommendation P. I can see the Kaspar Hauser comparisons but (this may sound off the mark) but it feels like a movie Harmony Korine would make if he wasn't an idiot. Its like Kaspar Hauser + Julien Donkey Boy + Borat (maybe?).

I'd really really like to see The Quiet Room.
"The myth by no means finds its adequate objectification in the spoken word. The structure of the scenes and the visible imagery reveal a deeper wisdom than the poet himself is able to put into words and concepts" – Friedrich Nietzsche

last days of gerry the elephant

Well aside from the sadistic incest/abuse (which plays a significant role in this film) I loved it. There isn't a definitive underlying message and this didn't bother me at all. It's the kind of story that could go on forever and yet you couldn't wait to see where this guy ends up.

I had a bunch of my friends over tonight and I saved the film for the occasion, sadly to say not everyone enjoyed it as much as I did but it's definitely something to check out. Thanks P.