User reviews

Obselidia (2010)

The wide open desert air, the harsh arid sun, the endless views and expectant lulls. And a young woman and young man meeting and connecting in a way neither of them expected, isolated together, almost giddy with happiness. This is the movie at its best, and it's pure magic. Director Diane Bell's only film (so far) is an improbable indie surprise, beautifully photographed and paced.

Michael Piccinilli plays George, a man who is so withdrawn and bookish, and so utterly retro tapping away at a manual typewriter (and going to the library to use its computer) he's almost unapproachable. But he's completely likable (the actor was voted most eligible man in Australia), and you can understand his cause--celebrating and preserving all the things that are going obsolete around us, the old digital manual world.

Gaynor Howe plays Sophie, a warm, exuberant, charming woman who meets George and sees his vulnerability, and she starts to get George to see how empty his life is. Gently, and with beautiful sincerity, she gets him to open up and discover his larger self, just a little, and so the movie is about their brief time together and a deep bonding. If you can connect to these two characters, you'll love the majority of the movie. Howe is terrific in her only film to date, and she and Piccinilli have genuine, if unusual, chemistry.

There is another, too large aspect to the film which gets in the way a little, and that's a political commentary about global warming. Not that there is a clear stance, but there is a third character, not so briefly, who we are supposed to think is some kind of gifted scientist gone hermit in the desert who has predicted the earth's climatic doom. It's not that we don't believe him (or do), it's more just thin science and a bit of repetition as the idea gets stated and re-stated in different ways. I got so interested in the couple I really wanted less and less to think about the hot dry future, especially in a kind of dumbed down way. It is the one core weakness in a disarming, sweet, and unusual film.

And the ending will surprise you. It's perfect, and seems to just unfold, like the best of the film does in scene after hot scene.

I agree 100% with Todd Mcarthy's review in the Sundance edition of Variety dated 8-14th February 2010. It's now June and this is still the film of the year for me . This movie is eccentric, gentle , intelligent and gorgeously made . It steps outside the box of what is expected from a modern independent film and harks back to the classic European film tradition . The world needs more films like this . Gaynor Howe's performance was outstanding for me and I particularly enjoyed the fact that such a big subject could be tackled within the constraints of a small independent movie . Full credit to the Sundance judges . It's not a fast burn , but it drew me in from the first minute . Bravo to all concerned .

This is a brave movie. I am not a film critic but a neuroscientist who has focused on the connection between neuroscience and mental disorders for 20 years. Why is this important to state? Because I am afraid survival-enabling human consciousness has slammed head on with the 21th century's inhuman modes of existence, a reality for the vast majority of human beings. This film in its honest and painful manner holds no punches back and delivers its deep message on the ephemeral nature of existence. The looming ecological disaster is just a faint echo of the film's main message. The leading character's lack of a "transcendent" epiphany is NOT a drawback but a realistic acceptance of the pain of self-consciousness. Love of another, love of nature, love of knowledge is what this film is about, those who miss this clear message are already gone….

Had heard of the film few years ago and finally got my DVD from Amazon today and watched the film. Loved the film. Highly recommended. Kudos to team and thank you for making the film. It is an originally well written, executed film. I don't want to give away anything about the film because I think that may spoil your viewing, and I'm not a very good reviewer to be honest. If I like the film, I say it. If I don't like the film, I say it. This is one of those rare gems that people would've hardly heard of. This movie pretty much speaks about life, death, existentialism, and the meaning of certain things in our purpose of living. And it being a love story, makes it further interesting.

This one is for people who both feel and think deeply. The writing is original, the acting is superb, the cinematography is virtuosic. That someone would think of writing and producing a film about a neurotic man who collects obsolete things which incorporates end-of-the-world discussion and Buddhist philosophy, then somehow imagining that people would want to watch it, is simply astounding. Even more astounding is that the movie is engrossing and not at all depressing - instead it is very much life affirming and a profound pleasure to watch. It moves slowly (a good thing) and it forgoes the typical Hollywood emotional overkill. One in a million!