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Men In Black 3

It’s not a sequel that needed to be made, but thanks to the charm of its leads and a tone that harks back to the wit and humour of the original, it’s a pretty enjoyable trip.

Bel Ami

The excellent female support cast saves this patchy effort, which is let down by its leading man and a flat screenplay.

The Dictator

A disappointing, often repulsive and mean-spirited mess of a film with seemingly only one real criterion on its agenda: to shock and offend.

The Woman In Black

Packed with atmosphere, this old-fashioned but deftly told ghost story delivers ample chills and thrills.

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Sleeping Beauty (Film)

by James Mottram | June 20, 2011 14:59 | Edited June 23, 2011 11:21

Guaranteed to divide audiences, this is an intoxicating, disturbing and unforgettable piece of cinema, and announces Julia Leigh as a filmmaker to watch.

Already running the critical gauntlet at this year's Cannes Film Festival, Julia Leigh's debut feature caused a sharp intake of breath from audiences on the Croisette, and with good reason. Endorsed by Jane Campion, this provocative tale of a university student who becomes involved with a disturbing high-end sexual service is as uncomfortable as it is intoxicating. Unquestionably, while some will be outraged, Leigh's formal skills behind the camera herald a major Australian filmmaking talent. 

 

The film focuses on Lucy (Emily Browning), literally willing to do anything to make ends meet. Initially, we see her as a human lab-rat, swallowing a long tube with a balloon attached for an unspecified medical test. It's just the first unanswered question that we get from Leigh, the award-winning novelist behind The Hunter and Disquiet. Neither is it the last time that Lucy sees her body violated.

 

After earning money as a lingerie-wearing waitress at a kinky dinner party, Lucy is then offered the chance to become a "sleeping beauty": she takes a drug that causes her to fall into a deep slumber, allowing a paying male client to play with her body - without penetration - in total privacy. With Browning fully nude during these excruciating scenes, you have to admire her bravery in what is also a near-inscrutable reading of the character. 

 

A twisted fairy tale where none of the men prove to be Lucy's Prince Charming, it's an increasingly bleak study of warped sexual desire that (sometimes to its detriment) feels as passive as Lucy in its unwillingness to pry. From the sparse dialogue to the rigorously composed framing, this European-style work forces you to fill in the blanks. Some will find it frustrating. Some will see it as an Eyes Wide Shut knock-off. But whatever your feelings, Sleeping Beauty is impossible to feel indifferent towards.