SAUMYA MANUDU MULLEGAME HERATH 30334946 UNIT: MED231 AUSTRALIAN CINEMA

TUTOR : DR GARRY GILLARD

ASSIGNMENT TWO CRITICAL REVIEW OF WALKING ON WATER.

WALKING ON WATER

Charlie (Vince Colosimo) a café assistant, Anna (Maria Theodorakis) a business woman, and Frank ( Nicholas Bishop) Charlie’s boyfriend have had a rough eighteen months because their friend Gavin (David Bonney) has been heading towards an AIDS related death. Gavin’s passing unleashes an intense state of melancholy which brings out the most impolite reactions to grief. The series of reactions which are generated by Charlie, Anna and the rest of Gavin’s family and friends reflect their limited capacity to find calm in their surroundings, and to some degree their inability to cope with the disruption of equilibrium in the face of adversity/death.

In the opening scenes of the film we see that the final moments have arrived. Hovering above the sick, frail

body of Gavin are his friends Charlie, Anna and frank their faces riddled with pain and concern.

Gavin’s mother (Judi Farr), brother Simon (Nathaniel Dean) and his family arrive from South Australia, to be informed by Gavin’s friends that he wishes to die at home with dignity. Gavin’s simple request causes pain for both friends and family alike. Despite their pain they carry out Gavin’s wishes, by giving him an overdose of morphine. When the morphine does not prove fatal, Charlie decides to end Gavin’s pain by smothering him with a plastic bag. This act performed by Charlie later comes back to haunt him and leads him down a path of self-destruction and grief.

At Gavin’s funeral service we encounter a host of family and friends, each one of them hopelessly confused as to how to relate to Gavin’s death. Charlie attempts to bear his grief with notable dignity and he is successful at the beginning. The most notable signs of his pain and loss are only related to us when he yells at the “over-crying” women at the funeral, saying ‘I didn’t see you taking him to the hospital everyday, feed him, clean him, whipping his nose, his arse.’ Failure of his attempt to cope with grief (which we see later as the film progresses), and his inability to uphold order in a period of chaos, Charlie’s attitude becomes darker, and he attempts to dull his pain with Gavin’s leftover morphine.

Anna unlike Charlie or any other person in Gavin’s family for that matter, displays a very different approach to dealing with Gavin’s death. The disruption of order that

has been brought on by Gavin’s death represents everything about the word that Anna loathes. As a result of this she morphs into an obsessive control freak. She makes Gavin’s mother and the rest of the family feel uneasy and unwelcome (unintentionally) by taking charge of the household and Gavin’s funeral service. She draws up an “order” for the service, and makes a fuss when the florist ignores her orders of not including ‘baby’s breath’ in the wreath. Anna also takes over the washing up of dishes from Margaret in a rather abrupt manner. Anna sees her mission, and sees herself as the instigator of order.

Gavin’s mother Margaret too suffers from her loss, but she is happy to leave Gavin’s house, and Anna’s obsessive control of her son’s household after the funeral. Frank Charlie’s boyfriend deals with his melancholy by partying at gay bars. He later resorts to leaving Charlie, deciding this to be a good period for change. Frank’s abandonment of Charlie, increases Charlie’s feelings of loss and isolation. Gazing into the bathroom mirror Charlie catches a glimpse of him-and sees his reflection, a man representing a true melancholic.

In Anna’s drive to transcend the disorderly household surrounding her, as mentioned earlier, she looks to become its hero. Yet the order she desires is put at stake, by a crucial error in judgement. A mixture of sadness and desire sees her enter into a brief relationship with Gavin’s younger brother Simon. Simon’s identification with his dead brother and Anna’s need to see Gavin in Simon brings them together. The union is not welcomed by Charlie, he sarcastically remarks to Anna,’ so we inherit the house? do we inherit the brother as well’ seeing it as a betrayal to their friend and Simon’s family.

Finally we see a closure to the grief which has hovered above Gavin’s friends following his death. Charlie and Anna are destined to move forward, not together but not alone. The film ends with images of Charlie and Anna walking out of the house with the last two boxes. They smile at each other before stepping out – a sign telling us that the order which has been lost, would be restored.

Walking on Water is essentially a film that represents relationships. It is in this sense a relationship drama as director Tony Ayres calls it. The film is an unexpected take on the way people deal with death and grief. Within the relationships presented before us we are made to witness how death causes a rift in long established friendships and family relationships. It presents the inevitable reactions that emerge as a result of loss such as jealousy betrayal and desire. The characters in the film are flawed, but, still evoke our sympathy and draw us into their struggles, because they are contemporary people who live lives that are not conventional.

The film represents many characters that are gay, but this is not the issue. It does not centre on the search for sexuality. It rather deals with grief, the sexuality of Gavin and his friends is incidental. Thus, we note an absence of political discussions within the film (unlike other films such as Philadelphia which too indicate gay themes). Walking on Water, thus becomes a gay film which focuses not on the gay discourse, but on the experience of loss.

At first viewing Tony Ayres’ film Walking on Water could be read as an Australian gay film. As I mentioned earlier, the film in some ways does depart from the classical themes of gay film narrative. Yet it has a clear depiction of central gay characters and gay ideology. It also combines conventions from more than one genre of film. The most identifiable genres seen in the film are drama and black comedy. Like most drama films, Walking on Water has a strong plot centred around relationships. It characteristically deals with serious issues commonly found in the drama genre. Aside from its deep seated routs in the drama genre Walking on Water also brings together a mixture of conventions from black comedy.

Key signifiers of this genre could be pointed out to the films representation of serious issues in a humorous light. Excellent examples of the satire in the film could be traced back to the dialogue of conversations such as the one between Charlie and Gavin’s mother about the

citrus plant thriving on Gavin’s urine. Actions too convey the same intensity of satire. These actions include the scene where Charlie, Anna and Carl look on anxiously as Gavin’s ashes dry out in the microwave (having had a tumble in the sea due to Carl’s clumsiness). These instances and certainly many others perform the conventions of black comedy. Tony Ayres’ intelligent handling of the two genres makes them compatible and creates an engrossing plot that obeys the norms of classical film making.

In his first feature Walking on Water Tony Ayres draws our attention to the theme of grief and loss. He uses this motif in his 1999 documentary Sadness. Both films echo Ayres’ representation of a recurring theme. He suggests that the motif resurfaces in his films, because there is a recurrence of loss in his own life. Ayres like Ivan Sen in his film Beneath Clouds restrains from making Walking on Water a canvas for political/social discussion. It rather focuses on the story and a few interesting characters who are compelling not in the least because they are gay.

Ayres claims that he is more of a writer than a director .Yet, there is scarce evidence of an inexperienced director at work on Walking on Water. Working on a tiny budget (approx. 1.5 million) Ayres insisted on a three week rehearsal period. The end result is that his actors know their characters inside out and ,thus convey them with precise realism. Ayres has said that ‘each character has a special moment,’1 be it Charlie’s recognition of his melancholic self in the bathroom mirror or Simon’s wife Kate’s need to know what her brother-in-law though of her. Ayres isn’t afraid of presenting emotion, uncommon among certain Australian filmmakers.

During and after the release of the film critics hailed Walking on Water as one of the best films of 2002 and appreciated its new take on the ‘gay film’. Unlike other films of its calibre Walking on Water has avoided criticism for its lack of issues concerning the gay discourse. This is because the various other insights the film provides into the lives of its characters and their

emotions fill the void. These sentiments also echo those of David Stratton .

This superb film about loss could have been unbearably Sad, but its leavened with a strong sense of very strong Australian humour. The story and the handling of it, … ,are simple…,but this is a haunting piece of work… 2

Like with most good films Walking on Water apart from its strong story includes other filmic aspects that complete the film. Ayres and cinematographer Robert Humphreys achieve an outstanding look for the film. What emerges from their visualisation is a cinematic style which transfers the reality of the story and characters to the audience.

The saturation of colour gives it a special quality which steps away from the conventions of naturalism ,but provide realism through its sets, backgrounds, and locations. Rebecca Cohen (production designer for the film) says ‘the colours in the film represent emotional moments for Gavin to be seen in.’3 It is the same with sets on the film the house where every thing happens is a manifestation of Gavin through out the film.

Ayres’ film also uses a few motifs ranging from recurring story themes to visual motifs. The most significant visual image being water. We see water in the sea, through rain ,the pool and the bathroom shower or at least we are given a hint of it. The central characters are surrounded by water –it represents their states of grief,

and melancholy. For instance Margaret comes back to her hotel and plans to have a bath and Anna at the end of the funeral sits by the pool in the rain drowning her sorrows in alcohol. In this sense water plots out the end or beginning of different emotions for Gavin’s family and fiends.

Like these elements that add authenticity to the film, so too does Humphreys’ decision to shoot with handheld cameras and his decision to copy the style of Van Gulden’s photography. He states that they ‘decided to go with the long lens approach.’4 Thus ,the filmmaker gets to exploit, ‘…the flattening effects of long-focal-length-lenses to, create solid masses of space …as in an abstract painting.’5 It also makes the images in Walking on Water alluring and unmistakable.

Walking on Water is a witty and honest exploration into the experience of loss in an Australian context. The dynamic presentation transcends its rivals. It was the most nominated Australian film of 2002 ,and won 5 AFI awards. Ayres’ approach to the film breaks free of the stereotype .It also suggests that audiences are willing to engage in new themes and approaches , offering optimism for contemporary Australian filmmakers and films.

NOTES

1 Ayres. T (2002) ‘Working On Water’ ,Walking on Water, Australia, Porchlight films.

2 www.20.sbs.com.au/movieshow/index.php?action=review&1d=969

3 Ayres. T (2002) ‘Working On Water’ ,Walking on Water, Australia, Porchlight films.

4 Ayres. T (2002) ‘Working On Water’ ,Walking on Water, Australia, Porchlight films.

5 Bordwell ,D & Thompson, K (2004) ‘The shot: Cinematography’, Film Art an Introduction , New York, McGraw –Hill.

BIBILIOGRAPHY

Ayres,T. (2002) Walking on Water, Australia, Porchlight Films.

Sen ,I (2002) Beneath Clouds , Australia, Autumn Film.

Demme, J (1993),Philadelphia , USA, Columbia Tristar Films.

Ayres, T. (1999) Sadness, Australia.

Bordwell ,D & Thompson, K (2004) Film Art an Introduction , New York, McGraw –Hill.

Neale ,S ,(2002) Genre and Contemporary Hollywood ,London, BFI Pub.Gledhill, C (1999) History of Genre Criticism ,UK, British Film Institute.

www.20.sbs.com.au/movieshow/index.php?action=review&1d=969

http://www.afc.gov.au/

http://www.ffc.gov.au/

FILM INFORMATION : Running time :90 mins LANGUAGE :ENGLISH COLOUR

CAST

Vince Colosimo -Charlie

Maria Theodorakis -Anna

Nathaniel Dean -Simon

Nicolas Bishop -Frank

David Bonney -Gavin

Anna Lise Phillips -Kate

Daniel Roberts -Carl

Judi Farr -Margaret

Celeste Jones- Martha

Maureen Green –Robyn

Timothy Jones-Dr.Simms

Antoniette Morgillo-Florist

Mark Baker-Joey

Jillian O’Dowd-Crying girl

Lachlan Chapman-Dr.Simm’s boyfriend

Lucinda Armour-Jacinta

Jane Burgess-Lydia

Jane Fullerton-Smith –Sally

Geoffrey Kiem-Wino

Scott Millwood-Pronstar

CREW

Directed by-Tony Ayres

Writing credits (in alphabetical order) -Roger Monk

Executive producer -Bridget Ikin

Co-producer -Roger Monk

Producer -Liz Watts

Original Music by-Anthony Partos

Cinematography by-Robert Humphreys

Film Editing by-Reva Childs

Casting by-Shauna Wolifson

Production Design by-Rebecca Cohen

Art Direction by-Marianne Evans

Set Decoration by-Jo-Ann Beikoff

Costume Design by-Melinda Doring

Production Management-Libby Sharpe

second assistant director- Debbie Antoniou

First assistant director -Guy Campbell

Third assistant director -Byron Darling

Storyboard artist-Andrew Ritchie

Stand-by props -Fiona Wilson

Boom operator -Ann Barnes

Sound designer- Liam Egan

Sound recordist –Liam Egan

Sound re-recording mixer -Robert Sullivan

Sound editor- Jenny T. Ward

Special effects supervisor -Conrad Rothmann

Script editor -Tony Ayres, Amanda Higgs

Script supervisor -Amy Barclay

Colour grader- Arthur Cambridge

Production runner -Gerry D'Angelo

Clapper loader -Rachel Fairfax

Costume attachment -Hannah Gunsberger

Orchestra contractor -Coralie Hartl

Concert master -Phillip Hartl

Producer attachment -Kate Hilliard

Gaffer -Steve Monk

Production coordinator -Arwen Munro

First assistant editor -Rochelle Oshlack

Focus puller- Kevin Scott

Legal -Nina Stevenson

Extras casting -Dex Tallo

Key grip -David Washbourne

Production Companies

• Porchlight Films Pty. Ltd.

Distributors

• Madman Entertainment Pty. Ltd. (2003) (Australia) (DVD)

• Mongrel Media (Canada)

Equipment

Shot using 35mm Moviecam Compact Silent reflex Camera.

FILM FESTIVALS

Germany: 10 February 2002 (Berlin International Film Festival)

UK: 4 July 2002 (Commonwealth Film Festival)

UK: 15 April 2003 (London Lesbian and Gay Film Festival)

Canada: 20 May 2003 (Toronto Inside Out Lesbian and Gay Film and

Video festival)

USA: 24 October 2003 (Pittsburgh International Lesbian and Gay

Film festival)

Release dates for Walking on Water (2002)

Country/ Date

Germany 10 February 2002 (Berlin International Film Festival)

UK 4 July 2002 (Commonwealth Film Festival)

Australia 26 September 2002

UK 15 April 2003 (London Lesbian and Gay Film Festival)

USA 11 May 2003 (Boston Gay and Lesbian Film Festival)

Canada 20 May 2003 (Toronto InsideOut Lesbian and Gay Film and Video

Festival)

Canada 8 August 2003 (Toronto)

Canada 26 September 2003 (Montréal Image and Nation Film Festival)

USA 24 October 2003 (Pittsburgh International Lesbian and Gay Film

Festival)

Denmark 15 November 2003 (Meet Australia)

Germany 12 May 2004 (DVD premiere)

Philippines 19 September 2004 (Australian Film Festival)

Denmark 21 October 2004 (Copenhagen Gay and Lesbian Film Festival)

Czech Republic 1 April 2005 (Febio Film Festival)

Hungary 17 February 2006 (TV premiere)

AWARDS

Australian Film InstituteYea

r Result Award Category/Recipient(s)

2002

Won AFI Award

Best Actor in a Supporting RoleNathaniel Dean

Best Actress in a Leading RoleMaria Theodorakis

Best Actress in a Supporting RoleJudi Farr

Best EditingReva Childs

Best Original ScreenplayRoger Monk

Nominated

AFI Award Best Actor in a Leading RoleVince Colosimo

Best DirectionTony Ayres

Best Original Music ScoreAnthony Partos

Best SoundLiam Egan Robert Sullivan Delia McCarthy Jenny T. Ward

 

Berlin International Film FestivalYea

r Result Award Category/Recipient(s)

2002 Won

Reader Jury of the "Siegessäule" Tony Ayres

TeddyBest Feature FilmTony Ayres

 Film Critics Circle of Australia Awards

Year Result Award Category/Recipient(s)2002

Won FCCA Award

Best Actor - FemaleMaria Theodorakis

Best Screenplay - OriginalRoger Monk

Nominated

FCCA Award Best Actor - MaleVince Colosimo

Best DirectorTony Ayres

Best EditingReva Childs

Best Film

Best Supporting Actor - Female

Judi Farr

 

IF AwardsYea

r Result Award Category/Recipient(s)

2002 Won IF Award

Best ScriptRoger Monk

Nominated IF Award

Best ActressMaria Theodorakis

 

Tony Ayres Biography

Born : 1961 ,Macau,China

Educational Background : Australian Film,Television and Radio School Swinburne Institute of Technology

Tony Ayres grew up in Western Australia. He has

numerous screen writing credits and recently has taken up directing films. Ayres handles directing with precise knowledge and intelligence .Which offers the promise of

many great works to come from the director. Ayres’ previous experience lies in documentary ,he wrote and directed the 1997 documentary China Dolls . His 1999 documentary Sadness received four AFI award nominations. He makes his debut as a feature film director in Walking on Water (2002) ,based on Roger Monk’s script of the same name. He is currently working on Home Song Stories (2006 –pre-production).

Filmography

The Home Song Stories (2006) (pre-production)

Walking on Water (2002)

Sadness (1999)

Exposed (1997)

Exposed (1997) Mrs Craddock's Complaint (1997 Double Trouble (1992/II)

Web literature:

Reviews

Tunnacliffe, C. ‘Walking on Water’. http://www.eye.net/eye/issue/issue_08.14.03/film/onscreen.html

Urban, A. B. ‘Walking on Water’.

http://www.urbancinefile.com.au/home/view.asp?a=6540&s=Reviews

Wilson ,J. ‘Walking on Water’. http://www.urbancinefile.com.au/home/view.asp?a=6540&s=Reviews

Keller, L. ‘Walking on Water’. http://www.urbancinefile.com.au/home/view.asp?a=6540&s=Reviews

http://efilmcritic.com/review.php?movie=6142

Byrnes, P. ‘ Walking on Water’.

http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2002/09/25/1032734221941.html

Stratton, D.’ Walking on Water: the Movie show’ www.20.sbs.com.au/movieshow/index.php?action=review&1d=969

Pomeranz, M.’ Walking on Water: the Movie show’ www.20.sbs.com.au/movieshow/index.php?action=review&1d=969

Rigg, J. ‘Walking on Water Review’

http://www.abc.net.au/rn/arts/sunmorn/stories/s690025.htm

Bibliography of interviews with filmmakers at the time of and subsequent to the film’s release :

Ayres,T. (2002) ‘Tony Ayres DVD edition interview ’ Walking on Water, Australia ,Porchlight Films.

Ayres,T. (2002) ‘Roger Monk DVD edition interview ’ Walking on Water, Australia ,Porchlight Films.

Ayres,T. (2002) ‘Rebecca CohenDVD edition interview ’ Walking on Water, Australia ,Porchlight Films.

Ayres,T. (2002) ‘Working on Water :interview with Vince Colosimo ’ Walking on Water, Australia ,Porchlight Films.

Ayres,T. (2002) ‘Working on Water :Maria Theodorakis interview ’ Walking on Water, Australia ,Porchlight Films.

Bibliography of reviews, critical articles , books, discussions and other related material:

Ayres, T.(1997) Hard Stories About Gay men & Sex , Australia, Blackwattle Pr.

Porchlight Films catalogue 2002 –

http://www.porchlightfilms.com.au/walking.html

Dow, S. (2003)‘AIDS, fragile love and dying’-

http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2003/09/27/1064083206481.html?from=storyrhs

Favorite Film Things –

http://www.sensesofcinema.com/contents/03/24/favourites1.html

Master list of many Melbourne independent filmmakers -

http://www.innersense.com.au/mif/master_list.html

http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/1119796-walking_on_water/?critic=creamcrop

Internet movie Data base website -

http://www.imdb.com/

Method of collecting data for the critical review:

Most of the information I have gathered was done with the aid of internet searches. I found a host of reviews and a small number of other articles through the web which referred to Ayres film. However gathering scholarly articles from actual journals and books proved a little more of a challenge . I was also able to locate a small number of interviews with Ayres on the web but unfortunately these did not include the full interviews or either the web pages were no longer available. I did some research through the Film Finance corporation website. This site yielded some useful information, and other links that gave out information about the budget for the film etc. The DVD edition of the film provided key information for the project ,it is through this source that I was able to pick out the technical and stylistic aspirations of the film. In addition to this the DVD edition also included useful interviews with the cast and important interviews with Tony Ayres, Roger Monk and Robert Humphreys.