Strange Colours (Alena Lodkina, 2017) wr. Alena Lodkina, Isaac Wall, dp Michael Latham; Kate Cheel, Justin Courtin, Daniel P. Jones; shot Lightning Ridge
Synopsis:
Milena travels to a remote opal mining community to see her estranged, ill father. Lost and alone, she falls into his bewildering world, where men escape society and share ideals of freedom. Soon, he doesn’t want her to leave. Stuck in time, father and daughter try to mend their fractured bond, but their connection is fragile, like the strange, colourful gems he digs up from the earth.
Greg Dolgopolov:
Alena Lodkina has produced an assured film with a clear directorial eye and robust performances. While the film lacks dynamism, it does capture the melancholy and loneliness of outback isolation and the desperate attempts at connection by these often damaged but passionate men trying to reconcile the freedom of the bush and their mutual responsibilities. filmink.
Sorry, Grisha, I was not impressed by this. As E.M. Forster said, there has to a plot. This film may think it's too arty to deign to entertain – but there has to be something to engage the viewers' interest. Another possibility is cinematography – but again, there is nothing much going on here. The only shot I can remember noticing is a closeup of an opal, and that's down to the subject itself, not the way it was shot. ... So when you write that it 'lacks dynamism', what you really mean it is that it is almost entirely devoid of interest.
Garry Gillard | New: 16 August, 2018 | Now: 2 February, 2023