The Topp Twins: Untouchable Girls (2009); comedy documentary film review

Poster artwork for the comedy documentary film The Topp Twins: Untouchable Girls.

Topp Talents by Linh

If you've never heard of or known the Topp Twins, then the documentary The Topp Twins: Untouchable Girls will not only give you an insight into their early life and current career, but also keep them in your memory as one of the most wholesome and funniest comedy acts. The Topp Twins use improvisation to keep their live shows fresh, spontaneous and exciting; this yodelling, country singing comedy duo is a force of funny that is unpretentious and inclusive. Although they are lesbians, their comedy, music and hilarious antics reach a wide demographic and transcends prejudice.

TOPP TWOSOME: Jools and Lynda Topp as themselves. Image: Sally Tagg.

Jools and Lynda Topp are twins who grew up on a farm in Huntly on the North Island of New Zealand, and have sung and performed together for over twenty years in their native New Zealand as well as in Australia, Europe and the US.

Jools is the older of the twins by five minutes and sings, writes, performs and plays the guitar, while Lynda sings acts, plays the harmonica and is the audience stirrer during the shows. Their chemistry is a perfect mix for comedy as their humour bounces off each other with brilliant comic timing.

COUNTRY CROONERS: Lynda and Jools Topp in the documentary The Topp Twins: Untouchable Girls. Image: Diva Productions, Rialto Films.

The documentary features early footage of the sisters from feeding, playing and caring for their farm animals when they were children, to riding their horses and busking around town and on university grounds. They ran onto the field to disrupt the South African rugby tour in protest against apartheid, supported the fight for Maori land rights and brought awareness of gay and lesbian rights in New Zealand. Despite their political activism, they never push any agenda onto others but raise awareness through music and comedy. The sisters even use graffiti to send messages about various issues including spraying "Inactive today, Radioactive tomorrow" to make the government reconsider nuclear energy in New Zealand.

SERIAL SOCIALISERS: Lynda and Jools Topp as Prue and Dilly. Image: Sally Tagg.

The Topp Twins provide mainly character-based comedy, with a plethora of bizarre and relatable alter-egos who have found a way to infiltrate the New Zealand psyche as well as a place in the hearts of the people, therefore gaining the status of New Zealand's "national treasures". The weird but likeable characters include Mavis and Lorna the lawn-bowlers, Prue and Dilly the flashy socialites, Camp leader and Camp mother as well as the regular chaps Ken and Ken. The Topp Twins created more characters for their television series which also feature briefly in the documentary, and the series ran for a few years in New Zealand and on ABC TV in Australia.

REGULAR CHAPS: Lynda and Jools Topp as Ken and Ken. Image: Sally Tagg.

The documentary is interspersed with interviews of those who have worked with and protested alongside of Jools and Lynda throughout their career. They are seated in a cabaret style setting at a table with lighted candles and include radical activist and singer Billy Bragg, former Prime Minister of New Zealand Helen Clark, writer and satirist John Clarke, and Mark Trevorrow, best known for his comic/cabaret character Bob Downe, who all have some positive and funny anecdotes about the Topp Twins.

CAMP CHICKS: Jools and Lynda Topp as Camp Leader and Camp Mother. Image: Sally Tagg.

Their parents Peter and Jean Topp also appear in the documentary and are fiercely proud and supportive of the twins' sexuality and were shocked at first to find not only were their daughters gay, but so was their son. Peter Topp says their children "have never embarrassed" them even though it took him longer to accept it than his wife. Jools and Lynda live with their partners, who appear briefly in the film, and look upon the twins with much love and support.

The film goes into a slightly sombre mood as news of Jools being diagnosed with cancer affects Lynda, who was devastated but hopeful that Jools would beat the disease. The sisters put their 2006 tour on hold as Jools recovered from cancer and regains her strength.

CANCER SURVIVOR: Lynda gives Jools the kiss of life (of sorts). Image: Sally Tagg.

 

The Topp Twins: Untouchable Girls won  the prestigious Cadillac People’s Choice Audience Award for Best Documentary, beating Michael Moore's Capitalism: A Love Story at the 2009 Toronto International Film Festival, and the Most Popular Documentary at the 2009 Melbourne International Film Festival. 

The film is more than just about Jools and Lynda Topp sharing intimate and funny moments of their lives with the audience; it's also a celebration of diversity, acceptance and enjoying the funny side of life.

GOAT HERDERS: Jools and Lynda Topp as Herty and Gerty with a pet goat. Image: Sally Tagg.

Director: Leanne Pooley

Cast: Jools Topp, Lynda Topp, Peter Topp, Jean Topp, Paul Horan, Billy, Bragg, John Clarke, Helen Clark, Mark Trevorrow,

Producer: Ariani Cuthbert

Cinematographer: Wayne Vinten (Director of Photography), Leon Narbey (Director of Photography)

Original Music Composers: Jools and Lynda Topp

Film Editor: Tim Woodhouse

Running Time: 1 hour and 24 minutes

3D Cloudy With A Chance of Meatballs (2009); animated family comedy film review

Poster artwork for the comedy family animated film Cloudy With A Chance of Meatballs.

Culinary Chaos by Linh

Cloudy With A Chance of Meatballs is another 3D animated feature film, with more expected to follow as the cinematic technology grows in popularity with audiences. Sony Pictures Animation unites with Columbia Pictures to present a fun and light-hearted family film based on Judi Barrett's children's book of the same name.

INNOVATIVE INVENTION: Flint (voice of Bill Hader) tests his fantastic food machine in the animated film Cloudy With A Chance of Meatballs. Image: Columbia Pictures, Sony Pictures Animation.

Cloudy With A Chance of Meatballs follows the life of an intrepid inventor, Flint Lockwood, from childhood to adulthood, whose goal in life is to invent something that will benefit humankind.

Flint lives on the island of Swallow Falls with his father Tim Lockwood, and has created numerous gadgets and gizmos that have all ended in disaster for him, his family and the community.

Among his mildly successful inventions are the spray-on shoes and the Monkey Thought Translator, which he attaches to his pet monkey named Steve. This is very similar to the voice translator as seen in the Pixar animated film, Up, which is worn on the dogs.

Flint comes up with an idea to create food by adding water, with an aim to solve the world's hunger crisis. Unfortunately, things go wrong and his food machine is blasted into the air where the water from clouds causes the machine to rain hamburgers. Flint achieves instant fame and popularity, with many requests flowing in from everyone, such as ice-cream, steak, pancakes, lollies, hotdogs etc. It all goes awry, when Nature fights back, causing Spaghetti and Meatball cyclones and floods.

BURGER BONANZA: Flint revels in the success of his food machine in a shower of hamburgers in the animated film Cloudy With A Chance of Meatballs. Image: Columbia Pictures, Sony Pictures Animation.

The voice cast gives a fantastic performance with some standout moments and unexpected surprises, but with mostly predictable outcomes. Saturday Night Live regular Bill Hader voices Flint Lockwood with much appeal and the audience can sympathise with his failed attempts in creating unique and beneficial inventions. Flint's only friend and trusted companion is his pet monkey named Steve, who wears Flint's Monkey Thought Translator and is usually hungry and loves eating Gummi bears.

After her surprise comedy hit The House Bunny, Anna Faris again shows off her comedic charms in her portrayal of the cute, feisty and intelligent weather reporter Sam Sparks, whose big break arrives when she is the first in the world to report on the hamburger rain in Swallow Falls.

Former Law and Order regular, Benjamin Bratt, voices Sam Sparks' stoic camera operator, Manny, whose secret hidden talents are unexpectedly revealled at the most crucial times. Bratt gives Manny the right amount of mystery and affability despite being mostly seen and seldom heard in many scenes.

WEATHER WISE: Sam Sparks (Anna Faris) announces a breakfast shower of bacon and eggs in the animated film Cloudy With A Chance of Meatballs. Image: Columbia Pictures, Sony Pictures Animation.

The film is peppered with some cheesy food-related puns, some corny visual gags and the characters need further development for the audience to really connect with them and their plight.

The story features strong messages about responsible use of new technology, personal gain versus public benefit and the obesity problem.

FOOD FUN: Earl (Mr. T) and his son Cal (Bobb'e Thompson) share a father and son moment in the animated film Cloudy With A Chance of Meatballs. Image: Columbia Pictures, Sony Pictures Animation.

Cloudy With A Chance of Meatballs may not have the intense charm of Dreamworks' animation or the emotional pull of Pixar's animated films, but it is an entertaining, engaging and visually delightful family film. A sequel to this film will be released in 2013.

A PASTA DISASTER: The spaghetti and meatballs tornado leaves a trail of destruction behind in the animated film Cloudy With A Chance of Meatballs. Image: Columbia Pictures, Sony Pictures Animation.

Director: Chris Miller, Phil Lord

Writers: Judi Barrett (book), Phil Lord (screenplay), Chris Miller (screenplay)

Voice Cast: Bill Hader, Anna Faris, Andy Samberg, James Caan, Bruce Campbell, Mr T., Neil Patrick Harris, Benjamin Bratt, Bobb'e Thompson, Al Roker, Lauren Graham.

Producers: Pam Marsden, Lydia Bottegoni, Chris Juen,Yair Landau

Original Music Composer: Mark Mothersbaugh

Film Editor: Robert Fisher Jr.  

Production: Justin Thompson (Production Designer), Michael Kurinsky (Art Director)

 

Running Time: 1 hour and 21 minutes.

FOOD FRIENDS: Flint (Bill Hader) and Steve the monkey (Neil Patrick Harris) share love of food and technology in the animated film Cloudy With A Chance of Meatballs. Image: Columbia Pictures, Sony Pictures Animation.

3D Up (2009); animated family adventure comedy

Poster artwork for the adventure comedy family animated film Up.

Hitting Humourous Heights by Linh

When life gets you down, you get yourself up. That’s exactly what retired 78 year old former balloon salesman Carl Frederickson does in Disney and Pixar’s latest collaboration Up.

Following the passing of his beloved wife and childhood sweetheart Ellie, Carl was to be taken into a retirement home, but he decides to fulfill a promise he made to Ellie.

They were going to find Paradise Falls together in South America and place their house on the edge of the falls, just as Ellie had drawn in her Adventure Book when she was a teenager.

HIGH FLYERS: Russell comes along for the adventure of his life unbeknownst to Carl in the film Up. Image: Walt Disney Pictures, Pixar Animation Studios.

Carl’s adventure to ‘the land lost in time’ begins when he ties thousands of coloured balloons to his fireplace leading out through his chimney, which lifts his entire house up into the air.

He is joined by an optimistic and excitable young Wilderness Explorer scout named Russell, they discover a rare giant rainbow bird which Russell calls Kevin, and befriends an affectionate golden retriever named Dug.

The talented vocal cast keeps the film engaging with Edward Asner giving Carl the ‘grumpy old man’ humour; Pixar’s first Asian-American character, Russell, is voiced by Japanese actor Jordan Nagai, who displays enough innocence, pluckiness and energy to make his character affable; Christopher Plummer convinces with his charm to provoke ambiguity in Muntz; writer and co-director Bob Peterson provides Dug the dog with the goofiness to delight and endear him to audiences.

ADVENTURE AWAITS: Carl, Russell and Dug attempt to save Kevin from the nasty Muntz in the film Up. Image: Walt Disney Pictures, Pixar Animation Studios.

Up is one of Disney/Pixar’s best animated features, and possesses a maturity in narrative and characterisation not fully developed or seen in their previous animated films.

Up draws in the audience with action motivated by emotions and suspense created from the sense of danger the characters face.

A few times during Up, the viewer is drawn into believing things are going well for the characters until something quite dramatic and emotionally-charged causes abrupt shifts in the situation. This is a wonderful change compared to other animated films that are superficially emotive or add superfluous tactics that make the film drag in parts.

There are plenty of symbolisms and metaphors to be found throughout Up, including the coloured balloons that are tied to Carl’s coloured house which in a way resembles Kevin; the numerous dogs controlled by Charles Muntz seems to represent the relationship between man and his best friend – the dog; the name Paradise Falls and the place itself, is where one seeks to fulfil a dream but it comes crashing down, just as Muntz’s pursuit of rare and exotic flora and fauna led to his downfall.

WILDERNESS WRECKER: Charles Muntz will stop at nothing until he captures Kevin in the film Up. Image: Walt Disney Pictures, Pixar Animation Studios.

As with the usual Disney family films, Up does carry messages for children and adults including helping and respecting senior citizens; saving and protecting endangered species; and one can fulfill a dream at any age.    

My only gripe is the 3D presentation. Only one third, maybe a bit less, of the ninety-six minute film is actually in 3D, so the amount of 3D technology shown in the film falls short of its mark.

Watching the film again in regular format was no different to the hyped-up 3D version. The standard 2D format is equally enthralling and still looks amazing. Up is entirely entertaining and immensely impressive, and won Academy Awards for Best Animated Feature and Best Achievement in Music.

EXTREME ALTITUDES: Dug, Carl and Russell head for home after a life-changing adventure in the film Up. Image: Walt Disney Pictures, Pixar Animation Studios. 

Director: Pete Docter, Bob Peterson

Writers: Bob Peterson (screenplay and story), Pete Docter (screenplay and story), Tom McCarthy (story)

Voice Cast: Edward Asner, Christopher Plummer, Jordan Nagai, Bob Peterson, Delroy Lindo, John Ratzenberger, Elie Docter, Jeremy Leary, Pete Docter, Jerome Ranft, Josh Colley, David Kaye, Danny Mann

Original Music Composer: Michael Giacchino

Film Editor: Kevin Nolting

Production Designer: Ricky Nierva

Running Time: 1 hour and 36 minutes.

Partly Cloudy (2009); animated short film family comedy

Poster artwork for the family animated short film Partly Cloudy.

Baby Buddies by Linh

Perhaps Pixar Animation Studios is starting a trend where an animated feature is preceded by a cleverly humourous and at times emotive short film.

The phenomenal Wall-E followed the animated short film Presto, which is about a neglectful magician and his mischievous and vengeful rabbit. Presto was well received and it seems we may be seeing more animated shorts from Pixar in the future.

PECK PICKS UP: Gus has another bundle of joy for Peck in the animated short Partly Cloudy. Image: Pixar Animation Studios.

This time, Disney and Pixar’s latest animated film Up follows the quirky Partly Cloudy. It is a six-minute short that puts a playful spin on the childhood myth of storks delivering babies, and in particular, where the storks get the babies. The storks travel all around the world to drop off a baby wrapped in a white cloth after picking them up from clouds that create the babies out of thin air.

It’s not only human babies produced in this way but also baby animals.

PLUCKY: Peck reassures Gus that he's ready for anything in the animated short Partly Cloudy. Image: Pixar Animation Studios.

Partly Cloudy tells of a friendship between a grey cloud named Gus and his stork friend called Peck. While other white clouds create cute human babies, kittens and puppies, Gus floats at the bottom of the hierarchy and is responsible for creating more dangerous animals.

After fashioning babies such as a snap-happy crocodile, a rambunctious ram then a passive porcupine, Gus presents Peck with a cloud shaped like a baby shark. Frightened and exhausted, Peck flies over to the white clouds.

The short film shows the fragility of friendship; despite the prickly situations and other differences, two best friends can stick by each other.

Partly Cloudy is almost a perfect prelude to the animated feature Up which carries similar themes.

LONESOME CLOUD: Gus feels abandoned and sad in the animated short Partly Cloudy. Image: Pixar Animation Studios.

Director: Peter Sohn

Voice Cast: Tony Fucile, Lori Richardson

Producer: Kevin Reher

Original Music:  Michael Giacchino

Film Editor: Jason Hudak

Running Time:  6 minutes

SPECIAL DELIVERY: Baby animals are delivered the same way as human babies in the animated short Partly Cloudy. Image: Pixar Animation Studios.

Sunshine Cleaning (2008); comedy drama film review

Poster artwork for the comedy drama film Sunshine Cleaning.

Bloody Business by Linh

Who ya gonna call? Not the Ghostbusters but rather the sanitising sisters of Sunshine Cleaning.

Sunshine Cleaning is the latest offering from the producers of hit independent film Little Miss Sunshine, and is based on a real life story about two best female friends in the Seattle suburbs of America, who started a bio-hazard removal/cleaning service.

The film follows the lives of two sisters from Albuquerque who set up a crime scene cleaning service, which involves cleaning and removing body parts and fluids; the cleaning becomes a metaphor for both of them in coping with their mother’s death. Funnily, the name Albuquerque almost sounds like ‘I’ll be quirky’ or ‘all be quirky’, and Sunshine Cleaning has exactly the style of quirkiness found in most independent films these days.

CHEMICAL QUEENS: Rose (Amy Adams) and Norah (Emily Blunt) stock up on detergents and cleaning gear in the film Sunshine Cleaning. Image: Madman Entertainment.

Oscar nominee for the film Doubt, Amy Adams, stars as the hardworking and persevering Rose Lorkowski, who is stuck in a thankless job as a cleaner and subconsciously hangs onto her happy high school years through naughty nights with her married ex-lover, Mac. Rose keeps herself in control of life’s setbacks by reciting words of encouragement to herself such as “You’re strong, you’re powerful, you can do anything”. When her young son is kicked out of school, she is forced to find funds to send him to a top-notch private school and avoid the “specialised schooling” the Principal suggested. After taking on the advice of her ex-lover, Rose starts up her new crime scene cleaning service with her younger sister Norah.

Amy Adams shows her versatility, ranging in roles from the fairytale princess in Enchanted to a god-fearing nun in Doubt. She gives a wonderful performance as a single mother who refuses to let life’s catastrophes (and Rose has many) get her down, and delivers every line with outward cheeriness juxtaposed with inner sadness. It’s her eyes that do much of the ‘acting’ in most scenes and Adams cleverly utilises her facial nuances to great effect.

CLEANING CREW: Rose (Amy Adams) and Norah (Emily Blunt) spray and wipe in the film Sunshine Cleaning. Image: Madman Entertainment.

Playing the role of Rose’s slack and laid-back younger sister, Norah Lorkowski, is the beautiful English actress Emily Blunt, who leaves behind any trace of Britishness to provide a highly convincing American accent. She even pimps up her Americanisms with hip Generation Y lingo such as “being a bastard is a free pass to cool” or “huge woodie”.

Norah was very young when her mother died, and it seems as though she is coping as well as Rose, but the loss of a parent leads her to rebel against conformity/authority and ends in lack of confidence in herself. She still lives with her father and has no direction in life, and feels stuck in the doldrums most of the time.

Emily Blunt plays the irresponsible Norah with both physical and verbal aplomb. She creates a believable slacker through her stooping as though she couldn’t care less and feet-dragging as if nothing is important for her to attend to. Blunt cleverly blends humour with her character’s grimness as it is likely Norah deals with grief through humour.

FAMILY FOOD: The close-knit Lorkowski family discuss the new cleaning business (Amy Adams, Emily Blunt, Alan Arkin, Jason Spevack) in the film Sunshine Cleaning. Image: Madman Entertainment.

Alan Arkin, who appeared in Little Miss Sunshine, is the positively charged Joe Lorkowski, father of Rose and Norah, who continues conjuring up new ideas to make money for his family. After each business scheme fails, he happily moves onto the next without dwelling on past failures or upsets. Arkin’s portrayal of Joe is superb and gives his character the upbeat optimistic fervour in the film. Arkin may be playing fatherly roles in most films, but he always manages to keep it fresh and entertaining.

The film’s theme is death, which is a bleak and almost taboo subject in many cultures and everyone deals with it differently. Sunshine Cleaning puts a positive and happy spin on a job that involves the aftermath of death and some blood-drenched scenes are quite gruesome and stomach-churning. Rose describes it as “we come into people’s lives when they have experienced something profound and sad and we help.”

Removing human body parts and bodily fluids sounds gross and looks awful, but it’s a metaphor for both Rose and Norah in different ways. Rose has been having an illicit affair with her married ex-lover from high school, Mac, and she cannot let go of the ‘popular and prettiest girl’ image of herself in those earlier years. When she finally finds the gumption in letting go of Mac and moving on, it is analogous with a cleansing of emotions and mental anguish which remained since her mother’s death.

In Norah’s case, she experiences an awakening of her repressed sexuality and seeks comfort in the company of new friend, Lynn, whom she found after ‘cleaning’ Lynn’s mother’s house. Norah finds a common bond with Lynn as both their mothers are dead and her meeting with Lynn represents a change in life direction and ‘removing’ herself from a current state of uncertainty and hidden sadness.

BLOOD BOND: Lynn (Mary Lynn Rajskub) suspects Norah (Emily Blunt) is following her in the film Sunshine Cleaning. Image: Madman Entertainment.

The appearance of blood is found in almost every scene that needs cleaning, and has strong significance in the characters’ development throughout the film.

Blood acts as a symbolic image for connection, life force and humanity in general.

In the film, Norah discovers Lynn works as a nurse at the blood donor centre and offers to donate blood. This act of giving blood represents not only a generous act on the surface, but deeper meaning is found when the blood and its components (such as plasma or platelets) are used to save lives; the irony being that Norah may again come across the blood when she ‘cleans’ for her Sunshine Cleaning business. Therefore, blood can be given and lost, which parallels life itself, that is given through birth and lost in death.

The supporting cast is fantastic, especially Jason Spevack as Rose’s young son Oscar whose cheekiness and curiosity lands him in plenty of trouble; Steve Zahn is charming as the ex-lover Mac; Mary Lynn Rajskub (co-star in hit TV programme 24 with Kiefer Sutherland) shines in her minor role as Norah’s potential lesbian lover, Lynn; and Clifton Collins Jr. shows how handy he can be with only one arm as the store owner Winston, and a possible future lover for Rose.

Sunshine Cleaning is an upbeat and enjoyable film, with quirky characters fleshed out through marvellous performances from the entire cast and a rocking musical soundtrack accompanies the film.

SUNSHINE SISTERS: Rose (Amy Adams) inspects the damage while Norah (Emily Blunt) holds back the vomit in the film Sunshine Cleaning. Image: Madman Entertainment.

Director: Christine Jeffs

Writer: Megan Holley (screenplay)

Cast: Amy Adams, Emily Blunt, Alan Arkin, Jason Spevack, Mary Lynn Rajskub, Steve Zahn, Clifton Collins Jr., Amy Redford

Producers: Jeb Brody, Bob Dohrmann, Dan Genetti, Peter Saraf, Marc Turtletaub, Glenn Williamson

Cinematographer: John Toon (Director of Photography)

Original Music Composer: Michael Penn

Film Editor: Heather Persons

Production: Joseph T. Garrity (Production Designer), Guy Barnes (Art Director), Wendy Ozols-Barnes (Set Decorater)

Costume Designer: Alix Friedberg

Running Time: 1 hour 32 minutes

Closed For Winter (2009); drama film review

Poster artwork for the drama film Closed For Winter. Image: Goalpost Pictures.

Hibernating Heart by Linh

Closed For Winter made its Australian premiere at the 2009 Adelaide Film Festival with songstress Natalie Imbruglia and director James Bogle as special guests.

It was originally titled Elise and filmed entirely in the beachside suburb of Semaphore in Adelaide, with a supporting cast featuring some of the state’s top talent.

Based on Georgia Blain's novel of the same name, Closed For Winter is the story of a young woman, Elise, haunted by the disappearance of her elder sister, Frances, who went missing twenty years ago from the beach.

The memories of Frances come to her in flashbacks of their time together, leading up to the day her sister disappears. As family secrets are revealled, Elise emerges from her darkness to start living her life again.

Closed For Winter moves at a slow and steady pace in the beginning, with Natalie Imbruglia in the lead role as Elise, wide-eyed and silent for most scenes. Elise still struggles with her sister’s mysterious disappearance two decades later and lets herself drift into emotional oblivion, hardly caring about her life and those in it. Imbruglia imbues enough compassion and inner-strength into her character that you symphasise with Elise’s loss, yet Imbruglia’s performance is overshadowed by the younger Elise (Tiahn Green).

Almost a spitting image of Natalie Imbruglia in her younger years, Tiahn Green makes her film debut as the eight year old Elise with an intuitiveness and strong composure that makes her a standout.

Other notable performances include stage and film actress Deborah Kennedy, in fine form as Dorothy, Elise’s mother, who obsessively collects and cuts out newspaper articles of missing people and keeps them in a scrapbook, in the hope of one day finding her daughter. Dorothy is also dealing with the loss in a way which seems as if punishing herself for not being able to keep watch over and protect her daughter.

Dorothy and Elise’s relationship becomes strained over the years and living with each other as well as the memory of Frances becomes a challenge for both.

Kennedy brings both humour and seriousness to a complex role of a mother who has lost a husband and a daughter.

SADNESS: Elise (Natalie Imbruglia) is at an emotional impasse over her sister's disappearance in the film Closed For Winter. Image: Goalpost Pictures.

Tony Martin gives an excellent performance as John, the family doctor, who checks in on Dorothy on a regular basis, and holds a secret to Elise’s family past which involves her sister Frances.

John seems to be the one who gently stirs Elise from her ‘dark place’ and helps her awaken from the traumatic past to heal herself emotionally.

Some familiar faces which appear briefly in the film, and local audiences may recognise, include Danielle Catanzariti as Frances (Hey, Hey It’s Esther Blueburger), Carmel Johnson as Mrs Brownsord; Antje Guenther as the police woman who questions young Elise on the events at the beach; and Michelle Nightingale as the Police Officer who speaks with young Elise at the police station.

Closed For Winter is a story of the survival of the human spirit and how finding the missing pieces from your past helps in the healing process.

KINDRED SPIRIT: John (Tony Martin) is one of the very few people who understands Elise (Natalie Imbruglia) in the film Closed For Winter. Image: Goalpost Pictures.

Director: James Bogle

Writers: James Bogle (screenplay), Georgia Blain (novel)

Cast: Natalie Imbruglia, Daniel Frederiksen,Deborah Kennedy, Tony Martin, Tiahn Green,Danielle Catanzariti, Sophie Ross, Geordie Taylor, Guy O'Donnell, Henri Phillips, Antje Guenther,

Raffaele Spano, Carmel Johnson, Michelle Nightingale, Lincoln Zomer, Duncan Graham, Patrick Graham

Producers: Ben Grant, Rosemary Blight, Kent Smith

Cinematographer: Kim Batterham (Director of Photography)

Original Music Composer: Daniel Denholm

Film Editor: Denise Haratzis

Production Designer: Rita Zanchetta

Costume Designer: Anita Seiler

Running Time: 1 hour and 26 minutes