OBSERVER: From All Sides
The conventional view of life in Western Sydney as boring and suburban was given a shake-up by the low-budget independent feature From All Sides with its portrayal of a multiracial sexually liberated family living there.
Unfortunately the film’s promising premise was only partially realised as direction, editing, script and acting all suffered from shortcomings.
A married multi-racial couple living out west have an open relationship with both partners being bisexual and into the swinging scene.
With two teenage children adding to the mix, life proves difficult as all four family members try to navigate their way through various domestic challenges.
Written by Australian writer Bina Bhattacharya, who also directed, the script was in need of some judicious editing.
There were spurious scenes that sat oddly with the overall story. In addition, several characters were cliched stereotypes and the language they used often hackneyed.
The script only really came to life or felt authentic in the dance sequences involving the mother and/or daughter.
The family of four that was at the heart of the film consisted of the wife Anoushka (played by Monique Kalmar), husband Pascal (Max Brown), their teenage daughter Nina (Georgia Anderson) and son Clyde (Gavril Kumar).
All four gave committed performances but were hampered by an underdeveloped script and lack of strong direction. The acting was wooden at times, with little or no dramatic tension evident as dynamic relationships between characters had not been built.
As previously mentioned, Bhattacharya directed as well as wrote the script.
Her first feature film as director showed promise but revealed several areas where she needs to improve such as working with actors, revising/rewriting the script and editing. The film felt slow and sluggish, even glacial, at times.
What a shame then that From All Sides only partially fulfilled its worthwhile aspirations. Hopefully its young and ambitious director/writer will improve and go on to bigger and better things.
Venue: Cinema Nova, 380 Lygon St, Carlton
For further information about the film: cinemanova.com.au/films/from-all-sides
Review by Peter Murphy