TIMECRIMES (CRONOSCRIMINES)

(Spain, 2007, d. Nacho Vigalondo)

Time travel. What if there were the technology to go back in time only an hour or two? How would it affect the past? What if one encountered one's former self? Who would be the real person, the one from the future, the one in the present? And, what if the pattern were repeated?

Instead of Groundhog Day, over and over again, what if it were continued repetitions of the same person over and over again? Cronoscrimines does not exactly answer these questions but it exercises the minds and emotion as we look at a middle-aged man, Hector, who began a quiet Saturday afternoon at home and relived it over again (and over again) but decided to intervene to bring the process to a stop, only to so complicate matters that he was changing his history. There are also consequences for his wife and the girl he sees in the woods. There are more conscience questions and consequences for the young scientist who manages the time machine.

At only 90 minutes, this is quite an effective time travel thriller.

It begins tranquilly enough at the supermarket, then home with the wife working in the garden, the husband having a rest and then relaxing with his binoculars until he spies an unknown woman in the woods. Later, when we realise that he is seeing a situation set up by his second self, the film becomes very interesting as the writer-director cleverly shows us what the first Hector saw from the perspective of the second Hector. Plenty of deja vu all over again.

However, with the two Hectors, the one trying to destroy the other and then prevent him from entering the machine, the plot becomes more eerie with car crashes, stabbings in the woods, sieges of the home...

How can it all end? Can it all end?

This intriguing film not only asks, 'What the Hec?' but also, 'Which the Hec'!

THE SQUARE

Australia, 2008, 105 minutes, Colour.
David Roberts, Claire van der Boom, Joel Edgerton, Anthony Hayes, Lucy Bell, Kieran Darcy- Smith, Brendan Donoghue, Peter Phelps, Bill Hunter.
Directed by Nash Edgerton.

The Square of the title is the courtyard for a building on a construction site which is about to concreted over during the Christmas- New Year week with some urgency on the part of the owner of the site (Bill Hunter) and the fact of injuries, foreman pressure, worker protests – and the fact that a body has been deposited there.

This film was one of those which received many nominations at the Australian Film Institute awards for 2008, including Best Film.

Most audiences like a solid thriller. They should be satisfied with this one. It is a story of murder, robbery and arson – but in a very local Sydney suburban situation. As the film opens, we realise that the manager of the building site (David Roberts) is having an affair with a young woman (Claire van der Boom) and that they are at pains to conceal it. Not a particularly new development. We watch him and his estranged wife, his dealing with the workers and his illicit rendezvous.

Matters become a bit more complicated when the woman discovers that her brother has a large stash of money and she puts pressure on the lover to steal it. The best plans certainly can go alarmingly astray and that is what The Square is about. It involves an arson plan that is more destructive than intended, the couple trapped in the power of a thug that they employ, double dealing and ambiguous messages from sub-contractors, especially since the site manager misinterprets messages and people are killed.

How can a seemingly ordinary middle aged man get himself into such a moral mess?

The film was co-written by Joel Edgerton who appears as the thug. It was directed by his brother, Nash Edgerton, who has worked as a stuntman. In piling up the mishaps, the film gains momentum with several twists.

1. An action thriller and personal drama? The use of the conventions of the thriller? Australian style? Idiom?

2. The city, the suburbs of Sydney, the building sites, homes, the waters, the bush? The highways and bridges? Real feel? The musical score?

3. The title, the square of the building site, the hole, concrete, the body concealed? The rain, uncovering the secret?

4. Raymond and Carla, control of their situation, loss of control, the consequences, mistakes, the dire results, destruction? A moral fable?

5. Ray and Carla and the affair, under the bridge, leaving, the secrecy, their room, clandestine meetings? The dog swimming across the water, the closeness of the two homes? Ray at home, offhand with his wife, the lies? The ordinariness of suburban life, the episode of the dog at the door, the Yales’ dog?

6. Ray at work, the meeting with Gil Hubbard, tough, the irony of the revelation of the later scam? Barney and the kickbacks, the arrangements, cash, envelopes, deals? Jake as foreman? His suspicions, union rules, the break-in and Leonard Long stealing? The discovery of the truth, the car chase, the crash, Jake’s death, Ray rescuing the baby, taking it to hospital, and being seen as a hero?

7. Greg, at home with Carla, his hiding the money, Carla discovering it? Greg and Smithy’s mate? Leonard Long? The deal with the money, mutual suspicions?

8. Leonard Long at work, the repair of the part, Ray’s reaction, the appointment at the hairdresser’s with Carla, his stealing the part, spying on them? The threat, the fight, his being killed, Ray disposing of the body?

9. Greg and his search, the threats, to his mate, concerned about Leonard and trying to find out what happened, visiting his house? Suspicions on Carla, the confrontation, the wrong bag?

10. Carla and the money, her plan, Carla changing the bags? Persuading Ray to steal the money? The contact with the thief? The meeting in the restaurant, his girlfriend and her keeping tabs? The payment? Ray and his changing his mind, the phone call, the woman not being able to stop the thief? Her denying that Ray had rung? Ray’s return, threatening the woman, her confessing to the thief? The stealing, the fire in the house, watching it from the party on the hill? The death of the woman inside, the repercussions? The thief and his threats?

11. Ray and the cards, the blackmail, suspecting the thief, the woman? Barney and his scam, his relationship with his wife, the affair with the receptionist, his boasting, his being found out? The police, their questioning Ray about Leonard Long’s disappearance? The officer and his being with Gil Hubbard, the confrontation and the demands on Ray?

12. The theme of the dog, swimming across the water, the dog’s death?

13. The community, the celebration of Christmas, the carols, the firemen going to put out the fire, the search in the ruins of the house? The police and their interrogations?

14. Carla and Ray, his delay in leaving, the final decision to go, with the money, the thief’s arrival, his demands, Greg’s arrival, the shootout, Greg’s death, the wounding of the thief? Ray’s fight with the thief and the accidental shooting of Carla?

15. Ray walking away, completely destroyed? What does it profit to gain the whole world…?

THE SPIRIT

(US, 2008, d. Frank Miller)

Intriguing.

Poor reviews and weak box-office in the US seemed to indicate that there was something wrong with this version of a comic book hero and villain. Maybe there is. However, this review is very favourable.

Not being a fan of Sin City, written by Frank Miller who co-directed with Robert Rodriguez - it was ugly and brutal in themes and treatment, and thinking that Zac Snyder's version of Miller's 300 was absurdly camp, I expected this to be as bizarre as the other films. Not so. While it has big guns blazing in exaggerated cartoonish style, it has no rough language to speak of (only the 'kick ass' variety). To that extent, it is more general audience friendly.

But, where it may not be general audience friendly is precisely where it is so interesting. If you want to see a cinematic experience of pop art, then The Spirit could be it.

Firstly the style - because that is what makes the immediate impact. It looks like a comic strip come to life (as did Sin City and 300). However, The Spirit has a more consistent and consistently interesting style. It is generally filmed in black and white and red. There are some blues now and again and some tints of green and grey, but the black and red is visually striking. The cityscapes and locations are stylised. So are the characters and their costumes with inventive lighting. They look and sound as if they are in a comic strip. You can imagine the bubble in the frame with the dialogue. Stunt work and effects are designed to create an urban unreality into which we are invited. Art students will be fascinated by The Spirit.

Secondly, the content.

One of the difficulties for those not in the know or fans of Will Eisner's creation is that we are plunged right into the action as this strange masked man, The Spirit, goes into action to protect the city (often rhapsodising about the city as his mother and his love and life commitment) which, in its turn, provides opportunities (manhole lids to deflect bullets) to protect him. The commissioner calls on him to help (he is a bit like Spiderman at times in helping people) but is always exasperated with him. He has a way with women which frustrates the commissioner's doctor daughter who is in love with him. His nemesis is an arch criminal called The Octopus. Neither seems to be affected by weapons and fighting which makes the proceedings more mysterious.

It is at about an hour into the film that we get a complete explanation of who The Spirit is, how he died and was resuscitated and how he has committed himself to serve the city. We also get an explanation of the megalomania of The Octopus and his plan to blend his DNA with that of Heracles(!) so that he can become both human and divine. Well! But intriguingly interesting.

Gabriel Macht is The Spirit, an ambiguous blend of the good, the heroic and the womanising charm. Samuel L. Jackson lets himself go as The Octopus while a rather straight-laced and bespectacled Scarlet Johansson is his assistant. Eva Mendes is on the side of good, generally. Sarah Paulson is the doctor. Paz Vega comes in to do an exotic Latin dance. Jaime King hovers as the spirit of death.

No, not essential viewing – unless you want to see a state of the art pop art movie.

THE SECRET OF MOONACRE

UK, 2008, 103 minutes, Colour.
Ioan Gruffudd, Dakota Richards, Tim Curry, Natascha Mc Elhlone, Juliet Stephenson, Augustus Prue, Andy Lindon, Michael Webber.
Directed by Gabor Csupo.

It is a reasonable complaint to make that most of the movie action leads are male, from James Bond to Harry Potter. Hermione does make her claim but ultimately follows Harry. There have been Lara Croft and Elektra and the girls in The Golden Compass and Inkheart, but compared with the Supermen, the Iron Men, the Spidermen... the women have been outnumbered.

So, on that count alone, The Secret of Moonacre, stands out from the other action adventures and mythical and imaginary stories. As you watch it, you realise that this is the aim of the film-makers and that the boys are going to give this one a miss.

The film is based on a 1946 novel, The Little White Horse, by Elizabeth Goudge. I presume we can believe the publicists when they tell us that it has been published in 16 languages and was the favourite childhood book of J.K.Rowling. It won the Carnegie Medal for children's literature in 1947 – and the publicist adds, 'The book appeals to consecutive generations of girls'. In a poll by The Independent is was voted top book for 8-12 year olds and still sells over 30,000 copies each year.

That certainly establishes the niche market and the girls (maybe 7 to 14) will quite enjoy it. It does not have the scope of the wilder imagination stories. There are some wonderful special effects but the storytelling tends to be quite plain.

The setting is the 1870s, Victorian London and then the remote English coast. This means a lot of attention to décor and, especially, to dresses.

Our heroine is a strong-minded girl, Maria Merrywether, whose father's death means that she has to live with her stern uncle. However, her father, having lost all his money and house through gambling, has bequeathed her a fantasy book about Moonacre. This comes alive for Maria: a wedding several hundred years earlier which was to be happy for a magical Moon Princess but was thwarted by a clash between her family, the De Noirs (who do dress in black), and her fiance's family, the Merrywethers. The Moonacre Valley is cursed. The moon is growing larger and threatens to overwhelm the valley in darkness. A descendant of the De Noirs fled to marry a Merrywether (Maria's uncle) but they quarrelled and she lives in the woods while he lives in his mansion, a grumpy man. Her family roam the forest, the father bent on vengeance.

So, that is the scenario for Maria to confront, overcome the curse, bring the lovers together and restore peace and light to the valley.

Dakota Blue Richards proved herself in The Golden Compass. Her difficulties are not so great this time but she faces them with determination. Natascha Mc Elhone is the Moon Princess and the abandoned bride. Ioan Gruffudd is the crusty uncle while Tim Curry is De Noir. Juliet Stevenson is along as Maria's protective guardian with a trapped wind problem – and takes over many a scene with her kind of pantomime dame comedy.

Gabor Csupo animated the early seasons of The Simpsons and The Rugrats and directed the fine children's fable,The Bridge to Terabithia.

1.A fantasy, a book provoking the imagination? The influence of the book on writes like J.K. Rowling?

2.The niche audience, girls between eight and twelve, the film geared for them, for their parents, for their mothers?

3.The background of Victorian England, the visuals of London, the courts and houses, the lectures, the countryside, the woods, the mansion, the coast and the cliffs, the sea, the amphitheatre at the top of the cliff? Atmosphere for realism and for fantasy? The musical score?

4.The prologue on the past, the Moon Princess, coming from the sea, her gift, the strand of pearls, the wedding, the clash between the families, the change in hostility, the lost pearls?

5.Maria and her father’s death, Miss Heliotrope looking after her, the will, his bequeathing the book to her, her reading the book, its coming alive in the story of the Moon Princess?

6.The journey to her uncle’s house, the difficult journey, Miss Heliotrope and her troubles, the beauty of the countryside? Benjamin and his hard attitude, the room and the fantasy, the milk and the biscuits appearing? The fantasy of Moonacre?

7.The realism: Maria, her age? A proud girl, strong? Breakfast, her dealings with her uncle, going into the forest, the warnings about going into the forest? Wandering, the encounter with Robin? Her fears? The story of the De Noirs? The dog, fierce, its help in defending her? Going for the ride on the pony – and becoming lost, the dog rescuing her?

8.Miss Heliotrope, the caricature of the governess, mannered, comic, her wind, big breakfast, her fears, fainting, her help at the end, the proposal of marriage?

9.The cook, appearing and disappearing, his magic kitchen? The butler, his presence, his help?

10.The De Noirs and the Meriwether traditions, hostilities? The influence of the pearls?

11.Loveday, her place in her family, her wanting to marry Benjamin, her father and the family thinking she had betrayed them? The break with Benjamin, each of them proud? Her living as a hermit in the forest? Her friendship with Maria?

12.Benjamin and De Noir, the actors portraying them in the past, in the present?

13.Robin, his place in the family, the dominance of his father, the way of life in the forest and the ruins, hunting? The encounters with Maria, the rabbit in the trap? His capturing her, her escape, the chase, her trapping him, guiding Maria at the end?

14.Loveday, the plan by Maria, writing the notes, Benjamin and Loveday meeting, discovering the truth?

15.The pearls, the greed, the De Noirs and their feeling they had the right to the pearls?

16.The visuals of the moon, its coming closer to the earth, the threat of destroying the earth?

17.Maria and Robin, her catching him in the noose, his helping her, the pursuit? Finding the tree for the pearls, the cook and his memory of the tree? The different groups in the forest, the pursuit?

18.The tree, the cavern, the search for the pearls, discovering them?

19.People assembling on the amphitheatre, the moon coming closer, Maria and her self-sacrifice in the sea?

20.The huge wage, the horses emerging from the sea, Maria’s reappearance? The fate of the pearls? Happiness for all?

21.A work of the imagination, the female dominance, the feminine perspective?

ROLE MODELS

US, 2008, 101 minutes, Colour.
Seann William Scott, Paul Rudd, Christopher Mintz- Plasse, Bobb’e J. Thompson, Elizabeth Banks, Jane Lynch, Ken Jeong.
Directed by David Wain.

American comedies are getting harder and harder to review. One of the reasons is that, in recent decades, Americans have exercised a concerted push to get over their traditional Puritanism about humour, especially about sex, and are continually overcoming their inhibitions. This sometimes means, as with the comedies from Jud Apatow, there is a great deal of funny stuff, peppered with expletives and, for those who get it, plenty of innuendo. And the reason, they are hard to review is that often they are very funny, sometimes in an 'off-colour' way and are not embarrassed (as some of the audience may be) by the treatment of sex and humour.

This applies to Role Models which has its heart in the right place but its jokes are in the, at least, above-PG area. It is often very funny.

Paul Rudd (who is one of the writers) is Danny and Sean William Scott (whom audiences tend to identify with his uninhibited Stifler character from American Pie – and he is not entirely different here) is Wheeler. They work long at a silly routine for schools. They foster an anti-drug campaign and promote a soda called Minotaur. Rudd gives the spiel and Scott is dressed as a dancing minotaur. After ten years, this gets too much for Danny and he breaks, and is ditched by his long-time girlfriend (Elizabeth Banks).

After several legal mishaps they are sentenced to 150 hours community work at Sturdy Wings, a centre for difficult or unwanted children, run by a very comically eccentric Jane Lynch.

You know, of course, where this is going: the resistance from the kids, the ineptitude of Danny and Wheeler, the bonding, the mistakes and crises, the happy ending. But, you wonder how it will get there.

The two boys are very good. Christopher Mintz- Plasse is the very embodiment of the bespectacled nerd who is most at home living and doing battle in a make-believe world a la Lord of the Rings and caught up in the re-enactments in the local park. Bobb'e J. Thompson is a ten year old with a mouth, vocabulary and attitude that would give Stifler a run for his money (and does do that to Wheeler).

Obviously, if you are feeling in a proper and prim mood, this is not for you. Otherwise, a guilty entertainment – justified, of course, by the correct ending!

1.An American raucous comedy? Free-wheeling characters, attitudes, behaviour, language, sexuality, exploitative characters? And the process of their being reformed?

2.The irony of the title, the audience knowing that they will change – but how?

3.An LA story, humour, jokes, farce, repartee? Innuendo and explicit jokes and situations? The songs and musical score?

4.Wheeler and Danny at their job, the soft drink, energy, their performance, Wheeler in disguise, the high school students, the speeches, their performance? Comic, anti-drug? Their vehicle? Ten years of performances? Danny tired of it? Wheeler free-wheeling? Their later behaviour and upsetting the students and teachers?

5.Danny, his relationship with Beth, the years together, his hopes, the offhand proposal, her work as a lawyer, breaking up with him? The effect on Danny?

6.The truck, the parking, the police, the driving of the truck, the catapulting, on the statue? Danny and his going on a bender, destructive, hyper-energy from the drink?

7.Wheeler and his personality, satisfied with his life, no ambition? His friendship with Danny? Audience sympathy for them or not?

8.In the court, Beth, the judge, sentenced to community service?

9.Meeting with Gayle, her organisation, Sturdy Wings? Her style, the pep talk, matter-of-fact, the humour, her past, her eccentricities? Her demands on Danny and Wheeler?

10.Sturdy Wings and its philosophy? The children, the sessions, Gayle introducing them to the boys? The role of parents and absent parents? The Big and the Littles?

11.Ronnie, his age, black and the jokes about race, his precocious language, behaviour? His mother being desperate? His stepfather? The clashes?

12.Augie, the bespectacled nerd, his parents and his father’s demands, their mocking him? His interest in the mediaeval games, dressing up, the language of Old England, the jousts, the historical re-creations? The title, Laire? Danny and his having to go, his lack of interest, his participation and his being bested? His sullen response?

13.Going on the camp, everyone together, the stories, the older men bonding with the youngsters, the possibilities for friendship? Wheeler, his sexual behaviour, the reactions?

14.Their failures, Danny and failing at Laire, Augie and his participation, the confrontation of the king and his court in the diner? Augie kicked out? Wheeler, taking Ronnie to the party, his selfish behaviour, losing Ronnie, searching for him? Ronnie going home, the exasperation of his mother?

15.The court date? Their not showing up? Danny and his idea, going to Laire, getting dressed up? The hopelessness of the cause? The players taking things seriously? Danny’s change, Augie and his support of him? Augie and his love for Esplen, her supporting him in the battle? The fight, the new team, the confronting of the king, Augie as the victor?

16.The parents and their pride in Augie, Ronnie’s mother and her forgiveness? Gayle and her being impressed? Beth and her being encouraged by Danny showing an interest in life? A suitable change, for the better, and a happy ending?

THE PUNISHER:WAR ZONE

(US, 2008, d. Lexi Alexander)

Sadistic, to say the least.

Butchery of enemies is the main cause of complaint. There is a savagery in the way that the Punisher wreaks vengeance on his targets (most of them quite worthless human specimens) and in the way that the villains relish their brutality.

In reading the press notes and the statements of the film-makers about the graphic novels and their fidelity to them as well as their owing it to Punisher fans to remain faithful, one is impressed by the high-minded expressions. While the Punisher is not a super-human hero with extraordinary powers, he is not a role model. He is a vigilante, overwrought by the brutal deaths of his wife and children (suggested in flashbacks and in his visit to the cemetery) who wants to eliminate corruption. He becomes a law unto himself, a morose avenger. When he kills an undercover agent along with a Mafia coven, he is consumed by remorse and a desire to help the widow and her daughter.

On paper, that sounds a potential exploration of contemporary justice themes. However, the stolid performance by Ray Stevenson as Frank Castle, the Punisher, tends to conceal rather than reveal what might be going on in his heart and conscience. If the brutality were to be modified and not so self-indulgently ugly, then it might have been an interesting exploration of themes.

The technical craft and effects are top-class and Dominic West as the facially deformed Jigsaw is obviously relishing the opportunity to ham up the psychopathic aspects of his mania. But, the visual sadism is too much.

NICK AND NORA'S INFINITE PLAYLIST

(US, 2008, d. Peter Sollett)

Even the title, with its references to downloading, laying down record tracks and the I-Pod? culture, means some reviewers will be feeling a touch antique or out-of-date. This is a film about teens at the end of high school. Some of them have grown up (comparatively speaking) too fast and are on a track to alcoholism, promiscuity and burn-out before 20. So, this is a sometimes indulgent look at clubbing and its effect on the young.

However... Nick and Nora are not quite that type of teenager. Nora is a somewhat reserved daughter of a record company boss but does not make much of it. Rather, she keeps an eye on her disaster-prone school friend (depressingly, it is revealed they go to Sacred Heart school). Nick is a reserved nerdish type, who lays down tracks, especially for his fickle girlfriend, and is socially awkward while being able to be articulately straightforward opinions. He belongs to a band made up of three gay friends (of the partying variety).

This is one of those overnight stories where teens are looking for clues to find where their favourite band is playing. Along the way, misfortune, misunderstanding – and some reconciliation. The drinking girl goes immediately to binge, then goes to pieces, getting lost. Nora wants to find her. The band want to set up Nick with Nora. They lose the drunken girl. And so on.

Some of the dialogue is amusing, especially Nick and his observations on life. He is played by Michael Cera in the engaging dorkish manner he used in Superbad and Juno. Kat Jennings is good as Nora – but a bit hard to believe, given her appearance and obviously strong character, that she is so reserved and diffident.

The vagaries of a night on the town by teens who are not supervised or accountable – with some final touches, briefly, of hope.

MY MOM'S NEW BOYFRIEND

(US, 2007, d. George Gallo)

Did anyone years ago, while watching When Harry Met Sally, Sleepless in Seattle or You've Got Mail, ever fantasise about seeing Meg Ryan in a fat-suit? For those who didn't, here she is, larger than any anti-obesity ad. It's only in the first few minutes of this comedy (and a photo or two later) that she appears as a gross-out, but here she is.

Meg Ryan has made only a few films in recent years and is not up there amongst the top-drawer stars. Whether she should have said 'yes' to this film is a reasonable question. In the past she got by on a kind of giggly, girlish charm. Now, in her mid-40s, she obviously wants a change of image and has gone for rough and raucous (but still giggly – with the touch of the screech).

This is a romantic comedy which has some entertaining ideas but doesn't quite bring them to life. Antonio Banderas does his usual thing as a charming Mediterranean who happens to be an art thief and falls in love with the rejuvenated Meg. Colin Hanks (in a role that his father might have played twenty five years ago) is Meg's rather proper son who is an FBI agent. Selma Blair, in letting-her-hair-down mode, is his fiancee, also an agent.

When the son has to use surveillance on the thief, he listens in to his mother's escapades, unsettling for him – though he brings the case to a satisfying conclusion and promotion along with a romantic twist that we should have seen coming.

Mild – and we need a better Meg Ryan comeback film.

MY BLOODY VALENTINE 3D

(US, 2008, d. Patrick Lussier)

Bloody, all right – or bloody all wrong.

The original My Bloody Valentine was released in 1981, one of the many slasher films that followed the box-office success of Halloween and Friday the 13th (incidentally re-made in 3D, early 2009). This version keeps a number of the elements of the original. The more interesting aspects are those of the decline of a mining town. However, that is not what the fans will be wanting to see.

This is not quite a slasher film in the sense that the serial killer takes his pick – his tool of impalement is the mining pick. You know where you stand early in the piece when the lone survivor of a mine accident wakes from coma and massacres everyone in sight, clad in his mining suit and mask which enables victims and audience to hear his ominous breathing. Since this is 3D, we have in depth close-ups of pick blows, blood gushes and flying gory body parts. When ten years later, the killings start again, we know we are in for more of the same as victims are picked off (so to speak).

The sex component is introduced and is rather sleazy with one character having to be chased and defend her life for several minutes, naked. Acting is not a major requirement here. The director is Patrick Lussier, long-time editor, and director of the very interesting Dracula 2000.

Sitting in the cinema, glasses perched on ordinary glasses, making judgement on the morality of the film, and thinking the motivation for the killings was quite trite, I found that I had completely missed reading the cues and clues concerning the murderer and picked (so to speak again) the wrong killer!

MONKEY PUZZLE

Australia, 2008, 90 minutes, Colour.
Ben Geurens,Ryan Johnson, Ella Scott Lynch, Socratis Otto.
Directed by Mark forstmann.

Those who know their trees will not think that this is a mystery about chimps. The monkey puzzle of the title is a tree in the Blue Mountains outside Sydney that means a lot to the central character, Carl (Ben Geurens). It may not mean so much to the audience.

This is one of those films that seems to have been written by a very young man, about very young men and women (20 or so), whose horizons are fairly limited and whose life experience so far has not been particularly profound or even interesting. Their incidental chat tends to be of the crasser kind.

We are invited to join them in a bush walk in the Blue Mountains. They leave on Good Friday and there are some hints of meaning about Easter but, by and large, it gets limited to Easter eggs.

The men are two friends. Carl's brother has died tragically some years earlier and Dylan was his friend. However, as the trip goes on, Dylan, as they say, continues to 'mess up', losing the map and leaving the food out overnight so that it is devoured by scavenging animals. There are two young women along and an older man who needs to pick up a car after the trek.

The group explores, squabbles, worries about food. Dylan disappears. Zach is injured in a fight. Will they find the tree? Will they get out safely? Will they give more thought to the meaning of their lives? A qualified 'yes' to some of the above.

1.A thriller? A film of young adults? For young adults, about young adults?

2.The Sydney settings? The Blue Mountains, their beauty, ruggedness, the mountains themselves, the canyons, the valleys, the creeks? Atmosphere? The musical score?

3.The title, the tree, its place in Carl’s life, Darryl’s, his brother’s?

4.The structure of the film: the meeting of the characters, the encounter with Zach, the going to the Blue Mountains, the beginning of the trek, the difficulties, the injuries, the clashes, the quest for the tree? Coping with the disasters? The uncertainty of Carl at the ending?

5.The young people, twenty-year-olds, their limited horizons, lack of experience of life? Their chatter, crass, sexual innuendo? Yet the references to Durkheim and sociology?

6.Zach, his car, the accident, his having to go with the group? Being older than them?

7.The introduction to the different members of the group: Carl and his leadership, Darryl and his friendship? Pippa and her relationship with Darryl? Toni and her health problems? The discussions about relationships? Sexual experience? Darryl and his secret relationship with Pippa, Carl and his enquiries about her?

8.The trip, the explaining of the quest? Carl and his brother, Darryl and the relationship to the dead brother?

9.In the mountains, the walk, going down the cliff, the rope? Darryl leaving the map behind? His memory, Carl’s memory – their playing games to decide the direction of the waterfall?

10.The continuing of the journey, moods, meals? Toni and her vegetarianism and her strict principles?

11.The sexual relationships? The tension between Pippa and Darryl? Carl, talking, his advances, Pippa’s reactions? Succumbing to him? Toni and her watching from the sidelines?

12.The food, the animals eating it? The lack of provisions, the Easter eggs? The effect on each of them? Toni and her low blood sugar, needing the food? Her moods?

13.Darryl, his going off by himself, finding the rock steps? Getting the fish? Going back to the group? The tensions within the group?

14.Darryl going off by himself? The group not able to find him? Zach, the fight with Carl, Zach and his injuries? Their having to carry Zach? The concern about Darryl?

15.Carl finding Darryl, his injuries, his discussions with Carl about the dead brother? His being with him when he died? Speeding? Darryl unable to move? Carl leaving him – the implication of the mercy killing?

16.Carrying Zach to safety, going up the cliff, the possibilities for saving Zach? The girls? Carl sitting on the rock and the enigmatic ending?