Review of The Little Death (2014) by Harry W — 16 Sep 2014

Although I had no idea precisely what The Little Death was about, as I had won free tickets to a screening where I was given a chance to meet the director, it would be ignorant to miss it.

I must say that I was thoroughly pleased with The Little Death, because while it was not perfect, it was one of the best Australian films of 2014. But unlike most other Australian films, this was because it was not a film deliberately attempting to be Australian. It just wanted to be a good film. And that is exactly what it was.

The Little Death was an interesting experience. It was one of those films not so much about narrative but more about characters. In that process it tells many stories which are all quite engaging because they all present tales for different figures in the story. While there is not exactly an ideal resolution for all of these which may leave viewers with mixed feelings, the fact that writer-director Josh Lawson chose not to resort to tedious sentimentality for it is admirable. Josh Lawson himself admits that the film is commercial, but the storytelling in the film is far from that. The Little Death focuses strictly on the characters and their sexual psychology as well as how that gets them into some interesting situations which are played off for both touching dramatic result and comedic effect. The light nature of the film made it a gentle and intelligent experience, and the simplistic nature of the storytelling is terrific, made all the more interesting by an innovative plot structure which has the film deviating back and forth between multiple changing storylines. The Little Death manages to seamlessly go between these stories and constantly keep viewers engaged by getting to the point and staying interesting consistently, and it went along at the appropriately fast pace from start to finish. Plus, considering its running time of only about 93 minutes, it never overstays its welcome and stays interesting the entire time.

The Little Death is Josh Lawson's answer to Citizen Kane as it is a film he wrote, directed and acted in all at once. He never comes up short in any of these areas, and each role he plays is incredible. As a writer, he is able to fuel The Little Death with a savvy screenplay which is full of intelligent and hilarious dialogue which is so organic that nothing ever feels the slightest bit forced. The Little Death is hilarious due to the subject matter of the situations and the humorous reality of them which is dealt with excellently, and so the film serves as a great medium for Josh Lawson's directional talent. He handles his own material perfectly and gives it a lot of atmosphere and energy, as well as ensuring that the originality of the material is further maintained by its creative form of storytelling. It is also stylish enough thanks to nice scenery, firm cinematography and a soundtrack full of nostalgic tunes in a style reminiscent of Woody Allen whom was an influence on Josh Lawson.

The thing which is most interesting about The Little Death is just how it deals with its subject matter. It takes on edgy concepts about sexual fetishes and looks into the characters who maintain these fantasies by exploring how they precisely feel about them as well as how the discovery of them proves to impact on the wider lives of the people involved. The characters are all very interesting because they have sexual fantasies ranging from dacryphilia to role playing and even to the edgy theme of rape which is explored in a clever and comic way without degrading the actual real world horror of the act. Josh Lawson's approach to the film is excellently ambitious, and his talent for writing and directing even overshadow the skill of his leading performance.

Josh Lawson's leading performance is great because of how determined he is in the role of a man pleasing his wife with a freaky fantasy. He really plays a sympathetic and likable character because the audience is likely to find themselves turned off by what he is forced to face, and later supporting him in his ambition to turn it into a reality for his wife. His wife, portrayed by Bojana Novakovic is even able to make a sympathetic case simply by talking about how the fantasy is just a thought, as well as putting her naturally likable charm into the part. The chemistry between these two actors does emit a true sense of a young couple in love which gives it a sense of reality and makes this story a charming and interesting one, so the two are able to carry it to the end with individual charm and strong interactions with each other.

Damon Herrington is hilarious in The Little Death simply because of his passion and determination for the part. Once his fascination with role play comes out, it becomes one of the film's most hilarious virtues because of the fact that he is a real crowd pleaser. He is so hilariously dedicated to the part with every inch of his line delivery and involvement that he makes the role into a really great character who is hilarious during the comedic moments and sympathetic during the others. His engaging dramatic chemistry with Kate Mulvany is also excellent because the conflict that arises between the two is such a realistic depiction of the traumatic experience that is marriage, so the two of them make a terrific duo.

Patrick Brammall is great because of the way he is constantly able to cry on cue throughout all of the emotionally dramatic situations, and he shares strong interactions with Kate Box who stands out in these scenes due to her insatiable nature and comic passion. She approaches the material with mindless dedication to it which has her sinking into the role really well, making her funny and somewhat sympathetic yet appropriately unlikable at the same time. She stirs up conflicted feelings in the viewers and does it with such natural charm that it is terrific, so her and Patrick Brammall make a fine team also.

Alan Dukes turns in a fine performance, Kim Gyngell is appropriately likable and Erin James and T.J. Power do an excellent job making audiences laugh with their exceptional skills for sign language.

So despite not being perfect in terms of narrative, The Little Death is an original and hilarious Australian film with an interesting look at sexuality, a great collection of characters and excellent dedication from Josh Lawson.