Bang Bang at The Blue Room Theatre
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- Written by: Greg Letts
Standing on the balcony outside the Blue Room Theatre, my partner and I mused on what we were about to witness during the performance of Bang! Bang!, a theatrical dance double-header. Not being dance devotees, we were interested in how the cast and crew would bring the two pieces, Love You, Stranger and Act 2, Scenes 1-4 to life.
Prior to settling into our seats, we crossed a stage stripped bare of props and scenery apart from a half-dozen or so black wooden boxes. The focus was undoubtedly on the three cast members, dressed in garb reminiscent of Victorian era dresses. Love You Stranger presents the fates of three women of those times who were brought to trial for murder, and provides a commentary on our own modern issues of public shaming.
By the Grace of God at Luna
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- Written by: Nita Teoh
In his latest movie By the Grace of God (Grâce à Dieu), Director François Ozon (Frantz, Swimming Pool, 8 Femmes) tackles some highly sensitive and challenging issues in regards to the sexual abuse of children by priests.
The movie centres around main character Alexandre Guerin (Melvil Poupaud), who at age 40 is happily married with a lovely wife and 5 children.
Beneath that happy family life, his intense memories of being sexually abused by a priest during his childhood days continue to haunt him.
When Alexandre discovers that this same priest is still working with young children, he decides to take action and lift the veil of silence on his long standing secret.
His journey to seek justice unwinds with many interesting turns – bringing forth other victims who share their stories of hurt and the widespread impacts that it has had on their families.
Farming at Luna
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- Written by: Nita Teoh
Based on an autobiographical story by writer-director Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje, Farming centres around the story of Enitan, a young Nigerian boy growing up in the UK last century.
During the 1960’s to 1980’s a practice called “farming” took place, whereby Nigerian families fostered out their children to working class white families in Britain, so that they could focus on work, study and saving money.
As the movie unfolds, we are thrown into Enitan’s childhood and coming of age story which one can only best describe as turbulent.
He is alone and a misfit – caught between cultures, and subject to constant racism. When he gets drawn into the world of a racist and violent skinhead gang, it starts a sequence of events that lead to pointless repeated violence and tragic circumstances.
Fully Sikh by Black Swan Theatre Company and Barking Gecko
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- Written by: Lee-Ann Khoh
Three years after appearing on Australia’s Got Talent with a powerful poem on racism, spoken word artist Sukhjit Kaur Khalsa has made her theatre debut: Fully Sikh. The “Fully Sikh” experience began pre-show outside Studio Underground – where I attempted to play carrom, an Indian tabletop game for the first time, while others got turbans tied.
When it was time for the show, we took off our shoes and were invited into the theatre. The set had been beautifully transformed into Sukhjit’s childhood home, where she was preparing a meal in the kitchen.
Through her spirited, interactive performance poetry, Sukhjit told her story of growing up as a Sikh girl in suburban Perth.
Italian Film Festival 2019
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- Written by: Nita Teoh
The Lavazza Italian Film Festival is off and running in Perth, with a wide range of movies to suit all tastes.
For those looking for a romantic comedy, Bangla is a fun and light hearted romp where boy meets girl from very different sides of the neighbourhood. The story of Bangla follows the budding romance between 22 year old Phaim (who is born in Italy and whose Muslim parents are from Bangladesh) and a modern Italian girl Asia (Carlotta Antonelli).
As the relationship progresses, Phaim is forced to confront the conflicts between his family and religious values (e.g. no alcohol, no sex before marriage) as he falls head over heels in love with the impulsive Asia.
A contemporary and witty look at multicultural love in current day Italy, Director Phaim Bhuiyan's debut film Bangla has made an outstanding contribution to modern cinema.
And here are Perth Walkabout's five movie picks selected from the 2019 Italian Film Festival Program Guide:
Black is the New White by Black Swan State Theatre Company
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- Written by: Greg Letts
Since the days of Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, star crossed lovers and their conflicting families have been a staple of theatre and film. Nakkiah Lui's Black is the New White returns to this familiar theme, taking the race conflict of Guess Who's Coming to Dinner but reversing the typical power dynamic shown between Aborigines and Caucasians to great effect.
Charlotte Gibson is a rising Aboriginal lawyer from an upper middle-class family who has just won a high profile lawsuit which has left her exhausted and questioning the values of her upbringing. She has returned to the family holiday home with her new partner Francis Smith, a white Australian who composes experimental classical music and who scrapes by on his small trust fund allowance.