Author: Grace Williams

You’ll struggle to find a feature debut that pucks a punch quite as hard as Lila Avilés’ The Chambermaid this year. The film is a beautifully shot, intimate drama that humanises the underbelly of hospitality. 

The film centres on chambermaid Eve (Gabriela Cartol, who is a graceful and understated presence) as she goes from room to room in a Mexico hotel, interacting with the people of so-called opulence.

Her character is alienated and determined, her goals being that of a promotion to the 42nd floor (where the VIP sweets are situated) and waiting to hear if the red dress she yearns for in lost property can finally be hers. 

The juxtaposition between the crisp sheets, sparkling bathrooms and neatly stacked books with the raucous, messy hubbub of the staff quarters highlights Eve’s frustration with her social status.

She is constantly on the phone to her childminder, promising she will try and be home early. But, more often than not, she has to stay in the hotel or get up too early to see her son for breakfast (we see the inside of the hotel for most of the film, with glimpses of the city through hotel windows).

She is also balancing adult education classes, where she starts to read her first book and learn percentages. For a film set in South America, there is no heat to the cinematography, highlighting the monotony of the hotel workers lives. The only warm tones can found in the classroom. 

There are no thrills or plot twists in this film, yet this character driven piece will keep you hooked from beginning to end. You may even learn some cleaning tips along the way, like using a broom handle to flatten down your sheets – I’d never thought of that! 

You may even learn some cleaning tips along the way, like using a broom handle to flatten down your sheets – I’d never thought of that! 

The Texture Of Falling is a muddle of a film who’s big reveal is rather underwhelming. 

The plot, loosely, is about a female filmmaker named Louise who wants to make a movie about Portland, and include a love story to highlight how great and romantic it is. As we follow her love story with a composer named Luke, another love story runs along side. The mystery couple appear to be having an affair of some kind, and the male loves to be strangled, spanked and cut with rose thorns (yep, rose thorns). 

The DOP on this film uses some interesting shots and nice use of colour… and Portland does look nice. That’s all the positives I can give this film, really. It’s one graphic sex scene and a few less acting classes away between this film and a soft porno. Although, a few people have said that about 50 Shades Of Grey, so what do I know?

The best acting is from the director herself, Maria Allred, who comes into her own in the third act playing the spankee blonde, Sylvia. It’s a shame that her best acting performance was at the end of the film, rather than consistently through it. Still, she is to be commended for writing, directing, shooting and acting in her own film.

Perhaps if she hadn’t taken on so much it might have been better? I wanted to like this film for the sheer fact that it pushed the boundaries of its actors, but the acting was so terrible, the plot so muddled and the reveal so underwhelming that as hard as I tried, I couldn’t. I really liked the use of colour to represent the saucy couples antics, but I felt that their bits could have been cut together to make an RnB music video. 

The moody-electro soundtrack indicates that the film is a thriller…. but is ultimately all filler (unlike Sum 41 – remember that 90s teens?). Good effort, but perhaps Allred should just stick to one job next time. 

It’s taken me a long to write this review and, to be honest, I feel that this book has so much to digest I still can’t do it justice in such a small amount of words. 

I’ve had the pleasure of hearing Christopher Frayling speak on film a few times, so it was with utter delight that I took to the E-pages of this book. So much so, that I am waiting with much anticipation for an actual, physical copy to buy for myself so that I can hold it in my hands. 

Alas, I will have to wait until April 18th to hold Once Upon a Time in The West: Shooting a Masterpiece for a copy to sit on my book shelf. 

For any filmmaker, any film critic or anyone who loves film, this is the book that you need to buy this year. It is more than just a book on one of the greatest Western films of all time, it is a book about one of the greatest FILMS of all time. This book is packed full of filmmaking punches which go beyond an analysis of the film itself.

It is an analysis on the art of filmmaking, from script to screen with testimonials, interviews and insights from some of the greatest film industry professionals. Quentin Tarantino’s foreword gives an insight into his own filmmaking process, whilst never-seen-before documents delves the reader deep into the filmmaking process of the ‘horse opera’. 

it’s difficult to review such a rich tapestry of information, but all I can say is if you are a film fan… I suppose go and watch Once Upon A Time In The West again, buy this book and say to yourself ‘ooh, films used to made so well, didn’t they?’. 

I’ve never watched an hour long special of “Neighbours”, but I can imagine what one would be like now I’ve watched Friends, Foes and Fireworks. I also thought I’d never hear a worse British accent than Shia LeBeouf’s in Nymphomaniac, but he’s been defeated by Daniel Hill who has the most Australian sounding Manchester accent I’ve ever heard. 

Sarah Jayne and Ivan Malekin’s awkward drama follows four friends and Manchester dude as they celebrate New Year’s Eve, Melbourne style. Fiona (Lara Deam) is hosting and appears to be suffering from anxiety about something (I never found out what this was). As the guests arrive, a lot of dialogue that seems improved ensues.They all seem to be in the acting business and struggling with work.

One of them, Lucinda (Whitney Duff) has just returned from the UK where, apparently, acting work is WAY easier to get (?). She has returned with a boob job and a new beau, Taron the Manchaustralian. Something has gone on between her and Summer (Asleen Mauthoor) before she left for the UK, and acting coach Sofia (Genya Mik) is finding it difficult to tell Lucinda (Zoe Cross) that her acting is utter rubbish… “Neighbours, everybody needs good neighbours…” (I wish the film’s soundtrack was as catchy as this). 

I appreciate this film was done on a budget, however watching this film kept me in a constant state of awkwardness. Between the stunted dialogue, boring characters, long shots of black between scenes and Taron, I was relieved when the climatic fireworks display ousted out everyone’s truths, because I knew it was nearly the end of this painful watch The few positives I got from this film were that a) New Years Eve in Melbourne looks warm and friendly, and b) The opening sequence animation was really good.