The Garth Method

Review by Clint Morris

It's official. The less a filmmaker has in the bank, the better the film. 

When your budget's circling 'dinner at Maccas' figures, ain't nothing like overindulgent merchandising, wanton hype or star-over-script-syndrome is even going to cross your mind. 

Filmmakers with surnames beginning with 'Cameron' excluded, when the pennies are down.. it's only a plus. Story has to come first, because, well, that's essentially all you've got. And what a story The Garth Method has.

A mockumentary of sorts, the film is out to convince you that 'In 2001 out-of-work actor Garth Petridis was imprisoned for one of the most unusual crimes in Australian history'.apparently frustrated that he couldn't get any acting jobs, the Aussie wannabe kidnapped people and forced them into fluffy pink fairy costumes and barbarian attire and pushed them to star in his own impetuous show reels.

The legend mightn't ring as true as it'd like too, but that doesn't seem to matter when the stuff on screen is delicious, dripping shreds of Cheese.  

Via both (and thankfully, mostly) flashback scenes, as well as a 'Video Diary' to bring us up to 'the now', Garth's story unfolds on screen: His efforts to get work as an actor are constantly met with a closed gate, whatever luck he does encounter seems to fly away quicker than a budgie in a cattery, and women? We'll let's just say Steve Carell's 40 Year-Old Virgin character (whom Garth actually resembles at times) could convincingly get away with wearing a mink-aligned coat, tooting on a gaudy cigarette and adorning a brag book, compared to this jinxed chump.

As the film comes to its assigned punchline, the perturbed actor takes things into his own hands and teams with another cinematic loser to kidnap people into starring in their own pet movies. Television crime reports, it seems, is the only way they'll ever get their mugs on screen.

"Garth" has it's minor problems - proceedings trickle towards the less-interesting in the second half, and the 'video diary' aspect of the film tends to take you out of the moment - but overall, this is an venerable effort from writer/director and star Gregory Pakis. The production design is slick, the script is fairly watertight, and the characters are both memorable and unique.

Though it's one of the best independent films I've seen in a long, long, time, it isn't likely to set Pakis's career on fire - it could've strived to be just that 'little bit more' - but it'll definitely put a Bunsen-burner under it, and hopefully heat things up for him down the track. I look forward to his future endeavours.

3.5 out of 5

The Garth Method
Australian Screening: March and April, Old Colonial Inn, Fitzroy.
Cast: Gregory Pakis, Katrina Baylis, Scott Terrill, Jamie Unicomb, Jo Buckley.
Director: Gregory Pakis.
Website: Click here.