The ideas behind The Little Death aren't bad. Paying one of the few compliments it will get from me, those ideas remind me of the work of Pedro Almodovar. As far as casting goes, Josh Lawson has brought together some accomplished and capable talent from the Australian entertainment industry. There's no weak link within their performances, so where does this film become groan inducing, rather than laugh inducing? Why is it uncomfortable to watch when it could be enlightening?
The answer is in its execution. It fails to resonate at an interesting or believable level. The script has all the components to be entertaining, but the treatment lacks simple, raw regard for the truth of the subject matter. The character types are identifiable, quirky, but despite some impassioned, truthful performances, it is types the actors end up playing, not people.
This speaks to Josh Lawson's inexperience as a director. You can't shake an audience's sensibilities, nor get them to laugh, by being clever. Lawson has taken a safe route when he needed to take risks. The result is that any genuine edginess from the characters and storyline is homogenized. Extreme moments that should be funny become dismaying. Stock pieces fall flat.
The Little Death isn't the worst Australian film I've seen, but it does share the worst trait. It manages to snatch mediocrity from the jaws of success.
The answer is in its execution. It fails to resonate at an interesting or believable level. The script has all the components to be entertaining, but the treatment lacks simple, raw regard for the truth of the subject matter. The character types are identifiable, quirky, but despite some impassioned, truthful performances, it is types the actors end up playing, not people.
This speaks to Josh Lawson's inexperience as a director. You can't shake an audience's sensibilities, nor get them to laugh, by being clever. Lawson has taken a safe route when he needed to take risks. The result is that any genuine edginess from the characters and storyline is homogenized. Extreme moments that should be funny become dismaying. Stock pieces fall flat.
The Little Death isn't the worst Australian film I've seen, but it does share the worst trait. It manages to snatch mediocrity from the jaws of success.