Riceboy Sleeps at Luna
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- Written by: Nita Teoh
Many of us can relate to the immigrant experience - perhaps having been through it oneself or had a friend relate their history to us.
I know I can – having migrated with my family from Singapore at a young age to live in Perth.
So the film “Riceboy Sleeps” caught my attention – the title itself also making me curious about the story line and what might unfold.
It is 1990s Canada and we follow the lives of Dong-Hyun (Ethan Hwang) (Dohyun Noel Hwang as child Dong-Hyun) and his Mum So-Young (Choi Seung-yong) – a single Mum with a young child who migrates to Canada from South Korea to escape her past.
She works hard in a factory to put food on the table and to give her son a good education so that he has the best chance of rising above her own circumstances in life.
Riceboy Sleeps is a rich movie about the immigrant journey - immersing the viewer in understanding the cross cultural experiences and challenges of the young Dong Hyu - from his younger years through to his teenage years.
The Oak Tree at Peninsula Farm by FiFi Productions
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- Written by: Nita Teoh
On a balmy Saturday evening, my partner and I headed to one of our favourite spots - Peninsula Farm (a National Heritage building) - along the Maylands foreshore to watch The Oak Tree.
We were greeted by the soothing sounds of the musician Travis on keyboard with a spectacular backdrop of the river as the sun went down.
The flyer that had been displayed around Maylands had caught my attention with its themes of love and grief and the appearance of a ghost from historical times around the old oak tree.
Luckily for the theatre group, Peninsula Farm has a very beautiful and old oak tree – its grandeur making for a very natural centrepiece for the play's story line.
Lenny (Matthew McKail) and Kate (Fiona Blakely) are having a sea change moving from Mt Hawthorn to their new dream place at Byford, trying to leave their tragic past behind them.
The Taste of Things at Perth Festival
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- Written by: Nita Teoh
Food coma (my description) and the Napoleon of gastronomy (a term coined part way through the movie) are a couple of terms that came to mind whilst my partner and I watched the The Taste of Things under the canopy of pines at UWA Somerville Theatrette.
Luckily for us, we had already indulged in dinner and a flourless chocolate and pear tart from charlies pizza on site. Otherwise, it would have been quite a challenge coping with the hunger that would have befallen us as we watched this exquisite movie!
Exquisite is the word that comes to mind...the movie centres around food and the daily life of Eugénie (Juliette Binoche) and Dodin Bouffant (Benoît Magimel).
Set in 1885, it follows the story of Eugenie, who has been an esteemed cook for Dodin, the fine gourmet with whom she has been working for the last 20 years.
One day follows another – where fresh ingredients are harvested from the garden, carefully prepared and then consumed – in a lavish fashion.
Director Trần Anh Hùng’s movie is a spectacular feast for the senses – as the story unfolds it whips up a sensory feast – both visual and culinary.
Perfect Days at Perth Festival
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- Written by: Nita Teoh
It was another gorgeous evening in Perth at the UWA Somerville Theatrette under the pines as my friend and I enjoyed a pizza from Charlies on site while we waited for the Japanese movie Perfect Days to begin.
The main character Hiramaya (Kōji Yakusho) has a simple life in Tokyo – he is a toilet cleaner and every day his routine is very similar.
He wakes up – gets ready for work, fights the traffic, has a busy day, returns home, eats dinner, goes to bed and wakes up to do it all over again.
He seems very content with his routine – its the little things in his day that spark him up and make him smile.
The age old question of how to be happy is a recurring theme that raises its head (in the background) whilst watching this movie.
All of Us Strangers at Luna
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- Written by: Nita Teoh
What is real ? What is imagined?
What do we do about the demons that possess us? Can we ever get rid of them?
I was lucky enough to snare one of the last remaining tickets to the preview of the movie “All of Us Strangers”, at Luna Leederville.
Part romance, part supernatural – boy meets boy in a dark, quiet apartment complex in contemporary London.
Each bringing a little bit of their own baggage to the relationship, Andrew Scott (as Adam) is reluctant to begin anything (having been single for so long and somewhat used to his lonely existence) – but their paths continue to collide with Paul Mescal (as Harry) nudging gently (and sometimes not so gently) and so begins an intense romance between the two.
Adam is a screenwriter with a lot on his mind, and a relationship is not something he was looking for. He is pre-occupied with getting some words on the page as a screenwriter, and with memories of his childhood when his parents (Claire Foy and Jamie Bell) were killed in a car accident which left him an orphan at a tender young age.
Robot Dreams at Perth Festival
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- Written by: Nita Teoh
It’s not every day that a special movie comes along – and for me Robot Dreams is one of them.
It is the 1980s New York City, and the main character Dog assembles Robot as a companion and they become best buddies until something unfortunate happens to Robot.
Based on the popular graphic novel by the North American writer Sara Varon, Robot Dreams captures your heart from the get go as you follow the main character Dog in his pursuit of friendship.
His adventures are many and varied – he has some feel good experiences and at the same time, sometimes it seems like the whole world is against him.
When he has a win, you are on the sidelines cheering for him, and when disaster strikes, you feel for this special Dog.