Journeyman: Samuel Habib in search of life advice in ‘The Ride Ahead’.

THE RIDE AHEAD Keen for direction about how best to live as an adult, 21-year old Samuel Habib – stricken with a severe form of cerebral palsy called GNAO1 – travels with his father Dan to talk with a range of artists, advocates and academics who share tales of prejudice, endurance, achievement and the endless need for “ninja patience”. Speaking through a device, the story is narrated totally from his POV, with cameras mounted on his wheelchair offering a novel first-person perspective. Watching Sam speak can be confronting, a hard truth bravely reflected in the shots of his interviewees as they listen to his unassisted questions. Starkly captured is his reaction to people unintentionally speaking down to him as they automatically equate his physical condition with being mentally challenged. The constant frustration he lives with is given full vent, from wanting to make friends, to meeting a girl his desire to dealing with the costly damage regularly inflicted upon his wheelchair by careless airlines. A stirring, touching doco that is illuminating and occasionally infuriating.
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IN VITRO Excellent, taut little sci-fi thriller set in a near-future Australia on a cattle property that specializes in cloning cows for a market hungry for the taste of real meat. This being the future the science, of course, goes sideways when farmer Jack (Ashley Zukerman) decides to take the nascent technology a step too far, which his hard-working wife Layla (Talia Zucker, who co-wrote with the directors) is none-too-pleased about. Deploying a minimalist style very effectively, directors Will Howarth & Tim McKeith wind up the tension with consummate expertise, delivering a brace of precisely executed jolts. A terrific Australian movie that will hopefully get the public profile and audience it deserves.
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MATT AND MARA Two former schoolmates try spending time together as friends while dealing with the rekindling of old feelings in this very engaging ramble from Canada about lingering love, jealousy and intimations of infidelity. Matt (Matt Johnson) is a successful New York writer; Mara (Deragh Campbell) is a creative writing teacher who pines to publish. The free flow of dialogue and naturalistic performances mark writer/director Kazik Radwanski as a lover of the nuanced cross currents of emotion that can infuse everyday conversation. The film is peppered with humour, but it’s more drama than comedy. Terrific hand-held camerawork throughout.
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I SHALL NOT HATE Whatever your position on the war in Gaza it’d be a hard heart indeed that would remain unmoved by the story of Dr Izzeldin Abuelaish, a peace-loving Palestinian who lost three daughters and a niece during an Israeli attack on his home in 2009. The event was broadcast live on Israeli TV, the aftermath extensively captured on camera. His subsequent attempts to extract an apology from Israel did not dent his on-going desire for peace, his personal loss strengthening his resolve to end the violence. A powerful story brought into the present day, the film, perhaps unintentionally, points to how the nobility of Abuelaish’s crusade is drowned out by the ceaseless prosecution of the conflict.
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MADE IN ENGLAND: THE FILMS OF POWELL AND PRESSBURGER In a glowing valentine to pioneering British filmmaking duo Michael Powell & Emeric Pressburger, director Martin Scorsese walks us through their formidable filmography in loving detail, how they operated as independent artists inside the perilous British film industry as well as illustrating how deeply they influenced his films. Most remarkable is how The Red Shoes shaped scenes in Raging Bull and Taxi Driver. Wisely balancing their triumphs with their failures, Scorsese shows particular fondness for the pair’s love of risk-taking, with particular emphasis on such works as Black Narcissus, The Small Back Room and Peeping Tom (made by Powell after they split) alongside The Red Shoes, a masterpiece Marty regards as a favourite, “the ultimate subversive commercial movie”. A fine, reflective documentary; old-school cineastes will love it.
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