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AUTHOR'S NOTES THE GLOSS Baby is dead. This much must be absolutely understood or the process and conclusion of the film will be considerably less remarkable. In some ways, CB is a modern kiwi retelling of the 1951 Akira Kurosawa film ROSHOMON, in that there are several characters that relate their versions of events but each reveals quite a different story. In ROSHOMON, the characters relate their version of "truth" but each recites a radically different set of "facts". Not so in CB. In CB, each character tells their version of past events which are perfectly true, but each character also either omits facts or is lacking data unknown to him or her. ROSHOMON similarities coincide once more since in both films, the final version and "truth" is revealed by the spirit of a dead person, and in CB, it's "Baby". Hence the film title. The dominant question in the film is "What happened to Baby?" If one had to classify the film strictly, one could call CB a mystery. But like many foreign films in general and kiwi films in particular, such a description does little justice to the film, since CB contains varying amounts of drama, humour, history, and social comment. CB opens on a scene from the 1970's. Bunnie has turned out with several "friends" to a Vietnam protest. Kiwi men are going off to war and the protestors are voicing their discontent. Geoff is one of several soldiers marching off to do his bit, and in a lovely bit of camera work, he and Bunnie hold each other's gaze for a moment as his unit passes by. This moment soon leaves Bunnie's head, however, since Bunnie seems to have a predilection for smoking pot and dropping acid, and the drugs are taking effect. Bunnie lies down on the grass during a passing eclipse, and proceeds to do what most people know they should not ? stare at the sun for a lengthy period of time. The aftermath of the incident leaves her blind for life. Whilst undergoing rehabilitation in hospital, Bunnie crosses paths with Geoff again who himself is recovering from wounds suffered in battle as well as a hefty case of shellshock. The sounds of motorised gardening equipment send him diving for cover, "protecting" Bunnie as he does so. As the two sort things out, Bunnie collapses, having ingested a large number of pills just before meeting Geoff again with the intent of committing suicide. Bunnie survives her attempt and is "drawn" to Geoff. The two become intimate and are later married. Bunnie is pregnant and is very glad of it. She gives (premature) birth to a girl who initially is identified only as "Baby DeSilva" and she and Geoff decide simply to name her "Baby". But as happy as Bunnie is, all is not well. Geoff frets over her inability to see and is concerned she cannot care for Baby. Baby was premature and suffers severe health problems. In the end, something happens to Baby, but no one is sure exactly what. Each person has his or her suspicions, memories, and suppositions. Enter Cassandra, a young woman who seemingly at random bumps into Bunnie (quite literally) and claims to be in contact with the departed Baby. Cassandra volunteers to "channel" Baby for Bunnie. But all involved must be present, and this includes Geoff, who disappeared some 20 years ago. Cassandra, aided by her brother Tony, find Geoff, and the four hold a s�ance of sorts to bring out the spirit of Baby to resolve the ghosts of the past. SORRY, ONLY THREE PIECES OF BAGGAGE ALLOWED ON THIS FLIGHT As the s�ance unfolds, we see various threads of the tapestry come together to eventually show the "big picture". In a series of flashbacks each character reveals his/her story. We see how each version is true, but incomplete. As more is told, more is revealed. Bunnie has problems of her own dealing with being sightless. On the one hand, she's a strong female character and she learns to adapt well to the mechanics of her world, but is still dependent on others to varying extents. She also still has a bit of a drugs/alcohol problem. She becomes a little paranoid and suspicious of Geoff, and while she senses him watching her, she is unsure of his motives or even his past. She decides she married "a stranger" and senses there is more to his past than he has revealed, but she does not yet know what that is. Geoff lived through the Hell that was Vietnam. Anyone who has had friends or family who survived that conflict will understand that not only was it a thankless campaign, but the stresses of those who fought it were immense. Geoff not only suffered physical wounds, he was scarred emotionally as well. Never knowing where enemy fire may come from, being attacked at any moment by an unseen enemy, can take its toll and it did on Geoff. Near the end of the film, we learn that during the war Geoff inadvertently killed a small child in Vietnam when he threw a grenade while his unit was being fired on. Tony was a neighbour of Bunnie and Geoff when he was a boy. He read to Bunnie because she couldn't see, and titles like "Love, Sex, and Relationships" were not yet in Braille. Tony had a huge crush on Bunnie when he was a lad. It was hinted he too might be involved in the death of Baby. But while Tony told his version of events, he left out some key elements too. Cassandra's connexion is the most mysterious of all. Near the end of the film, Cassandra claims to be Baby herself, but to her own immense surprise, she is not. Yet she lived most of her life thinking she was, and thinking her mother, Bunnie, rejected her. Yet all this bitterness was for nothing, since Cassandra and Bunnie are unrelated. As the film unfolds, and as we change places between past and present, more and more of the "truth" is revealed. One begins to wonder how all of these conflicting elements can be true, but it turns out that they all are. It is ultimately left to the spirit of Baby to take all the panels and stitch them into the final quilt. Yet for all its angst and nail-biting moments, CB survives all the tragedy and actually produces an uplifting and positive ending. It's an amazing bit of storytelling, sweeping in its scope yet with great attention to detail. NO SEX PLEASE, WE'RE BRITISH CB is probably not the film you'd want to take the kiddies to. There is violence, but not too much. There is nudity though tastefully done. There is harsh language but brief and not gratuitous. In America, the picture would certainly be rated "R" but only because Americans are still a couple of hundred years behind the rest of the world when it comes to attitudes about sex and adult relationships.Danielle Cormack is an amazing Bunnie. She not only faces the challenge of portraying a sightless character convincingly, but she also has to sustain intense emotion for an extended period of time. She goes from carefree hippie to protective mother with seeming ease. She shows absolutely no sense of self-consciousness in her "womb" scene where Bunnie "connects" with her unborn Baby. Most Hollywood actresses would shy away from such scenes but thank goodness kiwi filmmakers do not adopt all of Hollywood's sensibilities. Kevin Smith rises well to the challenge of the Geoff character. He is completely believable as the Vietnam Veteran who is haunted by his past. Kevin Smith is deeply sensitive in Geoff's display of affection for Bunnie, and his quiet suffering and subdued performance of the troubled Geoff is entirely sympathetic. Near the beginning of the film Kevin Smith shows something of an ominous side to Geoff as the character seems to have the ability to appear or disappear like the wind. As the film goes on, however, we see a softer side to Geoff that we are shown by Kevin Smith's performance, not hit over the head with by blunt explanation. Joel Tobeck's performance as Tony is something of an "anchor" for the other characters. While not having the burden of portraying a character in two different times, Joel's Tony is practical, quiet, and edgy. Tony carries his secrets like all the other characters do, and Joel's performance is spot on. Tony finds himself overwhelmed by events and is unsure how much to reveal and when. This uncertainty results in tragedy, and Joel's performance is neither overplayed nor underplayed in this regard. Amber Sainsbury is the somewhat gothic and slightly psychopathic Cassandra. She plays a character who has carefully thought out and orchestrated a series of events only to have that unravel right before her eyes near the end. Cassandra's shock at the end of the film is a tribute to Amber Sainsbury who shows no sign or hint of the surprise along the way. Although Bunnie and Geoff have the most screen time, Tony and Cassandra are no less important to the working of the story. I'D LIKE TO THANK THE ACADEMY... CB is a very well acted film, but it succeeds because all of the elements that go into a film come together so well. The script is great and the direction is very capable. Although there are some improbabilities in the story they do not come off as impossibilities. It is a very intricate script but not overly complicated. As the story unfolds it is a delight to see the elements intertwine rather than a burden. Set design and photography are also first rate. There are subtleties such as coloured filters used for the 1970's scenes. Past and present are interwoven without sign posts. The makeup work was extraordinary, making the young characters young and the older characters natural. As if the Auckland sites weren't enough to convince you this is a kiwi film, there is the trademark injection of humour in the most unlikely, but not unwelcome, places. For what it's worth, this film had my attention from beginning to end. I did not look at my watch once during the screening (that's a rare thing). There were plenty of surprises but nothing seemed forced. I honestly did not expect the ending I was presented with. If you have the opportunity to see this film, I encourage you to do so. |
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