Canopy (2013)

Too much of everything

I don't have all the words right now but this film is a work of art.

This is a small, humorous movie in some ways, but it has a huge heart. What a nice experience.

It is neither dumb nor smart enough to be fun, and spends way too much time with its boring human characters.

WHAT A GREAT MOVIE! WELL DONE...MUST SEE! GREAT SOUND...VISUALS....ACTING

This film is a candid excerpt into what it must have been like to be a pilot shot down in enemy territory.Its unusual because there is no script and no more than two actors of any consequence. The acting was superb.It was superbly done and photographed beautifully.Obviously the director had other ideas in mind when he introduced the flashbacks and Billie Holiday song. It was a masterstroke albeit reminiscent of an American not an Australian.The acting of the Chinese soldier was excellent.It can be as simple as what the director gave us.It gave a sense of realness not the usual hype and phoney Hollywood nonsense.

I read the reviews and thought id give this movie the benefit of the doubt as they say. A lot of reviews appeared to be nothing more than advertisements dressed up as reviews and others were more balanced while many didn't like it. Sadly after watching and trying really hard to feel into the film and find something deeper in the mood and atmosphere I couldn't get into this and switched it off halfway through. PARTIAL SPOILER Basically all that happens in this film is.. long and drawn out shots of jungle canopy.. jungle foliage, occasional Japanese with guns.. gun shots every now and then.. scared looks on the actors faces.. that's about it really. What could have been a nice little short film, was for some reason made into a feature length film? It didn't work for me. For some this could be an interesting nature walk into jungle environments, but for someone who has been in such places its just like a walk in the jungle.. in fact my own experiences in such conditions felt more exciting and interesting, and there were no Japs to worry about, there is so many dangers that can happen in these conditions and the director has barely scratched the surface of what its like to be in such conditions. There's some lovely bush scenery, and well that's just not enough to make a movie sorry.

Canopy celebrates the art of visual storytelling and atmospheric emersion. Aaron Wilson's sensibility about his characters journey, compels the audience to really think hard, and then feel deeply what these two allied pilots endured and the bond they formed while evading the Japanese. Actors Jim (Khan Chittenden) and Seng (Tzu-yi Mo), portray the innocence in war with a human story of survival and friendship. Their performances are bound together by non-speaking roles and the unforgiving Singapore jungle, where their planes were shot down during Wartime in 1942. As non-language film, Canopy exposes it's audience to the emotional effects of isolation under duress, the jungle is both a threat and sanctuary, giving security when needed but ultimately driving you further into the unknown inevitability of war in a foreign land. The most remarkable aspect of experiencing Canopy in the cinema, is feeling the embodiment of the characters environment. The Singapore jungle is brought to life by it's sounds, emphasised by an amazing surround cinema mix...this is a sound and vision feast for character driven film lovers.