Film Review: Face to Face

Face to Face. Rated MA15+ (strong coarse language). 88 minutes. Written and directed by Michael Rymer. Based on the play by David Williamson.

Nothing, it would seem, can fuel a debate amongst the literarti like mentioning David Williamson. Punctured with indignation, envy and arch, sweeping generalisations about the value of his creative contribution to Australian Theatre (which is not only important, but vast) – Williamson is most-often derided for bringing characters who inhabit the great, formative Australian middle-class to Australian stages. Quelle horreur!

In his perfectly-structured play on which Mr Rymer’s equally rock-solid screenplay is based, Williamson has mined the gloriously rich territory of conflict resolution. And if Williamson has mined it, then Rymer has excavated it – respectfully acknowledging the inherent security of the story’s stagebound origin (it mostly takes place in one room) while also using – to great effect – flashbacks to the chain of events that has brought everyone to this critical junction in their lives.

Wayne Travers (Luke Ford) is facing the grim prospect of going to jail for what appears to be a pre-meditated act of life-threatening violence against his boss Greg Baldoni (Vince Colosimo). When Jack Manning (Matthew Newton) convenes a mediation between the opposing parties, everyone involved is forced to confront the ugly truths about how they are each responsible for the potentially lethal meltdown of an enthusiastically naïve young worker.

It’s not often that one comments on the casting of a film – but in the case of Face to Face, Greg Apps and Loretta Crawford have absolutely nailed it. This is an extraordinary ensemble of very fine Australian talent – and the film works as well as it does because the cast are utterly committed to every finite detail of the work.

Mr Ford (Animal Kingdom, The Black Balloon, Kokoda, Red Dog) is brilliant as the tortured young labourer, and the camera simply cannot get enough of his cracked-lipped, dribbling, snotty meltdown. If Ford’s is one of the must-see performances of the year so far, Mr Colosimo is on equal footing as the owner/operator of the Baldoni scaffolding and construction company. As his small business, his marriage and his very existence are slowly and systematically disassembled right before his eyes, Colosimo’s marvellously under-stated performance is a masterclass in acting for the camera. His restlessness and awkward self-deprecation are wonderful counterpoints to the extent to which Sigrid Thornton literally unravels as his dutiful wife Claire. In one of the film’s many illuminating moments of contemplation of the toxic consequences of a heartless workplace prank, Ms Thornton holds the screen with a supreme wordless presence and intention. It is one of an almost embarrassing number of great moments.

The real surprise, however, are the (perhaps arguably) lesser-known actors (Robert Rabiah, Ra Chapman, Lauren Clair, Christopher Connelly, Laura Gordon, Josh Saks and Richard Sutherland) who constantly reinforce the fact that the performances in this film are nothing less than a tour de force. Each of them has their moments in the spotlight and account for them magnificently.

Given the luxury of riches in the acting stakes, it might be argued that all Mr Rymer (Angel Baby) and his cinematographer Dennys Ilic had to do was turn on the camera and point it in the right direction. But if point of view is everything in telling stories on the screen, Rymer is always in precisely the right place at the right time, with a dazzling array of single-room-defying shots that capture every detail of the performances. The constantly churning relationships between the key players is superbly maintained, captured and expressed, and Rymer’s outstanding work behind the camera is beautifully matched by Mr Newton’s calm, curious and masterful control of the proceedings in front of it.

It is proving to be a watershed year for Australian cinema – and Face to Face is a powerful, involving, and very welcome addition to the fold.

Pictured: Sigrid Thornton and Vince Colosimo in Face to Face. Image supplied.

Face to Face screens nationally from tomorrow.