Film reviews
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Despite fun performances, this wannabe franchise lacks ambiance
Remember Me
Pattison delivers another brooding performance in this self-indulgent film about young love and deliverance
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The Independent (Film)
Film Worth: $12.50
The Independent is a rare gem in the Australian comedy landscape. Directors Andrew O'Keefe and John Studley balance trademark Australian humour and heartfelt drama with surprising maturity, delivering a clever and magnetic underdog mockumentary about a suburban political hopeful, Marty Browning (Lee Mason). With an ambitious vision of door-knocking and leaflet distribution, Browning competes for the Melbourne electorate of Richmond, but soon becomes an innocent victim of political fraud and mudslinging. Mason is practically perfect in his role, remaining sincere and quietly inspirational as fat cats and spin-doctors engulf him, and his modest and unglamorous relationship with Calloway (Sylvie De Crespigny) serves the film well. Characters like Bentakis (Tony Nikalokopoulos) and Sutherland (Jim Daly) are understated and eerily reminiscent caricatures of household names, with only Evans (Grant Piro) falling into hyperbole. Browning's story is well paced and original, reconciling quaint fly-on-the-wall moments with a continuously unraveling; unfortunately, this often leads to emotional misdirection and the sudden shifts from light-hearted comedy to unnervingly raw drama can become perplexing to the audience, as there are no consistent or secure tones within the mockumentary set-up. This is most prominent in a strange sub-narrative that culminates in an unjustifiably joyless conclusion. While overtly political in nature, the message behind The Independent is never aggressive; instead it paints a poignant, street-level look at the state of Australian politics, with the entire scope of its message steady, focused and developed. As a whole, The Independent is an endearing and distinctly Australian look at political intrigue with the most charming protagonist since Kenny.