I saw 55 films despite being unwell for the first week; sleeping through 4 booked sessions fighting the ‘flu (I still mourn those missed films, especially The Postman’s White Nights). Of the 55 that I saw 51 were either good, very good or excellent, which was a pretty good ratio for this festival. I gave ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ to these two documentaries. My Love Don’t Cross That River followed the daily life of a married Korean couple. She was 89 and he 98. Here they are, on their way into town in the traditional Korean dress they wore all the time. We don’t hear their names – she calls him Hubby which sounds a bit twee to begin with but ends as the endearment it is. She is a wonderful character – direct and open and full of life. He is more reserved but with a quiet dignity and later stoicism that is very moving.
We got to hear from the director who told us these two were famous in South Korea as they had starred in a reality TV show. He’d initially intended filming their deep love for each other, after over 70 years of marriage and he moved into their home for a year and a half. His film took a darker turn when the old man became ill. It remains a beautiful study of enduring love. They were wonderfully playful with each other – turning from raking up leaves to throwing them at each other and later doing the same with snow. In the meantime they share meals, go shopping, collect wood, entertain their family, play with their dogs and generally go about their daily routine. They live in a house made up of different rooms arranged around a courtyard in a semi rural area outside a township. As they do so, the wife describes bits of their shared history. How he came to marry her when she was 14 and he 23 and he waited until she was 17 before finally making her his wife, when she was ready. How he has never once criticized her cooking, merely eating only smaller portions if he didn’t like it. In a particularly moving scene she describes the loss of a number of children in infancy. Finally we see the old man’s final days. Learning something about Korean customs and beliefs in the process. A beatiful, life affirming and deeply moving film.
I also gave 5 stars to Putuparri And The Rainmakers. This told the story of the traditional Indigenous owners of the Kimberley Great Sandy Desert and in particular a place called Kurtel. Told by, and from the viewpoint of, Putuparri (Tom Longford) pictured in the poster below, it gives a real insight into the meaning of their traditional land for his immediate and extended
family. It is wonderful and extremely moving when he takes his grandfather and other old men out into the desert to find Kurtel. There is archival footage of both this first journey and a number of other trips seemingly into the middle of nowhere. The story behind the rain makers comes to the fore, including the symbolism of the headgear depicted on Putuparri’s tee-shirt in the poster. Alongside the explanation of traditional beliefs, the troubles experienced living in contemporary Fitzroy Crossing are touched on. The film includes the story of the different groups each painting their distinct association with the separate locations throughout the Great Sandy Desert. The result is a wonderful tapestry like painting which became a submission in their native title claim. A claim that was successful in part but with further work to be done. Here is a picture of the group on the final (in the film) trip to Kurtel.
After seeing this film it was great to see on Putuparri’s Grandmother win the Telstra National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art Award for a painting of Kurtel. Here it is.
And here is the artist; one of the stars of Putuparri And The Rainmakers.
If you get the chance to see either of these two documentaries take it, neither is to be missed.
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