HE DIED WITH A FELAFEL IN HIS HAND
Australia, 2001, 102 minutes, Colour.
Noah Taylor, Emily Hamilton, Romane Bohringer, Alex Minglett, Brett Stewart, Damien Walshe-Howling?, Torkiel Neilson, Sophie Lee, Tien Hughes.
Directed by Richard Lowenstein.
He Died With A Felafel In His Hand is based on a novel by John Birmingham. It is a story of 20-year-olds living in squats in Brisbane, Melbourne and Sydney.
The film focuses on Daniel, played by Noah Taylor, in the succession of his roles in such films as The Year My Voice Broke, Flirting, The Prisoner of St Petersburg, The Nostradamus Kid (and even Shine). (Noah Taylor had a succession of international roles in such films as Simon Magus, Almost Famous, Vanilla Sky and Lara Croft.) Taylor portrays the bewildered young 20-year-old, twentysomething, a would-be author, bewildered by life and his encounters with the strangest people. He has an opportunity for a relationship with Sam, played by Emily Hamilton, who then is attracted by the strange European woman, a seeming witch, played by Romane Bohringer.
There is a gallery of eccentric characters in each of the houses, a muscleman, an ex-army veteran, a gay coming out of the closet, a bulimic actress (played with verve by Sophie Lee). The interaction of these characters and the offbeat verbal humour create an ironic tone in the comedy of people searching for their identity. The screenplay also adds in quite a number of philosophical remarks to indicate that people should be responding with a touch of depth.
The first part of the film ends with a celebration of the winter solstice, led by the French witch, in which people participate both seriously and comically. The film ends with a funeral of the drug addict who literally dies with a felafel in his hand as he watches television, in which people go through a ritual burning and sacrifice something that means a lot to them in tribute to the dead man. This theme of ritual and self-sacrifice also gives a tone of depth to the offbeat comedy.
Richard Lowenstein has had a career of directing music videos and commercials along with the documentary Evictions (based on a book by his mother, Wendy Lowenstein) as well as the feature films Strikebound, Dogs in Space and Say a Little Prayer.
1. The title and its impact, expectations? The way that it was visually illustrated? How it occurred within the plot?
2. The film and Australian humour, the twentysomething humour, its ironic tones, the touch of rebellion, the critique, the gallery of human foibles, the underlying hopes? The humour of confusion, passivity, challenge to do something more with life?
3. The settings: Brisbane, Melbourne, Sydney? The death and the structure of the storytelling: nine months earlier? The effect of the different locations, the visuals of the house in Brisbane, the stilts, for the summer, the cane toads in the garden? The contrast with Melbourne and its darkness and cold, the Kafkaesque tone? Sydney with its light, wealth, the harbour, ambitions? The film's comment on each of the cities? Squats in each of the cities? Climate and behaviour?
4. The focus on Daniel and Noah Taylor's screen presence and performance? His 47th squat? The effect on his life, his mother wanting him to get in touch? His appearance, woebegone, inactive, wanting to write, focused on themes of blackness? His sex story about the hand? His inertia? His kindliness towards the members of the group, interactions with each? Exasperation with Flipster but finding him dead? The encounter with Sam, the possibility of a relationship, his coming alive? The arrival of Anya and her dominance, mystery, her linking with Sam and taking her away from him?
5. The rent collectors and the comic villains, the pair, their dress, remarks, toughness, demands?
6. The different characters in the squats: Sam and her seeming ordinariness, her study, her work? Anya and her presence, seemingly purposeless? The young men and their interactions? The army vet and his golf, hitting the cane toads? Flipster and his drugs, eastern culture?
7. Brisbane and a relaxed way of life? Culminating in the celebration of the winter solstice, the celebration, the fire - with the comic touches of the victim? Others taking it seriously?
8. Daniel and his decision to go to Melbourne, the squat, different atmosphere, way of life, yet his inertia remaining? The others coming, the arrival of Sam and hopes for the future? The police, suspicions, the personality of the officers, the guns, holding up the group, the threats, the shooting - and their denying all charges (and the newspaper saying that they got off)? The contrast between Melbourne and Brisbane?
9. Sydney, the harbour, the sunshine, the warmth? The gloss of the house? Nina and her wealth, being Robert A. Corcoran with her credit cards and not paying them? The arrival of Sam, the possibility of re-establishing a relationship? Nina and her incessant chatter, bulimia, auditions, self-absorbed, criticising others, reacting when people had the opportunity to talk about themselves? Dirk and the fight about where the cans went on the shelf? His coming out of the closet, the posters, everybody else thinking he was gay, Nina's angrily pulling down the posters? The foreign visitor and his talking about how healthy everybody looked on the television or in the posters? Anya arriving again, the ambiguity, taking Sam away from Daniel? The police arriving to investigate the credit card fraud, the discussions about Dostoyevsky and the humour about the officer thinking that Daniel was Dostoyevsky? Flipster and his being in the institution, released, his dying? Danny and his continued support of each of the characters - yet his final exasperation, going into his room, their slipping food under the door? His writing the sex story and sending it to Penthouse, getting the cheque?
10. Flipster's death, the funeral, each of the characters burning something important to them as a sacrifice, the humorous symbolic touches of their character and foibles?
11. Daniel ringing the police, telling them about Nina and the card fraud, Anya leaving, his going off with Sam - to what kind of future?
12. The screenplay as illustrating the life of many twentysomethings all over the world - but a particularly Australian tone and tone of voice and humour?
