PERFORMANCE PERSPECTIVES

"In My Father's Den"

STILL, READABLE & HONEST.

"In My Father's Den" is another darkly engaging film from New Zealand. In my experience New Zealand has a much stronger record of making personal films that deal with confronting issues in an individual way than we Australians do. "Smash Palace", "Once Were Warriors" and "Rain" are all films that live in ones memory. There are not many Australian films whose potency lingers in the same way.

Honest Performances
Because it has been adapted from a novel, this film has sustained some level of criticism for its complicated plot and unresolved story elements - the novel structure is always difficult to condense into a feature film format - but the film survives this difficulty because it has strong journey's for its characters. These character journeys are carried by well rounded, capably delivered performances that are worth watching. All the performances are worth watching whether it be the local contribution from the New Zealand cast or the imported English lead MATTHEW MACFADYEN. Complex and truthful these are actors who have built real worlds for their characters and who then trust the impulses that are driven by these circumstances. They are not indulgent performances but simple and honest ones and they move the story forward.

For stillness and simplicity MATTHEW MACFADYEN is outstanding. "In My Father's Den" is worth watching for his performance alone. Here is a fine example of the elegance of simplicity. It is not a 'clever' performance but one that speaks strongly because of its simple honesty. It is a great example of the power of uncluttered choices.

The Value of Experience
If there is anything to learn from "In My Father's Den" it is that there is great value in experience. This is most evident when watching these actors play moments of surprise. The general pattern is that the young actors move quickly through the confronting area of the surprise into the emotional outcome that the new information has generated. The more experienced actors spend a much longer period of time exploring and assessing the new information that has generated the surprise. The result of this is greater complexity in the character and greater drama in the story. Here again, MATTHEW MACFADYEN is an inspiring example but the rest of the adult cast do extremely well too.

Watch this film. It will build your confidence in the important values of performance and encourage you to keep working at building your skills no matter what your level of experience.

January 2005

Copyright © The Rehearsal Room 2005. All rights Reserved. www.rehearsalroom.com