Joe Cinque's Consolation (film)

Plot synopsis

Anu Singh, an Australian National University student, drugged her boyfriend Joe Cinque's coffee with Rohypnol and injected him with heroin in 1997. The other guests of the dinner party in which this incident took place were aware of the murder plot and yet nobody warned him.

Cast

Production

The film was shot over a 6-week period, beginning in April 2015. Shooting took place around the city of Canberra. It received financial support from Screen Australia and the Australian Capital Territory Government. Screen Australia paid a $13,000 feature film development grant that was approved in May 2012. The ACT Government's contribution of $16,220, paid through the ACT Screen Arts Fund, was to assist with mentoring support for Dounoukos during key phases of the film's production.

Release

The film's world premiere was at the 2016 Melbourne International Film Festival. It was also selected to be screened in the Discovery section at the 2016 Toronto International Film Festival. It was released nationally in cinemas across Australia on 13 October 2016.

Critical response

The film has received mostly positive reviews, earning an 80% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes and a 71% audience score, but has also been criticised for being an incomplete adaptation of the book. Reviewing the film for The Sydney Morning Herald, Paul Byrne wrote that it was intriguing in dramatic terms, "but not entirely satisfying". Academic Dirk de Bruyn found the film engaging and called it "mature and intelligent". Rochelle Siemienowicz praised elements of the film's cinematography and wrote that the mentality of the times was captured realistically, but lamented that dialogue delivered by Sacha Joseph as Madhavi Rao made the character seem robotic. Sandra Hall wrote that Joe Cinque is the only comprehensible character in the film, giving it three stars. Luke Buckmaster in The Guardian gave the film two stars and called it a "rather cynical exercise in brand association". Richard Kuipers, writing for Variety in North America, gave a positive review: "[the film] offers a moody and compelling study of the facts while leaving audiences to draw their own conclusions to the burning question of why people would act like this". He went onto praise the performances by the two leads, as well as praising the technical details of the film, particularly the cinematography and score, stating: "Cinematographer Simon Chapman contrasts his warm lensing of intimate scenes with deliberately plain imagery of Canberra’s flat and uninteresting suburban landscape. Antonio Gambale’s fine score slides nicely from bouncy rhythms in early, happy times to brooding soundscapes as Singh’s monstrous plan takes shape. All other tech work is solid."

Writing for The Guardian, critic James Robert Douglas criticised the film for leaving out all courtroom scenes and the voice of author Helen Garner, who was not involved in the film's production, did not attend the premiere, and seemed to have distanced herself from the film. Andrew L. Urban, writing for Urban Cinefile, said: "Eliminating all the complexities that could make the film a gripping ride into a singular aspect the human psyche as well as a fascinating glimpse into the limitations of our justice system, Dounoukos has drained the film of its potential impact. There is none of those aspects here, and the result is a rather meaningless affair, directed with little flair and the editing allowing too many slack, empty moments."

Accolades

Maggie Naouri was nominated for Best Actress at the 6th AACTA Awards, but ultimately lost to Odessa Young for The Daughter.