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n. Hugo Weaving ~ True Love and ChaosAU Movie 1997: Hugo content: approx 40% (95 mins )Character: Morris ~ boozed-out minor rock star, charismatic drifter Cast: NaveenAndrews Hanif, Miranda Otto Mimi, Noah Taylor Dean, Hugo Weaving Morris, Kimberley Davies Ariel, Ben Mendelsohn Jerry, Geneviève Picot Hannah Dir: Stavros Efthymiou aka Stavros Kazantzidis Wri: Stavros Kazantzidis/Efthymiou Availablity:not available in UK. Rental video available in AU/US (Amazon Z-shops, Ebay). |
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Hugo Weaving: True Love and Chaos Plot/Comments:An excellent Australian road movie with clearly defined characters, beautifully acted by the cast. Only Kazantzidis' second film, he combines an assured style (jump cutting, great use of soundtrack) with something new film makers usually try to avoid: heart.Each of the characters is fully fleshed out by superb ensemble acting and a script which forces the characters to come to better a understanding of themselves, changing as a result. |
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| Mimi
(Otto) is a Nice Girl, in love with her English boyfriend Hanif (Andrews)
and eager to get back to Perth and her mother; her only remaining family.
Hanif resents her need for security, is never fully honest with her and is using the trip as an opportunity to evade the heat of a bungled heroin robbery and sell off the merchandise. Dean (Noah Taylor, always excellent) is an on/off heroin user, the permanent bungling 'little brother' figure (he also literally steals the heroin from Jerry, his bullying zen-psycho brother); he is a self-effacing no-hoper with a good heart and a taste for trashy romance novels. |
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Otto is drawn to, and attempts to befriend, the local bar's music act;
a
grizzled, bearded, jaded Jim Morrison-esque rocker, Morris (Weaving), moulded
into his booze-sodden clothes, paralytically abandoned by his girlfriend
and the covers band he drifts through poxy bars with.
As Morris becomes the fourth road partner, Mimi becomes much chirpier, finding it easy to be in his company, to have someone to listen to and confide in; particularly about her need for family and the father she never knew. Meanwhile, Hanif resents the major-league bullshitter ("Lou Red wants me to go to New York and work on his album") with every turn of the wheel and becomes increasingly jealous. |
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True Love & Chaos Gallery
True Love & Chaos Press Kit
True Love & Chaos Interview
True Love & Chaos Interview 2
Back: The Alchemist
Next: The
Interview
Web Weaving |
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| Persuaded by Mimi's innocent attention to shave off the sun-bleached, Robinson Crusoe beard, Morris is transformed into a much more puckish Lizard King/Nick Cave-esque character; his new-found hope making him keep more careful control over his drinking, behaviour and comments. | ||
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Typical Hugo Weaving Quotes:
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| Kazantzidis
cuts to each of the characters in the car to show their changing relationships:
Hanif isolated in the back of the car, sulking and reading Dean's 'bodice
rippers'; Dean asleep; while infront (a metaphor for who she trusts and
lets into her life)are Mimi and Morris,making private jokes and pulling
faces, like a couple of young kids.
There are some beautifully set up and performed scenes, which are allowed
to gently unfold until the inevitable kiss: Mimi singing Blondie
at a tiny karaoke bar, the biggest smiles going to and from Morris; the
two celebrating her win outside, turning into a quiet scene where Morris
looks at her, building on his decision to kiss her (or not); the gentle
kiss itself (in complete contrast to her relationship with Hanif);
the two characters looking at each other afterwards, gauging reactions;
Mimi throwing herself at him, kissing him passionately until she begins
to hit him (still kissing him while he backs off); Mimi's confused emotional
state, angry and frustrated at him and herself for misreading her emotions
when she doesn't even know what she wants and is scared of her losing control
of her life again.
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| As
the film builds to its logical conclusion (the unmasking of Mimi's father
in never intended to be a surprise), there is another beautifully shot
and performed scene: Mimi comes down the stairs to see her distraught mother
(Picot) against the front door, with the father who deserted her speaking
on the other side, explaining why he never made it to the hospital when
their baby was born and what a screw up he was. Weaving speaks full
of regret and vulnerability, his quiet, choked words gushing out;
Genevieve Picot cries silently, showing a mix of pride, anger and pain.
That would have been the film's natural ending. However, a further one involving Dean's psycho brother chasing the friends down through the park with his car (why they don't just run off the path into the trees is anyone's guess) is less than successful. It feels tacked on, like it belongs to a totally different film. With
the possible exception of Andrews (who somehow never really engages), there
is not one duff bit of acting in the film. Otto is all light, air
and youthful innocence while Weaving is all sunburn, road dirt and faded
hope (as Indiana Jones once said, "It's not the years, it's the
mileage): they compliment each other perfectly.
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Hugo Weaving content:Morris is a fantastic part for Weaving, written specifically for him by Kazantzidis, who has often said that he finds the strange mix of opposites and contrasts in Weaving, and the characters he plays, fascinating. These characteristics have been well served by the script, giving him the opportunity for Shakespeare-quoting Lizard King rough extravagance on one hand (beardy Morris) and many moments of quiet vulnerability on the other (sideburns Morris).Much like the film itself, this is a deeply under-rated performance.
On the musical side, Weaving equips himself more than adequately. As acoustic
Folky Morris (sideys), he is quieter and slightly more nasal, singing some
downright peculiar lyrics. As Rocker Morris (bearded), he is drenched in
sweat, droplets flying off, scowling with arrogance, gesturing with pointed
finger or growling into the mic., and phrasing the lyrics brilliantly (a
hard skill to really pull off, which he does excellently).
Key Scenes:
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