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Australia 2016
Directed by
Stephen Sewell
80 minutes
Rated MA


3 stars

Embedded

Synopsis: During a stopover on his way home, Frank (Nick Barkla), a battle-weary Middle East war correspondent meets Madeline (Laura Gordon) a darkly fascinating woman whose attentions towards him may be more deadly than erotic. The two retire to his hotel suite where he finds his match in a frightening and sensual game of truth or dare. As they circle each other into the night, Frank is haunted by memories of events during his time embedded with a unit led by Cassidy (Peter Phelps), a soldier who plays fast and loose with the rules.

Veteran Australian writer Stephen Sewell is no slouch when it comes to creating hard-edged works of political drama. In 2003 his excellent (if excessively titled) play ‘Myth, Propaganda and Disaster in Nazi Germany and Contemporary America’ tackled the post September 11 world in a theatrical production that became the longest running Australian play in history. As a screenwriter he’s no novice either with works such as The Boys (1998)  and Lost Things (2003) to his credit. With Embedded he adds the role of director to his CV with a work that was originally intended for the stage until theatre director Jim Sharman convinced him that the material would be better suited to the screen. Visually, this seems to have been a good choice allowing cinematographer Rhiannon Bannenberg to capture the pair’s carnal encirclings within the sleekly luxurious setting of the hotel room. Content-wise though, it’s not quite as successful with much of their exchange feeling a bit too talky and stagey and the flashbacks to Frank’s interactions with the soldiers feeling less sophisticated that the rest of the film.

Barkla and Gordon are good together and the scenes in the hotel room feel charged, sexy and a little bit dangerous. There’s a real moodiness to these scenes and an ambiguity to their relationship that keeps us on our toes as to what’s going on between them. Phelps, on the other hand, as the testosterone fuelled, tough talking unit commander seems to be acting in a whole different film. Whilst Frank’s experience as an embedded journalist is crucial to the overall meaning of the film, these ‘front line’ scenes end up feeling like a bit of padding to break up the longer dialogue scenes between Frank and Madeline that would have been compelling on stage but end up a bit overwrought on screen.

Still, even if he’s finding his feet as a director Sewell is an important writer. He always has something provocative to say and doesn’t mind if his political rants (usually, but not always, placed in the mouths of his characters) ruffle a few feathers. Embedded isn’t entirely successful as a film. In many ways I came away with a sense that the decision not to make it a play was the wrong one. But it’s still worth watching for its stylish camerawork and the viewpoint Sewell offers on the nature of truth and journalistic integrity in this age of mass-media warfare.  

 

 

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