> Tabloid
(The Regent, August 10)
Director: Errol Morris
Cast: Joyce McKinney, Jackson Shaw, Peter Tory, Troy
Williams, Kent Gavin, Dr Jin Han Hong
Rating: (M)
Tabloid is right up there with Errol Morris' finest
documentaries. From the moment the interview subjects swamp
the screen via a camera angle that can only be described as
"in your face", Morris' tongue is firmly in his cheek.
The main protagonist is Joyce McKinney, a former beauty queen
who devised a nutty plan to rescue her boyfriend from his
Mormon mission in 1977.
As Morris carefully teases out the details with archive
material and the recollections of those present, he takes the
viewer on a barmy ride into the murky waters of tabloid
journalism. The truth is here somewhere, but it's hardly the
point.
As Morris reveals more about McKinney, you are never quite
sure where his sympathies lie. For those with a fondness for
the print media, pop-culture and the cult of celebrity,
Tabloid is one of the funniest documentaries you are
likely to see.
> A Separation
(The Regent, August 19)
Director: Asghar Farhadi
Cast: Leila Hatami, Peyman Moadi, Shahab Hosseini,
Sareh Bayat, Sarina Farhadi (Termeh)
Rating: (PG)
Due in part to a ban on films from the West, Iran has
fostered some fantastic film-making talent and A
Separation is a superb example. So often politically
charged, it's a little odd to get a glimpse of Iran without
the odd mosque or the distinctive sound of the daily call to
prayer. However, A Separation is definitely steeped in
religious doctrine.
Director Asghar Farhadi has woven a taut thriller that barely
steps outside the closeted walls of a Teheran apartment.
Dealing with tense social issues through a complex encounter
between two families, there seems no end to the various story
threads that are toyed with throughout.
Wonderfully edited and with a very talented cast, A
Separation doesn't just speak to a Persian audience.
It is a lot more ambitious and ultimately successful for the
all-encompassing themes of family, class, truth and honour
that are dissected throughout.
- Mark Orton
A name, residential address, and (preferably residential) telephone number is required from readers who comment on ODT Online. These details will not be visible to site visitors.