The Farewell at Luna
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- Written by: Nita Teoh
American director and writer Lulu Wang’s latest movie The Farewell follows the troubles and tensions of a widespread Chinese family who reunites to visit their dying grandmother whilst concealing the fact that she has been diagnosed with cancer and does not have long to live.
The family visit the grandmother on the pretext of going to China to attend the wedding of a grandson and his Japanese wife to be.
The main character Billi is a young New York woman and budding writer, who has fond memories of her grandmother from when she was a young child growing up in China, before her parents migrated to America.
As well as being funny and heartfelt, the drama comedy raises some interesting and poignant issues about what it means to be family, with Billi being caught in the middle of traditional Chinese culture and the Western values she has developed while living in the USA.
The Apparatus at The Blue Room Theatre
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- Written by: Lee-Ann Khoh
The Apparatus grabs your attention as soon as you walk into the theatre. Mostly because Tim Green is munching on snacks behind a mixing desk in the corner of the stage, with his face painted white, wearing nothing but his underwear. Humphrey Bower soon joins him, similarly dressed, but unlike Green, he acquires more costumes as the show progresses. (As a word of warning, the show in question does get pretty graphic, but not because of the semi-nudity.)
The Apparatus has been adapted from three Franz Kafka stories: Before the Law, The Burrow, and In the Penal Colony. In Part One of the play, a man spends his life trying to gain access to a door guarded by a gatekeeper. In Part Two, Bower seamlessly transitions into the role of an animal, paranoid about defending the burrow he has created. Finally, in Part Three, Bower transforms again, this time into a camo-wearing, broad-accented Australian man, channelling certain politicians as he showcases a new torture device.
The Third Wife at Luna
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- Written by: Nita Teoh
Beneath the tranquil waters of 19th century rural Vietnam, we see the turbulent undercurrents through the eyes of 14 year old May as she enters an arranged marriage to the head of a wealthy family in payment for her father's debt.
“The Third Wife” is a cinematically beautiful piece, showcasing the ebb and flow of life and its interconnectedness with nature and its seasons. We see the family go about their everyday routines – putting food on the table, and attending to daily chores.
As May adjusts to life with her new family, she comes of age, and soon realises that bearing a son will bring her an increase in status within the patriarchal household.
Scandinavian Film Festival 2019 at Luna
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- Written by: Nita Teoh
It's that time of the year as we gaze northwards to enjoy special offerings from the 2019 Volvo Scandinavian Film Festival.
Opening Night kicks off Wednesday 17th July at Cinema Paradiso, with the premier of the Danish comedy Happy Ending followed by an after party Scandi celebration of drinks, Nordic flavours and music.
This year, the film festival brings to Perth audiences movies from across Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden, along with a series of highly charged Nordic noir works - Millennium Trilogy and Department Q. The Millennium Trilogy series of films pay tribute to the famous late author Stieg Larsson whose Millennium Trilogy novels – The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo and its sequels - sold more than 90 million copies worldwide and were made into feature films.
Here are Perth Walkabout’s top picks from this year’s #ScandiFilmFest :
XR:WA - Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality
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- Written by: Nita Teoh
A first for Perth, the XR:WA provides a feast of events for those in the industry and public to explore virtual and augmented reality, artificial intelligence, computer animations and other forms of screen-based and immersive media.
It will be on from the 6th July to the 14th July running in parallel to the Revelation Perth International Film Festival which is currently on in Perth from the 4th to the 17th July.
XR:WA demonstrates the potential that can emerge from bringing together the best of cinema, the arts, research, and science and technology to create an immersive environment.
Some highlights for the upcoming week:
The Torrents by Black Swan State Theatre Company
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- Written by: Nita Teoh
Imagine a time in the late 1890’s where a newspaper in a town called Koolgalla (think of a town somewhat like Kalgoorlie) has hired a new editor “J.G. Milford”.
She also happens to be a woman!
And so in The Torrents - Black Swan State Theatre Company’s latest co-production with the Sydney Theatre Company, the mayhem and madness begins as the staff have to cope with the introduction of the gentler sex into their traditionally masculine workplace.
On stage, in the midst of the Heath Ledger Theatre at the State Theatre Centre of WA, the set takes on a distinctive look with stacks of old newspapers piled high in the newsroom, surrounded by its period style furniture and adornments. You can almost smell the ink from the printing press. It is another triumph from the creatives at Black Swan State Theatre Company.