Review of He Died with a Felafel in His Hand (2001) by Steven K — 22 Jul 2010

"Want to get married?" asks Danny, a melancholy character, played by Noah Taylor, who smokes heavily and dreams of being something. "Something" isn't defined, because Danny hasn't found what that something should be.

He is the de facto leader of a ragged bunch of transitional young people living together in a run down home. "Can't, got to go out later," Sam answers. He Died with a Felafel in His Hand is an Australian film about a journey of self-discovery.

Its overall tone is a bit offbeat, as if a little detached from the story. It is hilarious, and clever while also being very pseudo-philosophical, melancholy and tragic. In reality, it is a character driven film focused on the relationship between one man and his friends.

Which friends are real, and which just pass through his life? His love - is it infatuation, and what is he missing? Felafel is accredited with quite a few awards and nominations, but I think it would really only appeal to those who enjoy independent films.

However it is a film that I think could bring those who previously had no interest in the independent scene into a wider palette of film enjoyment. There really is a lot of moments in the film that made me laugh hard, and plenty of dialog that you'll want to memorize, but also moments that really made me sad.

I really enjoyed this film, and I do recommend it with the caveat that not everyone is going to enjoy it the same way as I did.