Alexandra's Project

Review by Clint Morris

Not unlike Cola in the digestive system, Rolf de Heer's latest piece really eats away at you.

And, like a fizzy beverage, it's something you fear might be utlimately 'bad for you', yet you still can't get enough.

So what's it all about and what are some of those moments that play havoc on one's inner?

Well that would be saying too much because, for once, this is a movie that needs to be seen without any pre-conceived notion or idea of what to expect. The fresher it plays for you, the more it stimulates...

What can be said is that Gary Sweet plays Steve, a middle management businessman, expecting a surprise party for his Birthday when he gets home from the office.

At home, his wife Alexandra, played by Helen Buday, and their two kids Emma and Sam, are planning a special surprise alright - but it's not the 'cake and grog' do that Daddy is expecting.

When he arrives home Steve finds the house stripped of its furniture and all that's left is a TV and VCR and a video tape with the words "Play Me" written on the side.

Seems Alexandra has something to say, and if a video-tape is the only way she can get through to her husband, so be it. But what's coming is truly unexpected...

One of the year's true surprise packages, Alexandra's Project will have you gasping for breath right up until the very last cinematic shock. Like the best of psychological thrillers, this one creeps up at you at a tepid pace before grabbing you by the necklace chain around your neck and pulling 'till it's curtain time.

Ever so perfect for the role of the birthday boy, Gary Sweet again proves himself to be one of Australia's most gifted performers - letting nothing stand in the way of an earnest, emotionally-draining performance.

And even better, Helen Buday gives a stellar, multi-layered, and almost frighteningly real turn as Alexandra. One of the best performances from an Australian actress in a feature for quite some time.

But the real star of Alexandra's Project is director de Heer. A true genius of the medium, de Heer has garnered a reputation as an artiste with a true eye for detail, a true knack for story telling ... a visionary if you will.

And after The Tracker, Alexandra's Project couldn't be any more different. It's a highly imaginative, exceedingly well-written and all-too real look at the lives of two seemingly normal folk. He's not playing it safe here by and standards and boy, do we welcome the unchainment.

Project again cements de Heer's standing as one of the countries most intriguing and overtly gifted filmmakers.

4 out of 5

Alexandra's Project
Australian release: Thursday May 8th
Cast: Gary Sweet, Helen Buday, Bogdan Koca.
Director: Rolf De Heer.
Website: Click here

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