Burning Man

this is a great movie. One of the best portrayals I have seen of a man experiencing loss and grief. The burn he is acting and the way it is expressed is portrayed in a realistic way. Men can grieve in the arms of others and to the soft well intentioned actions and ministrations of those around them. I find most men do work through the issues with space to brew and rage, talk is important but space to work it out is better.Sitting on the kitchen floor with a bottle of red wine at 2 in the morning nutting it out with someone who cares is where the healing starts. A real visceral portrayal...thank God the only therapist in sight was an ex-shag. The redemption of this guys sad state is due to something greater then himself, his son and the need to carry on. OK, there are a few tears to be had.

Burning man tells a story about coping with loss and fighting inner demons. Although the topic might not be appealing to everyone, the authors chose an approach that might alienate a lot of possible viewers. Here i mean the non-linear storytelling and characters potentially seen as egoistic.

There were no surprises in Matthew Goode delivering an exquisite performance. The treat of the movie is Bojana Novakovic. Virtually unknown, or only if you've seen obscure movies such as Skinning (2010), was at every moment on par with Matthew Goode.

I was unsure whether the main character's struggle has been coping with grief or his own descending into madness. Either way, this wasn't a light topic to handle and might add to aversion of some viewers.

When we first meet Tom, we see a rude, selfish, out of control guy engaging in some pretty self destructive behaviour. Unsympathetic to the core, it's not until this unconventionally told story reveals more about him that we find out why he is this way. By the end of the film, your feelings about this guy will do a complete 180. You may even shed a tear or two.

The way this film is constructed is either going to deter you, or capture you hook, line and sinker. I'm in the latter group. It rightly won an award for Best Editing at the 2011 Film Critics Circle of Australia. The Australian vocalist from Dead Can Dance, Lisa Gerrard, does most of the soundtrack which also scored awards. From a budget of 9 million we have a beautifully shot, artistic and emotional film, with strong acting by the leads. It takes an unconventional look at what it would be like to lose someone close, and the process of grief, especially for men, who are not known for their outward displays of emotion.

Some of the transitions between scenes may seem a little contrived. I think the intention was to reveal the story in much in the same way that our memory works .. by association.

It loses a point for a few rather silly scenes. Burning Man deserves a much bigger audience, especially outside Australia. Looking forward to Jonathan Teplitsky's next feature.

Burning Man is a different film that goes the route not taken. It is works in the same manner of films similar to Memento. It requires the audience to invest into the film and with the effect of constantly solving a complicated life puzzle. It is an unique experience that will stay in your memory for a good while. It is a essentially at its core a film about dealing with loss, moving on, grieve, the love of your life, cancer and the aftermath of a tragedy. It is what you call a smart film that let the audience work it out for themselves. The film also constantly uses sex as a symbol, motif, and metaphor and to depict the passion with the relationships. Shot in the backdrop of Bondi Beach in Sydney, the location is almost unrecognisable and the cinematography is mostly excellent. Although the film is shot and edited in a creative manner, meaning that nothing happens coherent and the director is clearly playing with time and memory, it is exactly this aspect that the film fails to connect with the audience and ultimately feel for the characters deep involved in their respective situations. Still, for an Australian film, these is an admirable effort and along with a wonderful yet conflicted performance from British import Matthew Goode and the screen stealing beauty in Bojana Novakovic. Although I have not since any of director Jonathan Teplitzky's previous works, with Burning Man, one can only say that this man is filled with potential.

All in all, The Burning Man is not a film for everyone; it can be am torture to sit through and also rewarding at the same time. In essence it is very much an independent film, but for what it is worth, The Burning Man is a fine effort and deserves some much needed credit for the Australian Film Industry…

Neo rates it 7/10

• www.thehkneo.com

Burning Man – CATCH IT (A-) The Australian BURNING MAN is a reckless, sexy, funny, moving and ultimately life-affirming story of Tom (Matthew Goode), a British chef in a Bondi restaurant, who seems to have decided there are no longer any rules he needs to obey. The movie follows Tom's life as he descends into darkness and fragments of a different story begin to emerge. It shows different kind of women in Tom's life who are trying to put him back together. Burning man is a beautiful movie about love, lose, anger and grief. Jonathan Teplitzky has chosen a beautiful story and presented in a beautiful slightly reverse chronological manner. There are various moments in the movie which will simply leave you speechless. The movie is fragments of short scenes, which sometimes is really hard to compile in head in chronological manner. The Grey shades into Matthew Goode's character allowed him to act tremendously well. It won't be wrong to say that "Burning Man" is Matthew Goode's best and sexiest performance till date. Bojana Novakovic is stunningly beautiful. Her performance as sickening women unwilling to die is simply amazing. Essie Davis is impressive. Rachel Griffiths and Jack Heanly are fine. Burning man is amazing Australian movie which leaves a strong impact once it's over. The cinematography and color combination in scenes are simply brilliant. The movie has everything except its little too long, more than 2hrs. still its worth watching and Highly recommended.