The Railway Man
dir. Jonathan Teplitzky (2013)
After disguising its intent with a quirky, rom-com affable opening, The Railway Man slips into a mix of astutely played modern drama and harrowing WWII POW historical remembrance. The brutality of the latter seeds the emotional clout of Lomax and Nagase’s reconciliation.
Destroyer
dir. Karyn Kusama (2018)
Destroyer moves fast for its 2-hour running time, and features a standout performance by Nicole Kidman (virtually unrecognisable, swimming with assurance well outside her comfort zone). The choreographed interplay between past and present scenes proves particularly artful in playing with genre expectations.