I hope you’ve had a lovely relaxing Easter break, and overindulged in chocolate. I certainly have - it’s a parental duty to save children from a sugar overload.
I hope you’ve had a lovely relaxing Easter break, and overindulged in chocolate. I certainly have - it’s a parental duty to save children from a sugar overload.
This week there’s plenty on Rialto Channel to distract you from your post Easter Weekend and chocolate blues, including the delightful Heartbeats, screening on Tuesday 10th April, 8.30pm.
Heartbeats screened last year at the New Zealand International Film Festival. It’s written, directed and edited by one of its stars and one of French-Canada’s most precociously talented young filmmakers, Xavier Dolan.
Dolan was only 21 when he made Heartbeats - its his second feature film - and it’s perfect viewing for those who prefer their romantic comedies a little edgier than Hollywood’s formulaic approach. It’s quirky and offbeat and extremely stylish with a few truisms on love and life tossed in. Dolan plays Francis, who along with his good friend Marie (Monia Chokri) falls instantly in love with and pursues an Adonis-like newcomer to town, Nicolas (Niels Schneider).
It’s an unconventional love story and one that’s not to be taken too seriously. Fashionistas will love it for its hip contemporary tone and retro 50’s outfits, played against melodramatic slow motion shots and a very dry sense of humour.
The Rialto documentary premiering this week is The Thorn In The Heart (Thursday 12th April, 8.30pm), a very personal piece from French filmmaker Michel Gondry (Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, The Science of Sleep and The Green Hornet). It tells the story of his Aunt Suzette who spent 50 years teaching farm kids and refugees in small rural French villages. She’s a remarkable, strong and independent woman, and highly regarded as a teacher, but Gondry also explores another side to his beloved Suzette, the cold matriarch who struggles to connect with her gay son.
As Gondry explained to Total Film, his motivation for airing his family’s issues so honestly was simple. “You don’t get to see so much real people on-screen, it’s usually about fantasy to try to capture audience attention. To spend an hour and half with this character who is really, deeply human is really refreshing.” says Gondry.
Finally this week, Kiwi icon Temuera Morrison is back on our screens with an intense and impressive performance in the period action thriller Tracker (Saturday 14th April, 8.30pm). Directed by Ian Sharp, and based in the early 20th century the film captures the beauty of New Zealand as South African tracker Arjan van Diemen (Ray Winstone) chases wanted Maori fugitive Kereama (Morrison) through the NZ wilderness.
It has an old fashioned feel to it - it’s a little like watching a Western New Zealand style. Morrison and Winstone play off each other well, and you imagine that in between the on-screen verbal and physical tussles they’re having a good chin wag. Most importantly though, Morrison is in impressive form.
Enjoy.