The Sound of One Hand Clapping
REVIEWS
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The Sound of One Hand Clapping |
REVIEWS |
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Reviews
Margaret Pomeranz This story of dislocation both geographic and personal has been affectingly directed by Richard Flanagan. He cast actors Kristof Kaczmarek and Jacek Koman, both of whom are wonderful. He's used the mosic of Cesary Skubiszewski who brings a very moving layer to the film. If I have a reservation it's about Kerry Fox's performance as Sonja. She never seems really comfortable in the role and it distancesÉthe audience. But once again I felt nourished by an Australian film that told a story that touched some familiar chords but expanded my appreciation of life, love and pain. David Stratton 02/03/1998 v370 n3 p93 Suffused with melancholyÉgentle and poetic, essentially European film that is likely to be of particular emotional appeal to audiences. Flanagan offers a somber dramaÉgenerally does a solid job, though there is little variation in the generally gloomy tone of the drama. Technical credits are pristine, with cinematographer Martin McGrath evocatively capturing the damp, chilly atmosphere Ébeautiful music score of Cezary Skubiszewski. Catharine Tunnacliffe 06/01/2000 It's sad but true: movies about horrific childhoods are losing their power to disturb. Revelations about alcoholism and child abuse have grown so ubiquitous that films such as The Sound of One Hand Clapping run the risk of leaving audiences cold. The film has an unusual setting -- Tasmania -- but otherwise it's an uninspiring guided tour of all the misfortunes that can befall children born into a rotten family. It's not the actors' fault that the film falls flat -- both Fox and Kaczmarek act their hearts out, as does newcomer Rosie Flanagan, a real-life Hobart schoolgirl who plays Sonja at the age of eight in the flashback sequences. But the script is full of problems that sometimes plague adaptations of novels, such as stilted dialogue, heavy-handed symbolism and confusing leaps through time and space. These aren't problems this script should have, since novelist Richard Flanagan wrote the screenplay before turning it into his novel, which went on to become a bestseller in Australia. Later, Flanagan was given the opportunity to make The Sound of One Hand Clapping his directorial debut. In this strangely back-to-front way of producing a screenplay, the film winds up getting the worst of both worlds, coming off partly as a clumsy adaptation of a book, and partly as a book's first draft. The Hollywood Reporter 23/02/1998 A backward looking melodramaÉis soaked with tears, dramatic revelations, past trauma and sugary sweet orchestral music. If an audience of die-hard, teary-eyed melodrama fans can make it through the confused first half hour, they may like the humorless remainder, but a broader audience will lose interest quickly. This film deals with family breakdown, alcholism and other social problemsÉat times this film can be a little subtle and hard to follow but none the less even watching it with the sound turned down one could most likely gain a feeling of the conditions for immigrants in these days. Stephen Webb 1998 The Sound of One Hand Clapping is laboured, melodramatic, and cliched. There's nice scenery and interesting music. And the supporting cast can act. But even the usually smart Kerry Fox (as Sonja) battles with what she's been ask to deliver. http://insights.uca.org.au/reviews/movies/1handclapping.htm Through frequent flashbacks we can accurately feel the sadness and joy from most of [Sonja's] previous experiences [but] these versions of Sonja are separated far too much, so her character can never truly entrance us or keep us eagerly watching.
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Last Updated April 2004 Copyright Rachel Powell 2004 |
The Sound of One Hand Clapping, by Rachel Powell Email: rachel.powell@bigpond.com |
