Blessed (2009)

The Age of Commercialism

Best movie ever!

An old-fashioned movie made with new-fashioned finesse.

There are moments in this movie where the great movie it could've been peek out... They're fleeting, here, but they're worth savoring, and they happen often enough to make it worth your while.

Australian screenwriter and director Ana Kokkinos' third feature film which was written by dramatists and screenwriters Andrew Bovell, Melissa Reeves, Patricia Cornelius and Christos Tsiolkas, is an adaptation of their play called "Who's Afraid of the Working Class" from 1999 which they co-wrote with playwright Irine Vela. It premiered in Australia, was screened in the Contemporary World Cinema section at the 34th Toronto International Film Festival in 2009, in the Official Selection section at the 57th San Sebastián International Film Festival in 2009, was shot on locations in Australia and is an Australian production which was produced by producer Al Clark. It tells the story about a 15-year-old boy named Daniel, a student named Katrina, a brother named Orton, a sister named Stacey and a sister and brother named Trisha and Arthur whom has left their homes. Distinctly and precisely directed by Australian filmmaker Ana Kokkinos, this quietly paced fictional tale which is narrated firstly by the children, lastly by the mothers and from multiple viewpoints, draws an increasingly reflective and heartrending portrayal of twenty-four hours in the life of five mothers and their children. While notable for its distinct and atmospheric milieu depictions, reverent cinematography by Australian cinematographer Geoff Burton, production design by production designer Simon Mccutcheon, film editing by film editor Jill Bilcock and use of sound, colors and light, this character-driven and narrative-driven story about ingrained relations between parents and children where a fashion designer named Gina worries about her son's whereabouts, an 18-year-old contacts a man he met at a party, a brother asks his sister about their stepfathers and two friends goes looking for new clothes rather than going home after their school day has ended, depicts multiple dense and interrelated studies of character and contains a great and timely score by Polish composer Cezary Skubiszewski.This generational, situational, at times humorous, somewhat melodramatic and engagingly conversational drama from the late 2000s which is set in Melbourne, Australia in the 21st century, where a distinct and noteworthy filmmaker surpasses her previous feature films and where a pregnant mother named Rhonda is introduced to her new case manager named Gail, an old lady misses her son named Jimmy, and a single mother named Bianca encounters a generous father named Peter, is impelled and reinforced by its fragmented narrative structure, subtle character development and continuity, mindful examination of its variegated and significant themes, graceful and rare scenes between Orton and Stacey and the acutely interconnected acting performances by Australian actresses Frances O'Connor, Deborra-Lee Furness, Miranda Otto and all the actors and actresses in the roles as the children. A cinematographic, heart-shaped and down-to-earth character piece.

Australian films are often criticised for their bleakness, too often exploring dark material – but when a bleak film is as moving and effective as 'Blessed' you have to question what people are complaining about. Set in two parts, the film follows a group of displaced youth and then their mothers, who wait anxiously for their return. Confronting and powerful, this is a poignant examination of relationships - delving into communication, intimacy, sexuality, survival and maternal instincts. Following a complex set of characters, the various narrative threads are interwoven with skill. What could have been disjointed flows and peaks perfectly. Performances are tops – although, as with a lot of Australian films, it is obvious that many of the actors are trained in theatre and over articulate their lines. Whilst this is distracting early on, it isn't a bad thing for the overall intensity of the piece. The camera is kept very close to the actors (unflattering so), capturing something human in each and every one of them. The visuals in the film are brash, but mesmerising – and combined with a memorable and subtly moving score 'Blessed' a resonant piece of art. The final shot of the film was one of the most haunting I've ever seen, packing a huge emotional punch. I've always been a fan of Francis O'Connor (Artificial Intelligence, Mansfield Park), but her portrayal of a chain-smoking, seemingly cold mother was a breakthrough. Likewise, Miranda Otto (The Lord of the Rings, War of the Worlds) was completely believable and compelling. 'Blessed' tackles its themes with a real, unrelenting brutality, making it a jarring experience initially, but it soon evolves into a thoroughly gripping, gut-wrenching, tightly wound drama that captures genuine pain.

I was tremendously moved by this movie from Australia, and the audience at the London Film Festival were very appreciative of director Ana Kokkinos who attended to introduce the film and for a Q&A. Blessed is based on an Australian play called "Who's afraid of the working class" which was produced in 1999. So the project to make it cinematic has taken the best part of 10 years for Ana Kokkinos. Ana's focus in the film was towards the relationships between mothers and their children (or blessings), and stripped out anything from the play that didn't fit in that agenda.The film is simply that, an examination of the bond between mother and child, with a strong backdrop of contemporary Melbourne. I think it was a challenge to try and strip the theatricality out, but that seems to have been pulled off really well (both with the structure of the film which is very cinematic and the focus on the close-up of the human face, which is a cornerstone of cinema). There are around five different stories here, which have some degree of connectivity, which avoids the choppiness you can get in a typical portmanteau film. Mostly we are seeing children on the streets of Melbourne, instead of in school, in some degree of confrontation or peril. There is a structure so that you can see the same story twice, once from the children's side and once from the adult's side.I think the cast is cracking. Frances O'Connor as Rhonda if electric in this movie, like a force of nature, a flaming creature. She does some terrible things, they are sins of omission more than anything else (though they are still heinous). There is a scene in this movie where heavily pregnant Rhonda dances in a nightclub after a huge incident, whilst her social worker looks on in awe and disbelief. That's the attitude of the audience mirrored. Rhonda's alive with sexuality and agony throughout the whole movie, so apart from the way most people live in their ultra-sanitised lives where they've tried to remove everything animal. The social worker is a proxy for the middle class audience member, who is university educated and has erased their pagan side.The level of confrontation in the movie is astonishing to anyone (like myself) who lives in a confrontation-phobic milieu. A police detective in a darkened interview room, full of frustration and rage, tells two truant girls how miserable they are and stupid, and how they've got no talent going for them and that they know nothing, and will never amount to anything.Cezary Skubiszewik music is absolutely haunting, it's played over the opening scenes where we see all the children asleep in their beds. You know right then that you're in for a very special movie. It's a raging torrent of love and hatred and pure emotion that leaves you bewildered and touched by the dilemmas and hideous positions that the characters find themselves in.I don't have any trouble in saying that this is the finest film I saw in a programme of at least 25 films, including the eventual winner of the festival, Jacques Audiard's Un prophète.

Anna Kokkinos' films have always been provocative and confronting. Her latest, Blessed, is no exception. Like her previous films it deals with some big and important themes like adolescent angst, teens struggling with their own sexuality, trying to find their sense of identity. But here Kokkinos and regular co-writer Andrew Bovell have tackled more ambitious themes as well. Blessed looks at the relationship between mothers and their children, and the physical and psychological damage they unwittingly inflict on their offspring through neglect, indifference, selfishness, or because they are too absorbed in their own world and its problems. Blessed follows five different stories and characters from different socio-economic and ethnic backgrounds in a non-linear structure that jumps between the various strands. We first see the kids' point of view and then we follow events from the mothers' perspective. Not all of the stories will have a happy ending. Kokkinos has assembled a strong cast, including Deborra-Lee Furness, William McInnes, and Miranda Otto, while Frances O'Connor is heart wrenchingly good. The young cast also acquit themselves well. Cezary Skubiszewik's haunting and sublime score heightens the emotional punch.