SAGE FEMME/ THE MIDWIFE

France, 2017, 105 minutes, Colour.
Catherine Frot, Catherine Deneuve, Olivier Gourmet, Quentin Dolmaire, Mylene Demongeot.
Directed by Martin Provost.

It is a pleasure to see two important actresses working together. In 2016 Catherine Frot made a powerful impression as Marguerite, the French equivalent of the off-key singer, Florence Foster Jenkins. Catherine Deneuve, in her early 70s, has been making films, quite prolifically, and receiving top billing since 1964, a French icon.

The title, Sage Femme is the French for Midwife. The emphasis is very female – but there are lines of dialogue in this film to indicate that the name will have to be changed, both in French and English, with men becoming significant in birthing. The son of Catherine Frot’s Claire tells his mother that he is stopping his medical studies but that he intends to work as a midwife.

The film opens with quite a number of births scenes, an opportunity to show Claire and her skills, her ability to deal with mothers giving birth, to encourage, to cajole, to sympathise, and spreading her expertise to the attending nurses. There are other sequences throughout the film enabling us to appreciate Claire’s commitment and professionalism. She is also unhappy at the move to great technological change in care for mothers and birth, moving away from the personalised midwife care.

And Catherine Deneuve? She plays an older woman, Beatrice, who wants to get in contact with Claire’s father with whom she had a relationship decades earlier. This puts a great strain on Claire who is very serious at the best of times. It means going back into her past, her attitude towards her father, her resentment towards Beatrice, her long held the ring that Beatrice had betrayed her.

The main complication is that Beatrice announces that she has terminal cancer, tumours. Claire is very positive in her outlook on illness and recovery and, at first, it is her sense of medical duty that she gives attention to Beatrice. Which is not always easy because Beatrice is one of those people who can never settle down, is always out on the town, is still smoking despite warnings, fond of a drink, and a propensity for gambling. She switches moods in an incident, upset, then over-gracious.

There is one other complication, apart from Claire’s son and his fiancee announcing that she is pregnant. Claire has a garden plot on the outskirts of the city, working with her vegetables, and encounters the son of the manager, Paul (Olivier Gourmet) an international truck driver who befriends Claire, a genial and obliging man, someone who can open up Claire and her capacity for one-to-one affection. There is an exhilarating scene at the end where Claire, Beatrice and Paul go for a country drive in the lorry and Beatrice gets the opportunity to drive.

So, it is a great pleasure to see the two actresses embody these two characters, their interactions, the changing relationship, going back into memories, and the possibilities for some reconciliation and forgiveness. Bringing to birth, so to speak, a new life of relationships.

1. A French drama, French style?

2. The title, a women’s film, characters, the tradition of midwives being women and the comments made about birthing experts and the role of men?

3. Paris, the outlying town, the vegetable gardens? Apartments, hospitals, shops, the gardens? The musical score?

4. The title, Claire seen in a variety of birth sequences? Her sympathies, reassurance of the mothers? The nursing staff, the surgeon? The women, happiness, fears, dangers, Caesarean, emergencies? The father and the camera?

5. Claire, her age, her life? Her love for her son? His engagement to Lucie? Meeting the two, the announcement of the pregnancy, her being upset?

6. Beatrice and her phone call, Claire and Beatrice, agreeing to the meeting, the difficulties of the meeting?

7. The memories of her father, his affair with Beatrice, his relationship to his wife, her pregnancy, not having an abortion? Claire knowing Beatrice when she was in her teens? Beatrice leaving, betrayal? The bitterness of the mother, and for Claire? The slides, father and his swimming, Olympic Championships? The resemblance to his grandson?

8. Beatrice, her Princess name, the truth, revealing it to Claire? Her growing up? Her relationships? Her relationship with Hunt Antoine, the difficulties, finance, his career, her leaving? The shock of discovering that he committed suicide? The effect on her, her moods?

9. Beatrice and the announcement of the cancer, the tumours, discussions with the doctor, Claire and her positive outlook about life, Beatrice never having been unwell before? Smoking, drinking, gambling and winning, the need for Claire, having no one else, living in friends’ apartments, the lease and her having to move out, the gift of the ring to Claire, Claire present after the operation? The doctor talking to Claire, his fears, the tumours deeper? Claire and her presence, taking Beatrice out, shopping, the drives? Taking her in, preparing the room?

10. Beatrice and her need for money, getting Claire to write the checks, the visit to Rolande?

11. Work at the garden, the encounter with Paul, their talking, his being lorry driver, bonding? Simon and Lucie arriving, Simon swimming? The growing relationship with Claire, his coming to the house to help Beatrice when Claire was on duty, Claire’s reaction? The three in the drive in the lorry and Beatrice’s exhilaration?

12. Simon, Lucie, the pregnancy, his giving up his course, wanting to be a midwife? The visit to the house, discovering the slides of his grandfather? Beatrice and her kiss?

13. Beatrice, the drives, getting food, with the local kids, giving them cigarettes, not able to pawn her gold watch? The collapse, the various ups and downs, her decision to leave, the letter for Claire, in her debt? Claire refusing any offer of money from the will?

14. Claire searching for Beatrice, putting on the ring, the letter with the lipstick kiss? The boat in the water and Paul seeing it? The completion of Beatrice’s life? Life in the future for Paul and Claire?

DISCREET

US, 2017, 81 minutes, Colour.
Jonny Mars, Atsuko Okatsuka, Joy Cunningham, Jordan Elsass, Bob Swaffer.
Directed by Travis Matthews.

Travis Matthews has been making films, especially experimental films, since 2000. He has a particular interest in male sexuality and themes of homosexuality.

This is a narrative, albeit in a non-continuous style, separate episodes, discrete episodes, which means that the audience have to be particularly attentive all the time and to extract the main thrust of the story.

The film has a reverberating soundtrack, often difficult to interpret, but bearing on the mood and atmosphere of the film.

As a framework, a woman appears who is running a video service helping people with meaning in life. She recurs throughout the film, inviting people to watch her videos – but the protagonist of the film, Alex (Jonny Mars) also wants to make videos and keeps phoning her to make an appointment, almost stalking her verbally, with the result that she cuts him off completely.

His videos seem to be concerned with male sexuality and there are a couple of comparatively explicit scenes again throughout the film.

The main character is called Alex, and we see him with a woman, discussing his life, his separation from her, her background of drinking and her trying to reform. She is very supportive of him.

We also see him going to a farm, and he is challenged by an older man who was accompanying a very, very tall man with a white beard and a shaking hand who cannot speak and is being led in his walk. Alex claims to be his grandson. As the film progresses and Alex moves in with the old man, even hiring a young man to help him look after him, the audience becomes suspicious about the relationship, the antagonism and Alex’s concern and care, for example eating, dressing, washing.

What also emerges is that the man had abused Alex as a child and he is building up to revenge – which eventually happens, leading the old man down to the river, and the audience just hearing gunshots, not seeing them.

Audiences will have to persevere, some relishing all the detail and the episodes about the videos, others mystified as to what was happening and where it was leading – but it all comes together in the end.

BERLIN SYNDROME

Australia, 2017, 116 minutes, Colour.
Teresa Palmer, Max Riemelt, Matthias Habich, Emma Bading.
Directed by Cate Shortland.

Cate Shortland has had an interesting career in both direction and writing. Her 2004 film Somersault won most of the awards at the Australian Film Institute awards, including best film and director. She made the striking film about Germany during the war and the consequences of indoctrination, Lore, and also won many awards. She contributed to the writing of the excellent miniseries, Devil’s Playground. She has not written this screenplay. It is by Shaun Grant and based on a novel by Melanie Joosten.

Once again, Cate Shortland is in Germany, but this time contemporary Berlin. A central protagonist is Clare, a persuasive performance by Teresa Palmer, initially naive and wide-eyed, sexually available, charmed by one of the locals. He is a teacher, Andi, played very well by Max Riemelt.

A classic William Wyler film of the 1960s, one of his final films, was a two-hander psychological thriller, The Collector, with Terence Stamp as the collector and Samantha Eggar as his victim. Berlin Syndrome is a 21st-century variation on The Collector.

Berlin in summer looks an interesting and attractive city, Clare arriving, immediately being welcomed by a group of young people to share a drink and talk, her settling into her room, phoning her mother in Brisbane, going shopping for clothes and slides because her interest is in studying the architecture of the East Germany period. She also comes across an agreeable young man, Andi (Max Riemelt) who, surprisingly, turns up again, exercising a great charm – for which she falls.

Andi is the kind of young man who looks as if he would not hurt a fly – perhaps not a fly but certainly women. He imprisons Clare in his apartment, locking her in while he goes to school, teaching English literature, the work of James Baldwin, to a young and interested class. It is a sport school and he also supervises team exercises, with an eye on the young student, Franka, which she interprets correctly to his annoyance and a moment where she sees Clare.

As might be expected from this kind of story, Andi exhibits a kind of Jekyll and Hyde personality, a pleasing Jekyll as he goes out into the world, a sadistic Hyde in his behaviour at home, tying Clare up, then attempting to spoil her by meals and gifts. He might have some head idea about what it is like to be captive but he seems to be particularly carefree, although when Clare reacts in anger, he also shows anger.

The months pass, the seasons change, from summer to Christmas, to New Year. While the action of the film goes outside the apartment, giving the audience a sense of freedom, nevertheless when we are back with Clare we share her confinement, her frustrations. We are also puzzled as to whether she is going to be an ultimate victim (it seems there has been a previous victim, one at least, from Canada) or whether she will escape.

One moment for understanding Andi is when he visits his father, a lecturer, reminisces about his mother leaving (and certainly Andi is angry at this) and then, later, find his father dead.

The film has a contemporary look and feel, perhaps not the kind of story we were expecting from Cate Shortland, but an interesting variation on The Collector theme.

1. The title, location of syndromes and Stockholm Syndrome for prisoners assimilating to their captors? The overtones of the Berlin setting?

2. An Australian production, filmed in Berlin? The views of the city, the streets, buildings, apartment blocks, apartments, shops, the school, the classroom, the sports stadium? The musical score in the moods?

3. Application of stories like The Collector, the victims, the oppressors?

4. Clare, from Brisbane, her age, her studies, photography, interest in East German buildings? Arrival, wide-eyed, invitation to the social, the friendly group? Her shopping, dresses, the slides? The encounter with Andi, his being pleasant, attractive, his finding her again?

5. Going to the apartment, pleasant, the sexual encounter, the aftermath? Her being locked in? Her being tied up? The stages of reaction, anger, trying the doors, the key holes? His treatment of her, harsh, sexual, sadistic? His gifts, the meals, shopping? The Christmas gift of books? The underwear? The parcels? Her becoming passive, her fighting back, stabbing his hand and his hurting hers? Smashing the windows? The furniture? Time passing, the seasons, Christmas, the celebration, the cake, the hymns and songs in the background? New Year, the fireworks? Her sense of imprisonment? Her being seen when Franka visited her teacher?

6. Andi, nice, his charm, the sexual encounter, turning sadistic, tying Clare up, the shifting manner, the details of their domestic life, leaving, locking her in, coming back? At school, his English class, the books of James Baldwin, Steinbeck? His students? Training at sport? His gaze at Franka? Her visit, his anger, her anger? Discussions with the staff, menacing the woman who took his mug, talking about dates, the New Year’s party, the teacher asking him to leave? Correcting the work, going back to class? The photo Clare placed in the book, from his pornographic collection? The photo dropping on the floor, Franka’s disappearance, his reaction, driving, caught in the traffic?

7. His relationship with his father, going to the lecture, the complaint about the mother leaving them, his innate anger, the discussions, ideas, sharing? Discovering his father dead?

8. The outing the woods, the child with the hurt leg, Clare attempting to give information, the boy not speaking English?

9. Clare, Andi texting her mother? Franka seeing her? Franka coming, getting out, her alluring Andi, physically attacking him, locking him in? His sitting in the chair and reading about her disappearance?

10. The effect of this experience? The sadism of the Collector?

JOAQUIM

Brazil, 2017, 97 minutes, Colour.
Julio Machado.
Directed by Marcelo Gomez.


This is a Brazilian film set in the 18th century in the countryside of Brazil.

It opens very strikingly, a head on a pike outside a church and a voice-over from the dead man explaining who he was, his being part of the military authority, his search for gold on behalf of the authorities, his wanting gold for himself – but also his reading books, learning some of the philosophy of the Americans of the 18th century and their human rights and freedom, leading him to become part of revolutionary action, but his being executed, the only one of the group beheaded and drawn and quartered.

The film then goes back to see him in his activities, on expeditions and dealing with his fellow officials as well as his personal servant, slave, and local Indians. He is part of a checkpoint where the authorities examine the gold findings and see if they are authentic or not, and will lead to further exploration. There is a servant on the checkpoint, an Indian, Blackie, who serves the food, interacts with all the people, has a sexual relationship with Joachim. Later she disappears.

Joachim has some new energy, his hair is cut by Blackie, he is asked to lead a group to go out into the countryside and prospect. The group spends a lot of time, panning in the rivers. But then food and supplies dwindle and the men demand that they return to the checkpoint, Joachim unwillingly. On his return, he gives some of his findings to the governor who makes all kinds of promises then steals the findings and goes to Rio. Joachim has read a great deal, being given books by a poet. He then goes out by himself to find gold, encounters the Indians who are hostile to him, but especially Blackie who stands against him. He is released and goes back to the checkpoint.

Religion has been absent from the film but now Joachim meets a priest who is associated with a revolutionary movement, along with the poet, and Joachim commits himself to action. There is a dinner scene with most of the people concerned, discussions about revolution – and then the film ends. We have seen the ending at the beginning of the film.

This is more of film for historians of Latin America and those interested in the revolutionary movements on that continent.

ON THE BEACH AT NIGHT ALONE

Korea, 2017, 101 minutes, Colour.
Kim Min-hee.
Directed by Hong Sang-soo.

The director is always interested in relationships, power, sexuality (Woman is the future of man, Haewon). This is a contemporary film.

The first part of the film is set in Germany, in Hamburg, an actress is visiting and staying with a friend. For 30 minutes, the film is really conversation between the two women, revealing the past of the actress and her relationship with the director and her deciding to leave Korea and visit Germany, the other woman being older, a good friend, who prefers to live alone. There are comparatively few Germans to be seen, but the older woman sees an agent about renting an apartment, they go to a music store where they meet a friendly composer and buy his book of music, and are hosted by a German couple at a meal.

The second part of the film is longer, set in Korea. The actress has returned to Korea and is meeting with friends. Once again, the film is primarily conversation, but it is conversation generally in groups. The actress finds a friend who is now working in a restaurant, reminiscing about the past, making some advances, but he is committed to his work and to the woman who runs the restaurant. There are other conversations, involving older friends.

There is a lot of smoking and drinking, and the actress swings in her moods, sometimes being sensible, other times flirtatious and challenging. She plays with the idea of living with another woman, kissing her friend.

However, the conversation simply rouses the past for the actress and she goes to walk on the beach, lying down and going to sleep. She is awakened and invited over to join film technicians who are scouting locations. She is at home with them – and invited to a meal where the director with whom she had a previous relationship is present. They talk, he gives her a gift of a book after reading a passage about relationships, but she has been drinking and is stirred up to talk to the director, to remember the past, to criticise him, to judge him.

And then, she is lying on the beach again – woken up and she realises that she has been dreaming. It is what might have happened – and what might happen.

COLO

Portugal, 2017, 136 minutes, Colour.
Alice Albergaria Borges, Joao Pedro Vaz. Beatriz Batarda, Clara Jost.
Directed by Teresa Villaverde.

Colo was screened in competition at the Berlinale of 2017.

This is a long film and, except for devotees of very serious cinema, it does not hold the interest throughout. It is a very talkative film but most of the principal characters remain enigmatic.

It is a Portuguese film about family as well is about outsiders. The setting is Lisbon, streets and departments, interiors, school. The emphasis in dialogue and conversations.

The central character is the father, around 50, retrenched from his work, full of anxiety, making phone calls to get other jobs, upset when his wife doesn’t return when he expected, taking a friend from the past to the beach, threatening him about the job – the man punching the father and running away and driving off. The father is left of the beach, later stripping and going into the water, coming out wet. He says he is agreeable that his wife having another job to make ends meet, but they are gradually using up all their funds.

The wife seems quite a sensible woman, practical, but her husband’s behaviour, caring for her daughter getting her down, she loses her extra job and decided it would be better if she went away for a while, living in a hotel, her husband and daughter going to live with her mother – which they do, the mother welcoming them.

The other main character is the daughter, at school, interested in design, with a boyfriend and sexual relationships, studying, puzzled about her father, supportive of her mother. She is also supportive of another girl at school who, it seems obvious, is pregnant. The pregnant girl has nowhere to go, has not told her parents, and the daughter of the family invites her to live in – the father taking compassion on her and even saying that it will take responsibility for the child.

So, with an array of characters in contemporary problems, the film is both emotional and cerebral, especially with this dialogue – and the audience is left with: so what…?

A FANTASTIC WOMAN/ UNA MUJER FANTASTICA

Chile, 2017, 100 minutes, Colour.
Daniela Vega.
Directed by Sebastian Lelio.

Sebastian Lellio has made a number of interesting films, the controversial Sacred Family and the award-winning Gloria. He tackles a contemporary issue, gender, transgender. His title focuses on the central character, as female, and as admirable.

The central character is called Marina, played by Daniela Vega, herself a transsexual. She gives a very serious performance, affectionate in her relationship, dignified in her conduct after the death of her partner and the antagonism from his family, feeling the grief of the death of the partner – and an outlet in classical singing lessons and final performance.

The setting is Santiago, an urban setting presented as ordinary but detailed. The action takes place over two days.

We are introduced to Orlando, a 57-year-old businessman having a massage – and then going to a club where he listens to Marina singing. They go to his apartment and we realise that they are partners. However, he wakens during the night, ill and is rushed to hospital. He dies.

Given the title, Marina is a woman of some dignity, courteous to people, but upset by a policewoman coming to voice suspicions about Orlando’s death, bruises on his body, and wanting to examine Marina. But this is nothing compared with the animosity of Orlando’s family, his son coming to the apartment, verbally abusing Marina, taking the dog which was hers. Orlando is ex-wife is even stronger, demanding that Marina bring the car, forbidding her to come to the funeral, wanting to talk directly about the relationship, Marina and her trans-situation, but talking directly means talking insultingly.

There is the issue of Marina being excluded from the funeral, emphasising the sensitivities of the family, although Orlando’s brother is much more sympathetic and understanding.

The drama also offers examples of homophobia and anger, leading to violence, targeting people whom they do not understand.

Marina is also taking lessons in classical singing – and, at the end, this is a symbol of her coping and succeeding in the future.

Transgender issues are in the news at the present time, many people mystified by persons with difficulties in identifying their gender as well as having surgery to fortify their choice. In telling this story, with a sympathetic central character, audiences may have an opportunity for greater understanding if not empathy.


1. A contemporary story about gender identity? In the person concerned? In the response of others? Fears, abuse, acceptance?

2. Santiago, the city, the streets and buildings, the clubs, police precincts? Church, cemetery, crematorium? The musical score? The popular songs in the club? The operatic songs?

3. The introduction to the film, Orlando and his massage, his age, going to the club, the attraction to Marina? Filling in his background, his business, his former wife, his son, brother?

4. The story of Marina? First seeing her singing at the club, a low voice, the face, masculine, feminine? The attraction to Orlando? Dancing, going home with him, the sexual relationship,? His awakening in the night, ill, Marina and her steadying him, his falling down the stairs, to the hospital, emergency, discussions with the doctor and nurses, his possessions, his death, Marina running away, being brought back by the police?

5. The suspicions, the bruises on Orlando from his fall, alcohol, drug testing? The aneurysm? Marina ringing his brother, the sympathetic brother?, With the dog, Bruno entering, his bitterness, antagonism, ousting Marina? The resentment about her relationship with Orlando? Contact with Sonia, the ex-wife? Her wanting Orlando’s car, Marina bringing it, the discussion, Sonia and her antagonism, forbidding her to go to the funeral?

6. The detective, the first encounter with Marina, some respect but yet suspicion? Their experience? Marina not ringing back, the message, Marina going, interrogation, wanting the physical check, the doctor, the photos?

7. Marina and her grief, bearing herself with dignity, doing the right thing by people? Conscious of people’s condemnation, confidence in herself? Going for the singing lesson and the support of the teacher?

8. Going to the church, walking up to the coffin, the reaction, being ousted? The son and the family, taking her in the car, verbal abuse, wrapping her head, throwing her out of the car, her looking at herself in the mirror? The decision to go to the cemetery, the crematorium, the being able to look at Orlando’s body, the brother offering the ashes and her refusal?

9. Her sister and brother-in-law, picking her up, the comments? At home?

10. Back at the apartment, the dog returned? Facing a future?

11. The finale, the singing on stage, her determination?

12. Audiences and understanding issues of gender, transgender, surgery, physical and psychological repercussions, self-image, as understood and misunderstood by others?

I AM BOLT

UK, 2016, 107 minutes, Colour.
Usain Bolt, Palais, Serena Williams, Sebastien Coe, Yohan Blake, Ziggy Marley, Chronixx.
Directed by Benjamin Turner, Gabriel Turner

While there was no one in the world without doubt who Usain Bolt was at the time the film was released, future interest will depend on how well an audience is aware of Bolt, his talent, his career, his record Olympic gold medals…

This is a British documentary about Bolt, the fastest man alive. It shows him as an athlete but it also shows him, quite strongly, as a person.

The film serves as a biography, outlining Bolt’s Jamaican background, his birth in 1987, the portrait of his mother and father and their comments about him as well is their watching his achievement in the Olympics, his life at school, his sport success, the initial coaches and their prognostications, training him. There are also a number of talking heads with his friends, filling in his background as well as their personal esteem of him.

While the film shows him as a teenager, it is when he is about 20 that he starts to win gold medals and starts to break records. The film has a great deal of video footage and records of his sprints.

While the film, outlining his career, opens at track events in Beijing in 2015, there are quite a lot of flashbacks, and the earlier part of the film showing the races in Beijing and his gold medals; the flashbacks to the London Olympics occur in the latter part of the film, no less exciting even though one knows the results, just having the opportunity to watch the races from various angles, hear Bolt’s comments on them afterwards, and all with speeds under 10 seconds.

The film indicates that Bolt can be nervous before events, but he seems a fairly calm personality, with religious undertones and invocation of God, enjoying partying and mixing with people, finding the ascetic discipline for sports very difficult, but able to submit himself to the rules and regulations for the regimen. His personal coach makes a lot of appearances, giving information about training, health, demands, and seems a very genial personality.

Prior to the Rio Olympics, Bolt seem to be at wary of participating but, according to the film, all of which was being made during the years preceding Rio, Bolt listens to Justin Gatlin, who had been disqualified for drug offences, but had made a comeback expecting to beat Bolt but failing to win the events. He broadcast a challenge before Rio, Bolt accepting – and, of course, ultimately succeeding.

There was also injury before Rio which required him to have some time off, go to a doctor in Germany who understood his injuries and was able to diagnose what was wrong and help him to recovery.

The film is interested in the talking heads who give their testimony, sports personalitires like the Brazilians footballers Peke and Reyer, like friend and four times Olympic gold winner, Serena Williams, Lord Sebastien Coe, as well as commentators and Jamaican musicians like Ziggy Marley and Chrionxx from Jamaican media (and scenes of jubilant celebrations in the streets). These are combined with the biography sequences as well as the training sequences, keeping audience interest.

Bolt had achieved his record nine gold medals before the age of 30. After the film was released, it was revealed that one of the runners in the 2012 4 x 100 m relay was found to be influenced by drugs and the gold medal withdrawn – which Bolt took rather philosophically.

For those interested in sports, this film is a must. For those not interested in sport – it is almost a must.

ANACONDAS: THE HUNT FOR THE BLOOD ORCHID

US, 2004, 97 minutes, Colour.
Johnny Messner, Ka Dee Strickland, Matthew Marsden, Nicholas Gonzalez, Eugene Byrd, Karl Yune, Morris Chestnut.
Directed by Dwight H.Little.

The original Anaconda was a popular show, generally ridiculed by the critics. This follow-up, not a sequel, received even less affirmation, including a Razzie nomination for worst film.

The screenplay is the kind that most people could sit down and write if they were given a framework for a matinee adventure.

The setting is Borneo and opens with scenes of local tribesmen and the pursuit by an Anaconda – and destruction and devouring. The scene transfers to New York, explorers putting in a plug for finding an orchid in Borneo that flowers for only two weeks every seven years and whose contents contain a drug that prolongs life – a new, commercial version of the Fountain of Life. At first reluctant, the board is persuaded and an expedition set up.

The expedition is led by a British scientist who also has a team of doctors and scientists with him. Also present is the executive who was not enthusiastic about the project as well and is the entrepreneur who promoted it. However, it is the rainy season and boats are not willing to go upriver – but a man is found, Johnny Messner, who was a special Ops operator and he and his associate do a financial bargain.

What happens is fairly predictable, difficulties during the voyage on the rickety boat, the opposing official falling overboard and being threatened by a crocodile which the captain of the boat fights and stabs… In the meantime, there is the expected squabbling amongst all the characters.

When the boat goes over a waterfall, it smashes to pieces, and when what is left is gathered up, there is a trek through the jungle to rendezvous with another boat (whose captain is swallowed by an Anaconda). During the crossing of a river, a flirtatious young doctor is devoured by an Anaconda. The leader of the expedition interprets the size of the anacondas, whose diet includes the blood orchids, as indicating that the essence of the flower has life-giving power.

The rest of the expedition offers the expected terrors, poisonous spiders causing paralysis, more anacondas on their way to a breeding ground, all kinds of dangers, all kinds of frights, all kinds of taking of responsibility and the majority ruling. The head scientist then manifests his obsession, taking the raft that they have built, stranding the others. Once again, they go through the jungle, not without quite a lot of terrors, to encounter the scientist, the flowers in the pool for breeding, one of the doctor’s assistants manifesting determination and force to get the flowers, rescued, the scientist – of course – falling into the pool and being devoured.

And so, the travellers valuing life more than money take the raft and travel downriver.

There were several other films with Anaconda in the title but not related.

MOTHERS OF THE BRIDE

US, 2015, 89 minutes, Colour.
Gail O' Grady, Betsy Brandt, Daniela Bobadilla, Frank Capello, Roy Werner.
Directed by Sam Irvin.

Mothers of the Bride was made for television, especially for a women’s audience, younger women and their reflections and plans for marriage, older women, mothers, marriage plans and hopes.

The key thing for this film and the meaning of the title, Mothers, is that the central character, Jenna, Daniela Bobadilla, was adopted immediately after her birth. Fortunately, she grew up in a very loving family, Gail O’ Grady is the mother, Roy Werner as the easy going farther.

Now the daughter, Jenna, is engaged and thinking of marriage preparation. But she does want to find out something about her birth mother, the adoptive mother agrees but is, though they had met the actual mother at the time of the adoption. Betsy Brandt is effective as the birth mother.

The birth mother is now a successful entrepreneur at organising celebrations and wants to organise the wedding and the wedding reception, the mother willing, but becoming more worried as the birth mother starts taking over everything.

The theme of the two mothers and their warmth as well as their clash is important, a scene coming towards the end when Jenna asks her birth mother what she is really after and she replies that it is her one opportunity to something for her daughter. With that, the conflict is resolved, the daughter makes decisions, has respect for the suggestions of her adoptive mother, and is very glad that the birth mother is able to undo a number of the arrangements – and in fact, proceeds going to support her adoptive mother’s charity.

Happy ending – and an image of a child looking at how to interact with her parents and the parents able to work together for the wedding of their daughter.

1. A film for mothers, a film for daughters, mothers and daughters? Impact for fathers? For husbands?

2. American city life, families, home, meals? Weddings, planning, preparation is, details? The musical score?

3. The title, the issues of adoption, the role of the birth mother, the role of the adoptive mother? Father? The effect on the child?

4. Happy family, the mother and father joking, their work for the foundation, charity? Their daughter, studying, the meal, the proposal, the song and dance?

5. Jenna, her age, engaged to Chris? Her knowing her story? The bonding with her parents? Her wanting to meet her birth mother? The family agreeing? The processes? The appointment?

6. Haley, her story, teenage, pregnant, the father abandoning her, the reaction of her parents, hospital, the birth, meeting prospective adoptive parents, her choice? The only option she had?

7. Haley, her manner, her success, arranging marriages, all her contacts, people owing her? Her offering to prepare the wedding? Taking over? Debra’s reaction, participating, feeling out of it? Jenna’s choices?

8. The details of the preparation, the initial choice of the range, the fashionable club, Debra rejected at the door, lavish? The dress on the fittings, the shoes? Music? Jenna enjoying it? Haley wanting to do the best? Debra and her appointments, being late, feeling down? Her husband’s reaction?

9. The foundation, Debra’s friend and her joking, support? Going to Elaine, the cutting off of the funding? Debra’s decision to return, confronting Elaine, restoring the funding?

10. Jenna, asking Haley why she was doing all of this, Haley reviewing her past, saying that this was her only opportunity? Her gratitude to Debra and her husband?

11. The change of heart, Jenna’s choices, going to the ranch, cancelling the wedding at the fashionable club, the proprietor, giving the money to charity and Debra able to continue?

12. The happy wedding?

13. The focus on women’s issues, women’s characters, dealing with them? Audiences identifying?