SAFETY Beach actor, singer and film producer Cindy Pritchard will be part of a Q&A following the screening of her new film, Christmess, at Rosebud Cinema at 7pm on 14 December.
Pritchard is one of the producers of the Australian indie film, written and directed by Heath Davis.
The film stars Steve le Marquand (2 Hands, Broke) Darren Gilshenan (Colin from Accounts) and Hannah Joy from indie band Middle Kids, while Pritchard also has a role.
Le Marquand plays a once famous actor with an alcohol addiction who is fresh out of rehab and gets a gig performing as Santa Claus in a mall.
After accidentally meeting his estranged daughter (Nicole Pastor), he seeks help from his sponsor (Gilshenan) and a musician in recovery (Joy) to try to win his daughter’s forgiveness in time for the festive season.
Critics have called it an “honest” and a hilarious interpretation of Christmas with all the elements of the festive season – expectations, anxiety, economic struggle, stress and alcohol excess.
Writing in the 30 November issue of The Conversation, Ari Mattes, lecturer in communications and media, University of Notre Dame Australia, said Christmess “lingers in the imagination far longer than most Hollywood-scale productions”.
He rated the cinematography by Chris Bland as “excellent – it looks like it’s been shot for cinemas and not streaming, making the most of the wide aspect ratio and long lenses, with the handheld style recalling the imagery of more savage suburban movies like Snowtown”.
“It wouldn’t surprise me if this were at the top of lists of Australian Christmas movies. It’s undoubtedly one of the best Christmas films to emerge – from anywhere – in recent years,” Mattes said.
Christmess is screening in selected cinemas in Australia and New Zealand.
First published in the Mornington News – 12 December 2023
