pathways, September 2009
book:
Communal Wisdom: a practical approach to group discernment, based on a theology of communio
films:
Balibo: a movie to shock and it is intended to shame; its images are hard to forget.
Blessed: a mature and thought-provoking piece of cinema
The Soloist: an eloquent plea for the plight of the mentally ill and of the homeless
Communal Wisdom
Two Religious well-known and respected for their work with spiritual direction, Brian Gallagher MSC and Sue Richardson PBVM, have combined their experience to produce
Communal Wisdom.
The book on communal discernment arises from the work they have done over many years with religious congregations and in particular their chapters.
They see the wisdom of a group not only in the shared contributions of all members, but in the group, as a whole, listening to the movement of the Spirit in them and amongst them.
In Communal Wisdom, they offer a very practical approach to group discernment, based on a sound theology of communio and their extensive experience as spiritual directors and facilitators at Heart of Life Centre in Melbourne.
Fr Denis Edwards, writes in the Foreword:
a very useful book for all in the Church who need to be involved in communal discernment. And is this not all of us? This book is not only user-friendly, but (is) also a real challenge to a way of being Church that is Spirit-led
Anne Lane pbvm, a group facilitator, writes:
a great gift to those facilitating groups and (to) groups conscientiously working towards group discernment. This book is a 'must read' for delegates and facilitators in religious congregations' chapters.
Communal Wisdom is available from Heart of Life Centre, 96 Albion Rd, Box Hill. Vic. 3128; (03) 98901101 or
holsc@bigond.net
cost $10 per copy (includes handling and postage) - multiple copies: discount 5% (10-24 copies), 10% (25 and over)
BALIBO
starring: Anthony LaPaglia, Oscar Isaac, Damon Gameau, Mark Leonard Winter, Gyton Grantley, Nathan Phillips, Thomas Wright, and Bea Viegas
directed by Robert Connolly
rated M (violence and coarse language). 111 mins
Footprint Films: out now
reviewer: Peter Sheehan
Based on the 2001 book, "Cover-up" by Jill Jolliffe, this film is a moving, and tense political thriller about five Australian journalists who were killed in Balibo, East Timor, following Indonesia's invasion of East Timor in 1975. It had its world premiere at the Melbourne International Film Festival, and closed the Brisbane International Film Festival on August 9, where it won two jury awards.
The Balibo five were reporter, Greg Shackleton (Damon Gameau), and sound recordist, Tony Stewart (Mark Leonard Winter) - both Australians; cameraman, Brian Peters (Thomas Wright), and reporter, Malcolm Rennie (Nathan Phillips) from Britain, and both working for the Nine Network in Sydney; and New Zealand cameraman working for the Seven Network in Melbourne, Gary Cunningham (Gyton Grantley).
The film shows the Balibo five being confronted by invading troops dressed in civilian clothes. They were unarmed, in civilian clothes, and had their hands raised in a gesture of surrender. In 2007, a coroner's inquest in Australia concluded that there was incontrovertible evidence that the Indonesian forces intentionally killed the five newsmen, as they tried to surrender.
The story of their shooting begins and ends with the memories of Juliana (Bea Viegas), a Timorese woman who survived, and is told through the eyes of Roger East (Anthony LaPaglia), who was asked to go to Indonesia by a young Jose Ramos-Horta (wonderfully played by Oscar Isaac) to start a news service to report the truth. East becomes preoccupied with what happened to the journalists. Officially, they were caught in "cross fire" in the invasion. East, who stayed on in East Timor, was killed violently later in 1975, when Jakarta launched a full scale attack on Dili.
The director (Robert Connolly) brings a wealth of experience from past quality thriller movies, such as The Bank and Three Dollars, to present a gripping account of what happened to the journalists. The film pulls no punches.
There is hardly a false sentiment or cliche in it, and the actors sustain utter realism in their roles. The documentary-style "flashbacks" look absolutely real, though we know they are not.
Especially impressive are Oscar Isaac as a young Jose Ramos-Horta, and Anthony LaPaglia as East, in what must be one of his finest roles, and who took no acting fee.A core theme in the film is the turning of East from a jaded, burnt-out journalist to one with a mission to discover and seek an alarming truth.
This is a movie to shock and it is intended to shame, and its images are hard to forget. The direction is taut and tense. The camera work by Tristan Milani is outstanding; and the guitar-and-strings score of Lisa Gerrard exactly matches the visuals.
The film itself raises many questions and while it doesn't really answer those questions, the scripting hints at some of the possibilities.
This film contradicts starkly the official version by both the Australian and Indonesian Governments that the journalists' deaths were accidental, and there is enormous emotional validity to Shackleton's final plea for someone in Australia - or anywhere - to help.
Peter W. Sheehan is an associate of the Australian Catholic Office for Film and Broadcasting.
other commentaries include (from Eureka Street)
BLESSED
starring Frances O'Connor, Deborah-Lee Furness, Miranda Otto and William McInnes
directed by Ana Kokkinos.
rated MA15+ (strong themes, coarse language and sexual references). 115 mins.
Icon Distribution: out now
reviewer: Jim Murphy
"These are my blessings," howls Rhonda (Frances O'Connor), grief-stricken after two of her children meet with a horrific accident.
Blessed, by Melbourne director Ana Kokkinos (1998's Head On and 2006's The Book of Revelation), is a slightly ironic title, since for the mothers in the film the way their offspring behave is anything but a benediction. Yet the bonds of maternal love, although they may fray at the edges, are not severed.
Based on a theatre piece, Who's Afraid of the Working Class?, by the screenwriters Andrew Bovell, Melissa Reeves, Patricia Cornelius and Christos Tsiolkas, it owes its style and structure to the way Bovell wrote his much-lauded Lantana: the several stories seem at first to have little in common, but as the many strands develop they intersect and overlap in small ways.
Blessed could never be called a cheery film and the language and content may not suit everyone, but it is a mature and thought-provoking piece of cinema that looks certain to be in contention when the AFI Awards come around.
Jim Murphy is an associate of the Australian Catholic Office for Film & Broadcasting.
THE SOLOIST
starring Jamie Foxx, Robert Downey Jr, Catherine Keener and Tom Hollander
directed by Joe Wright
rated M (mature themes and coarse language). 116 mins.
NBC Universal: out now
reviewer: Jim Murphy
Steve Lopez of The Los Angeles Times was bereft of a topic for his column in 2005 when he wandered into skid row and stumbled across a down-and-out man playing classical violin with only two strings
Lopez wrote about him in his next and subsequent columns and eventually published a book with a title that pretty well sums up this movie: The Soloist: A Lost Dream, an Unlikely Friendship, and the Redemptive Power of Music.
The fiddler who idolised Beethoven was Nathaniel Ayers (played by Jamie Foxx). He lived on the streets, he carried all his belongings in a shopping cart and he was clearly in a precarious mental state.
Lopez (Robert Downey Jr) was intrigued and started digging around to find out more about him. It emerged that Ayers had been a gifted young music student with a promising future as a cellist when mental problems caused him to drop out of the Juilliard School.
Lopez embarked on a mission to restore this sad outcast to a position in society commensurate with his musical talent. "This guy ... he's got a gift but he's lost his way."
No one could accuse The Soloist of not having its heart in the right place.
It is an eloquent plea for the plight of the mentally ill and of the homeless (of which there are said to be 90,000 in greater Los Angeles ).
Director Joe Wright (Atonement, Pride and Prejudice) handles it with taste and restraint, and his cast is impeccable. Foxx's performance as Ayers has a quiet dignity that is impressive, and Downey 's Lopez is a nice balance between idealism and frustration.
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