Praise

"Praise" is a slice-of-misery Aussie flick which looks into the waxing and waning of a relationship between a sexually obsessed woman and her taciturn and less experienced boyfriend while both languish in a life of self indulgence, sex, indolence, sex, drugs, sex and more sex. "Praise" is one of those films which slip between the cracks of public consciousness for want of broad market appeal and entertainment value while garnering critical and industry acclaim for its ability to faithfully portray difficult human issues. A good flick for adult cinema devotees who are as interested in execution as in content.

Loved the book, I've read it many times, but the movie did leave out much of the plot. The book was more sexually charged, less depressing with greater depth. Had some great dark comedic moments though probably greatly exaggerated from McGahan's own experiences.

I lived in Brisbane during the early 90's with my girlfriend at a boarding house in inner city Windsor. A few old alcoholics lived in the rooms above. We were poor uni students so the book takes me back to that time. I can relate to those wasted days of drugs, alcohol, sex and strange nights out in The Valley.

I'd say a lot of Andrew McGahan's novel would be autobiographical as he went to The University of Queensland though dropped out before finishing his Arts Degree. He probably worked at one of the local bottle shops like the RE, Regatta or the Cri, had a sex crazy girlfriend and drank a lot of alcohol and experimented with drugs as you do.

This is a coming of age story that I believe many could relate to from their youth. You must read the novel, it's great.

Hesitantly I went to this movie after reading an interesting review on a local freebie. As I expected we were about 10 people watching this film at peak time (Friday night) in a major art-films theater. It didn't matter because this is perhaps one of the best films I have seen this year. This a fully realized piece with extraordinary performances, excellent photography, superb set design/atmosphere, music, certainly the work of a great director. The story of two people who get together in a dead end relationship becomes fascinating the longer one watches them walk the road towards its logical conclusion. I personally didn't care about their "motivations" or their "backgrounds" as I have ceased to expect any logic from life. I took each second the way it came, each surprising turn, each new wrinkle in an apparently plotless movie. The ending is absolutely perfect as anyone will interpret it the way he/she wants. For me it brought up the power of memories/dreams/fantasies that don't let go, where pale and boring reality can't compete, even if one is aware that a fantasy is a fantasy. This film is much better than anything that has come out of Sundance and could have had a good shot at Cannes.

A must see if you like Bergman films: I was a thoroughly depressed individual when I walked out, and very happy to be one.

Great, thrilling, scarily intimate. In its first half hour, this astonishing Australian feature gets so close to its characters you feel the director is touching your skin. Gordon (Peter Fenton) is a type well known to people in that age between Bill Clinton and the Backstreet Boys: smart, alert, passive, asexual, easily emotionally manipulated. Cynthia (Sacha Horler) is a big girl with a big appetite for beer and the male organ; she needs sex desperately, helplessly, in the way a love-starved puppy races in circles in need of a touch. The movie records the birth pangs, first steps, clunky adolescence, and quick death of a relationship. Like Wong Kar-wai's HAPPY TOGETHER, most of it takes place in a crappy flophouse apartment. That's it--that's the movie. And every detail in it, from the stigmata-like blood flow of Cynthia's eczemous skin, to the fellatio in a milky bathtub, to the reaction of a horny couple to a violent row, is flawless.

The director, John S. Cullen, is all about getting it right, and so he does--to the point where you can find yourself mouthing aloud the dialogue seconds before it happens. This isn't because the movie is cliched; quite the opposite. It's because the movie gets things about falling in and out of love that no one--nobody, not even those who have made the Big Famous Movies About Sex--has hit. PRAISE seems to have had no luck in the theatres; perhaps it will live on in its IFC afterlife. All praise to Strand Releasing, the best distributors of foreign and independent movies in America. If you want to see a non-studio movie on a subject other than a cute boy and his grandpa, or a wily chef who woos all the ladies, you have Strand to thank for your satisfaction.

Praise the movie is a splendidly laid back version of Andrew McGahan's award winning best seller. The movie traces the odd love story between Gordon, the asthmatic heavy drinking under-achiever, and Cynthia, his energetic and demanding lover.

Cynthia, to Gordon's panic, expects sex 'every morning and every night' - "exhausting" is the way Gordon describes her. Set against the seedy boarding house where Gordon lives, the film explores the world of the socially displaced, and the under-motivated. It also looks at the way which relationships can implode despite the best intentions of its players.

McGahan's book Praise was the first of the 'grunge'fiction which swept through Australia (and other parts of the world) in the early 1990s. Despite the somewhat depressing story, the characters are depicted both in print and film with love, honesty and clarity. The performances of the actors in the film help the audience to like them both, and regard them with affection.

This film is a wonderful insight into a life that for many people is baffling - and for that reason alone should be regarded as an important Australian film.