Workingman’s Death

Workingman’s death brings the audience into the lives of working people from five of the most brutal working worlds.

Ukrainian coal miners working in an illegal mine not more than a foot high. Indonesian men hauling over 100kg of sulphur up the sides of a hellish mountain. Nigerians whose daily chore is the bloody slaughter thousands of goats. A Pakistani beech where the steel hulks of freighter ships go to be slaughtered and recycled. Chinese steel workers who can see the signs of progress in a move away from sheer physical work and onto more ‘know how’. See the Film Festival synopsis for more detail.
The scenes certainly make you appreciate the life of luxury we live in Australia. The abattoir scenes are not for the faint hearted. So grizzly where the scenes, my nose smelt the snuff of nauseating abattoirs I’ve visited in the past. Smell triggered purely by sight – that’s weird.

Although visually gripping, we never really get to know any of the people. That makes the film a lot less compelling than it could have been. Another director might have used some stats, or some contrasting images from the western world to score some political points, but not this one. Being a political animal, I feel the power of these peoples stories was not fully brought home to the audience. For alternative views, see those on Rotten Tomatoes

My Rating: 2.5 Stars

Adams Apples

Written & directed by Dane Anders Thomas Jensen, ‘Adams Apples’ sets the standard for black comedy.

Take a mixture of pulp fiction gore humour, mix with characters from Fargo and your on the way to baking Adam’s apple pie. The black humour is not funny because it put’s violence out of context, it’s witty, sharp, and sometimes just bizarre. However what elevates the film above the rest of the pack is it’s exploration of good and evil. It has a lot to say about life.

It all starts innocently enough when neo-nazi Adam arrives at the local country church for community service. Local Minister Ivan finds Adams description of being ‘Evil’ in his CV as ‘just rude’ and simply not possible. Adam’s task is to bake an apple pie using the apples from the Church apple tree. It sounds simple, but quickly gets complicated, and at times bloody. For more, check out the Synopsis or the reviews on Rotten Tomatoes.

I loved this film. I laughed so loud I’m sure I would have annoyed those around me, except they too, where laughing.
My Rating: 5 Stars