It was nice to see a film set in the kind of dingy flat that I used to live in. The slow pacing and menacing characters definitely made this the flat you want to miss- it's nice to see a digital film that isn't simply a rehash of an American film, but really has a kiwi voice behind it. It was pretty minimal but I think that was the point to see the meaningless lives of these characters and have to suffer right along with them. I can't say I completely understood what happened to one of the characters but the randomness seems pretty much like how life is in when you are in your twenties and have nothing better to do then smoke and play Pokies.
3 Reviews
Hey look; something's finally happening! Oh wait, no it isn't...
wadechurton12 April 2009
Ah, the digital age; a magical era when one can see one's movie completed with a minimum of budget and in rapid time. Or more often, no budget and indecent haste. This 91-minute would-be 'noir' creation (well, it IS in black and white) moves at a snail's pace and tells the story (such as it is) of a bunch of Wellington flatmates who mostly sit around smoking cigarettes (drinking game ahoy! Don't use anything stronger than beer, though) and talking about the rent, the dishes, the phone bill and other pressing matters. There's a faint smudge of a 'mystery' plot involving an absent flatmate, but don't get too excited (in fact, that should have been the tag line on the cover). Direction-wise, several shots are continued well past the comfort barrier, and one almost expects the actors to turn around and ask if the scene is over. It's all very well to get up and make a movie, but mood is no substitute for a good plot and script. As far as this viewer's engagement went, this movie was pure 'log fire' video.
No whales or Hobbits = good thing
ashcrojam31 May 2007
Warning: Spoilers
If for nothing else, this film is recommended purely for being made by two former Victoria University film students, who are showing the rest of us wannabe filmmakers how to make compelling and interesting films without any money.
There is also the fact that it is set in Wellington, and unlike some other films that use cities as a form of name-dropping, the city becomes an integral part in the alienation and darkness of the film. For example, who'd have thought the Overbridge could be made into a sinister and cold place? The film can also be recommended because it's set in a Mt Victoria flat with characters and situations that most students and most other people can relate to.
However, it is also recommended simply because it is a really good film. The film is more structured (or more concise as Greenhough calls it) than their last film I Think I'm Going. Not wishing to cast aspersions on either film as they are both really interesting, Murmurs is easier to watch. Set in an ordinary week, the camera acts observationally to expose the underlying tensions and frustrations. The camera never tries to go beyond the surface, leaving that to the audience. There are no scenes of emotional importance, rather the focus is on the inane aspects of life. This has the effect of accumulation (much like a pond ripple) giving a greater understanding to the week's events that what would have been seen if the emotions were laid bare. Unlike the expansiveness of I Think I'm Going, Murmurs is very claustrophobic, but through detached editing, distant mise-en-scène and stark black and white images the emotional distance between the characters is immense.
Although the film is set in Greenhough's old flat, Kane and Greenhough are quick to point out the film is not autobiographical. Instead, the aim was explore the unique situation of flatting where people who have no idea about each other are forced to live together. The power hierarchies that develop are the interesting side-effects of this entire process. In this film, it is character of Nicky, whose boyfriend lives in the flat, and is always there, who sets in process the subsequent profound events. There are a number of highly personal and interesting films coming out of Wellington in the last few years, and this ultimately powerful and revealing film is exciting proof that the best New Zealand cinema does not have to be all whales and hobbits. - Reviewed by Brannavan Gnanalingam
There is also the fact that it is set in Wellington, and unlike some other films that use cities as a form of name-dropping, the city becomes an integral part in the alienation and darkness of the film. For example, who'd have thought the Overbridge could be made into a sinister and cold place? The film can also be recommended because it's set in a Mt Victoria flat with characters and situations that most students and most other people can relate to.
However, it is also recommended simply because it is a really good film. The film is more structured (or more concise as Greenhough calls it) than their last film I Think I'm Going. Not wishing to cast aspersions on either film as they are both really interesting, Murmurs is easier to watch. Set in an ordinary week, the camera acts observationally to expose the underlying tensions and frustrations. The camera never tries to go beyond the surface, leaving that to the audience. There are no scenes of emotional importance, rather the focus is on the inane aspects of life. This has the effect of accumulation (much like a pond ripple) giving a greater understanding to the week's events that what would have been seen if the emotions were laid bare. Unlike the expansiveness of I Think I'm Going, Murmurs is very claustrophobic, but through detached editing, distant mise-en-scène and stark black and white images the emotional distance between the characters is immense.
Although the film is set in Greenhough's old flat, Kane and Greenhough are quick to point out the film is not autobiographical. Instead, the aim was explore the unique situation of flatting where people who have no idea about each other are forced to live together. The power hierarchies that develop are the interesting side-effects of this entire process. In this film, it is character of Nicky, whose boyfriend lives in the flat, and is always there, who sets in process the subsequent profound events. There are a number of highly personal and interesting films coming out of Wellington in the last few years, and this ultimately powerful and revealing film is exciting proof that the best New Zealand cinema does not have to be all whales and hobbits. - Reviewed by Brannavan Gnanalingam
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