The Book of Revelation (2006)

Beautiful, moving film.

It is neither dumb nor smart enough to be fun, and spends way too much time with its boring human characters.

It's a feast for the eyes. But what really makes this dramedy work is the acting.

The movie's neither hopeful in contrived ways, nor hopeless in different contrived ways. Somehow it manages to be wonderful

Australian screenwriter and director Ana Kokkinos' second feature film which she co-wrote with Australian playwright and screenwriter Andrew Bovell, is an adaptation of a novel from 2000 by English author Rupert Thomson. It premiered at the Melbourne International Film Festival in 2006, was screened in the Visions section at the 31st Toronto International Film Festival in 2006, was shot on location in Melbourne, Australia and is an Australia-UK co-production which was produced by producer Al Clark. It tells the story about a ballet dancer named Daniel who lives in an apartment with his girlfriend named Babette and who whilst preparing for an upcoming ballet show is abducted by three unknown women.Distinctly and finely directed by Australian filmmaker Ana Kokkinos, this finely paced fictional tale which is narrated mostly from the main character's point of view, draws a heartrending and afflicting portrayal of an Australian man who after having been exposed to twelve days of utter humiliation and sexual molestation returns to his girlfriend as a shell-shocked and shattered man, and his relationship with his middle-aged ballet instructor. While notable for it's colorful, naturalistic and mostly interior milieu depictions, sterling production design by production designer Paul Heath and cinematography by Australian cinematographer Tristan Milani, this character-driven story which graphically and commendably examines non statutory female on male rape and which reverently goes against the overly stereotypical portrayal of gender roles in cinema, depicts an internal study of character and contains a good score by Polish composer Cezary Skubiszewski.This somewhat romantic, erotic to the point that it reduces the narrative and atmospheric drama which is set in Melbourne, Australia where a man wanders through nightclubs in a bewildering search for perpetrators whom he has no conclusive memory of as they were dressed like nuns and wearing hoods, is impelled and reinforced by it's at times cogent narrative structure, substantial character development, mysterious undertones, pivotal scene between the protagonist and two police officers and the fine acting performances by Australian actor Tom Long and Australian actresses Greta Scacchi and Deborah Mailman. A psychological, dramatic and somewhat anticlimactic mystery from the late 2000s.

I was also disappointed with this movie. For starters, the things that happen to him don't seem too terrible to me (Sorry male chauvinist PoV). As is pointedly said by one of the lady captors: "Most men would _pay_ to be in your position". To which he replies "But this is not _my_ choice". OK, OK, fair point, so how bad was it really? Please let us know. But now the kicker: He does not let _anyone_ know, until after the movie-end (unseen). Not his girlfriend, not is mentor, not the police, not anyone. In stead, he comes up with the brilliant plan of f*ck*ng every girl he knows, so he may recognize the tattoo (or something) of one of his captors. I thought he'd just had enough unpleasant sex during the 12 days of his captivity? Isn't it time to take a little break from all that? For me, his, to put it mildly, ill advised actions broke the "suspension of disbelief" of the movie. I took out a book while watching the last half hour out of the corner of my eye.

In these days of 'safe' cinema, it's great to see a bold director not afraid to take big risks. This is challenging cinema, and though there is nudity and sex, it is never gratuitous. It is intelligent, well-filmed, and with nice music. It's the best performance I've seen from Tom Long.The consistency of the film wasn't as sharp as it could have been. Colin Friels was (as always) very good, and it would have been good for his role to have been further developed, as his part at the end seemed a little abrupt. The film seemed a little long, not as satisfying as the director's previous film Head On, but well-done nonetheless.There was something unsettling about this film that I can't quite put my finger on. It has something to do with the look and feel. It seems it was an exploration by the director that didn't completely pay off. Maybe there was an air of unreality – it certainly didn't have the grittiness that pays off in Alkinos Tsilimidos' Em4Jay.

Many questions arise about the making of this film. The first of which is: Why make a film that plays out as little more than an awkward female fantasy? It's one thing to leave an audience with issues to discuss about a film's intent, it's something entirely different to go into the process of writing a script which fails to adequately address real human issues before they are rendered on the screen.Why the outrageously melodramatic and often comical soundtrack? Why the excessive and frequently clunky dialogue? Why is the lead character's girlfriend one of the hooded abductors? What purpose is there to turning the lead character's freedom from abduction into a joke by having him complete his "mission"? (This is a classic Little Aussie Film moment. Resort to quirky comedy at the most inappropriate moment.) Why so many scenes where absolutely nothing happens? (This accounts for approximately 15 minutes of the film, which is at least 30 minutes too long.) Why, if a man is imprisoned for so many days, does he not endeavor to make a serious attempt at escape?The Director, who co-wrote the script, has failed on many counts to deliver a satisfactory story. Dave Garver, Australia.