Proteus

2003, 103 minutes, South Africa/Canada


When a film covers an important but often neglected part of history, you really want to like the film just because you feel the issue needs to be respected and recognised. Before I sat down and watched Proteus I was thinking that I really want to like it because it told the real story of a sodomy trial in a hard labour camp in South Africa in the 18th Century. With the topic of apartheid dominating South African history, this subject has often been neglected.

However, Proteus fell on its arse. The main problem was the horrific direction of Canadian John Greyson. The only previous thing I have seen him direct is an episode of Queer as Folk US in series 2, which was actually one of the best episodes of the series, so I had raised expectations of this film. He really ruined this film. He was blatantly ripping off Derek Jarman with the inclusion of items and scenery from centuries after the time it is based. The actual recording of the film felt like a university film project. I was surprised he has made a number of films as this just came across as a first time film maker with its amateur shooting and non stop cliches.

In addition to this, the acting was poor. There was no chemistry between the two lovers or with any other characters. None of the scenes were at all believable and  is an embarrassment for all those involved. What made it worse was the constant change between English, Dutch and Afrikaans. There was no consistency and it made no sense why mid conversation characters were changing their language.

I have tried to see the positives in this film but I am sorry, there was nothing. Considering the story it is based on, this is definitely a wasted opportunity.

0.5/5 - Just do not watch it!

Katalin Varga

2006, 81 minutes, Romania


Romania has become one of the best new countries in film production. 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days is one of my favourite films of all time and there have been a number of other amazing titles. They have generally represented a grim Communist Ceausescu era and are often filmed in a simple and bleak style. Katalin Varga follows the trend in style but not in content.

It tells the story of a woman whose husband finds out that their 11 year old son is the product of a rape and therefore disowns them. Katalin therefore decides to track down the father of Ordin, her son. They embark on a journey across rural Romania in which they encounter a number of people. When they finally get to the Rapist's village, Katalin becomes part of his and his wife's life in order to plot her revenge.

British director, Peter Strickland, has created an excellent piece of cinema which follows the recent trend of excellent Romanian cinema. Considering the budget of $28,000, it is a pretty impressive effort. A lot of the visuals demonstrate the beauty of Romanian countryside and there was an intriguing use of sound to complement the scenic shots. Rather than use music, Strickland used natural sound to intensify and build up tension which worked extremely well.

There is one particular scene that stood out for me. Katalin is sitting in the boat with the rapist and the wife and starts explaining what happened the night she was raped. The boat was swaying side to side with a knocking sound by the oars, which is supports the fine acting of the lead.

Considering the low budget, this is a remarkable piece on cinema and continues the excellent quality of output from Romania. If you are a fan of world cinema, I would really recommend seeing one or two Romanian titles.

4/5 - A well directed and acted piece of cinema from Romania - the new power house of world cinema