PEACHES
Screening at the Serge Constantin Theatre, Vacoas
Tuesday 20 February 2007 from 7:30 PM
Synopsis
Stephanie (Emma Lung), born during a car accident that killed both her parents, has been raised by her late mother's loving but over-protective and life-worn best friend Jude (Jacqueline McKenzie). She starts work under the watchful eyes of Alan Taylor (Hugo Weaving), manager at the local peach cannery, and she is given her late mother's locked diary. Steph immerses herself in the intriguing world of the diary, and finds herself romantically pursuing Alan, knowing that he and Jude had been lovers at the time of her birth. As Steph learns more about her late mother, Jass (Sam Healy) and Vietnamese father, Johnny (Tyson Contor), she also sees, through Jass' eyes, a vibrant, risk-taking, fun-loving Jude she has never known - and begins to uncover secrets that no one is prepared for.
Review
Courtesy of Andrew L. Urban (www.urbancinefile.com.au)
While nothing like them, Peaches has echoes of Somersault and Lantana in its themes and its non-urban setting. The dramatic pull of all three Australian films resides in the characterisations and their intricate relationships. And in all three films, these promises are fulfilled by outstanding actors.
Craig Monahan (whose 1998 drama The Interview remains one of my favourite Australian films) is a gifted director with a natural talent for cinema. Peaches represents a challenge, in that the story has to move between two time frames, 17 or so years apart. It all falls into place eventually, but there are patches early in the film where we are a little perplexed.
That aside, Peaches is compelling cinema, superbly photographed, with a stylish score from David Hirschfelder. But the greatest contributions come from the cast, each capturing the conflicted and yet ordinary characters who struggle with their demons - like the rest of us. So near to us all, yet so far... in each of the thematic issues that arise in the narrative, from the absence of biological parents to single parenting, from migrants and mixed marriages to workplace issues and the threat of company closure in a small community, there are elements we instantly recognise.
Emma Lung makes a notable debut as Steph, a determined young woman who begins to find her own feet just at the age that life is becoming horribly complicated. Hugo Weaving uses his power of stillness to build a tormented character who has weaknesses and regrets yet his compassion redeems him. And Jacqueline McKenzie shows the enormity of her talent, which we first glimpsed in Romper Stomper. Here, it's a matured craft that delivers a complex and frightened character who wants nothing but the best for her adopted daughter, her best friend's child, and has somehow let much of her own life pass by.
Playing Alan's brother Brian, Matt Le Nevez makes this potential caricature into a three dimensional - and engaging - character, full of flaws, but also full of life.
Peaches is a quintessential Australian story - so top marks in that department. That's what the funding is for, right? If it doesn't turn into a box office hit, the taxpayers can't complain. It does what it set out to do.
Production Information
Director: Craig Monahan
Producers: Craig Monahan, Don Reynolds, Margot McDonald
Writer: Sue Smith
Cast: Hugo Weaving, Jacqueline McKenzie, Emma Lung, Matt Le Nevez, Sam Healey, Tyson Contor
Duration: 103 min
Genre: Drama
Original Australian Theatrical Censorship Rating: MA
Screen Ratio: Wide screen 1:1.85
Selected Awards
- 2004 Australian Writers Guild - Awgie Award nominated Best Original Feature Film
- 2004 Montreal World Film Festival - nominated Grand Prix des Ameriques
Australian Film Festival 2007 proudly sponsored by:
- Australian Film Commission
- Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade
- The Ministry of Arts and Culture
- The Mauritius Film Development Corporation
- Air Mauritius
- IDP Education
- La Sentinelle
- Mauritius Broadcasting Corporation
- Scott & Co Ltd
- Urban Cinefile