I have recently watched the indie Australian roadmovie "The Goddess of 1967" (2000), the title of which refers to a car. That's right, a car. But it's not any car, it's the so-called goddess which is English for the French word déesse = DS = Citroen DS (nice play of words ;-).
The movie starts with a mysterious and eccentric Japanese buyer who flies to Australia to pick up the goddess, he had purchased online. This adventure is the context for following the car's and its owner's history back several generations. The main character of the movie is the actual car owner, a blind young woman, with a more than difficult past that will have to be explored.
I am not quite content with the directing by Macau-born Clara Law and husband Eddie Fong. The slow pace of the movie is not balanced and makes it seem draggy. Moreover some issues seem to be left unfinished, some choices unexplained, some scenes superfluous, some characters (like the Japanese man, or the young woman's mother) don't seem to develop and the flashbacks segment the narrative in an unfavourable way.
Nevertheless, the movie's strong points are amazing and make me recommend the movie without hesitation: the amazing cinematography (exquisite frame composition, beautiful colors), the strangeness/bizarreness (at least to me, reminiscent of Arizona Dream), the serious, almost distressing themes (death, coming of age, child abuse, revenge etc.), the focus on the female universe (even the car is a feminine entity) and the brilliant(!) performance by Rose Byrne.
I watched it since it was suggested by Scott in a comment to a post by Danica on Kitsune Noir and I loved the trailer (music: Walk Don't Run 64 by The Ventures), which is why I am sharing it here as well:
2 comments:
Excellent film review. Most critics wished they had the subtle verbosity to do so so finely and elegantly.
thank you so much! :)
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