This is a movie about two girls....complete opposites, and they say opposites gel together. it is a movie that comes from a much acclaimed australasian director. a movie which goes down shouting in defence of homosexuality. in the end, you just feel that you were lured by an engrossing 15 minutes to see an otherwise blase film.
a true story that took place in the middle of the century. well I wasnt alive then but its supposed to have shaken the country i.e. newzealand for that wasnt a time when homosexuality was considered anything near to civilised.
back to the movie. just like our own fiza..its the same genre (art/drama), it has surprisingly good performances (kate winslet), it is pretty grim (though this one reminds you of a horror movie), it starts on a very promising note, has a heavy feel to it..you dont quite forget it easily, ends tragically and lots more. come to think of it, art movies around the world are acquiring some sort of a pattern...that is if you call fiza an art movie.
an introverted, shy teenager pauline(melanie lynskey) surprised herself when she strikes a great rapport with another teen - the outspoken, outgoing, adventurous juliet (kate winslet). the rapport translates into a strong emotional bond which further leads to a homosexual relationship... easily so, under the usual pressure and anxiety of the early teens. they fall in love with each other and with the world of art and literature. as a means of escape from the bad, ununderstanding worl, they form an imaginary world for themselves, the 4th world...they write a novel, whose characters they meet in their fantasy world. it becomes the centre of their lives.
parents try to separate them... and a tragic end follows, emphatically emphasising ( oh no, not again! ) that homosexuality isnt evil..its nothing to be afraid or ashamed of..that one should come out of one’s narrow frame of mind to embrace the changing ways of the world. no, they don’t commit suicide...its not cliched..its true and it strikes you. but thats about it...the beginning and the ending are the only parts which make for good viewing.
watch it on that boring saturday afternoon, if you have to..but if you really value your time, see something else.