Andrew
McGahan's first novel `Praise' deservedly won him the
Vogel Award.
Now he has written the screenplay and, with John Curran's
direction, the film is
as fresh and ground-breaking as the novel. The performances
from the two
leads, Peter Fenton and Sacha Horler, are brave and
flawless.
Set
in Brisbane, Peter Fenton plays Gordon, a chain-smoking
asthmatic with no aspirations in life. He lives in
a rundown establishment and cannot be
bothered with anything much. Sacha Horler breathes
painful life into Cynthia, an eczema-plagued, plumpish
woman with very little going for her but an insatiable
appetite for sex. Libido-free Gordon meets sex-maniac
Cynthia.
Cynthia
is not at all happy with her lot in life, she often
comments on Gordon's
lovely skin not something I have heard a woman say
about a man in a film before. She has come to Brisbane
to leave the Sydney heroin scene behind.
While
`Praise' is a very funny film, it shows why young
people. who obviously feel they have drawn the short
straws in life, naturally plug into drugs and drink.
Peter
Fenton's performance is measured and slow, reflecting
the ennui of Gordon's life. Sacha Horler is one courageous
actress. She peels the layers of the onion that is
Cynthia's character with all the bounce and vigour
of a young woman desperate to counteract her inadequacies.
There
is nothing pretty or nice about this tale of comic
romance (as opposed to romantic comedy); but the people
are real people in real situations. Very few films
come this honest.
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