Pawno (Paul Ireland, 2015) wr. Damian Hill, prod. Paul Ireland, Damian Hill, dp Shelley Farthing-Dawe; John Brumpton, Kerry Armstrong, Mark Coles-Smith, Maeve Dermody, Damian Hill, Malcolm Kennard, Tony Rickards, Daniel Frederickson; ensemble
One of the engaging elements of the film is that every single character with which we spend time is interesting. Sometimes in this kind of film there are characters that prove to dominate all the others, but not here. The observation, in Hill’s screenplay and Ireland’s direction, is acute, and the actors are first-class. Add to the mix fine location photography by Shelley Farthing-Dawe and you have a film that’s not only very Australian (some may say very Melbourne) in its ethos but also extremely enjoyable. David Stratton, The Australian.
Through the particular to the universal ... it's a notion that serves filmmakers well and as writer Damian Hill shows, it can be a useful filmmaking tool to portray a variety of the human condition. His pawn shop is where Les Underwood plays a duel role of self serving sinner as well as occasional saint. I don't mind the contradictions in his character; they smack of real life. I also appreciate John Brumpton's characterisation as an edgy, complex and unpredictable money lender of last resort. Andrew L Urban, urbancinefile.
Garry Gillard | New: 25 April, 2016 | Now: 27 June, 2020