I have just seen this film at the Melbourne Women in Film Festival 2019, with the director Angie Black in attendance for a Q&A. Her unique style of direction involved very deep collaboration with the actors in developing characters and storylines as filming progressed. On the surface it is about grief and loss, following the death of one character and the ripples affecting her husband, her daughter, her lover and other friends. The Provocations are the fantastical, whimsical, Felliniesque overlay, which provoke many giggles if not belly laughs. It is rare to see any hat which represents female genitalia in such a delightful and complete manner. Don't want to say any more, it should be seen fresh without too many pre-conceptions. The minority of characters are heterosexual, but that just happens to be part of the richness of the palette here rather than plot relevant.
The Five Provocations
2018
Drama
The Five Provocations
2018
Drama
6.2Keywords: woman director
Plot summary
Four seemingly disparate people become entangled. Marlena is dealing with the loss of Rosie. Paul is also dealing with the loss of Rosie; unaware that anyone might be hurting as much as he is. Bridget is just trying to survive in the new and scary life she's stepped into alone. And Clinton is struggling to come to terms with his sense of self, as both a parent and in his gender identity. Throughout the film, these people come together and change each other's lives in ways they could never have predicted. But not before facing weird and wonderful confrontations with the most unlikely scenarios. All are provoked by unexpected encounters with women who force them to face their past, their fears and themselves. One moment, one chance meeting, one show stopping performance will force them to face their fears and change their lives forever. Existing live performance art pieces within Melbourne were used to create the provocations that drive each of the character narratives. With characters developed over two years prior to filming, reactions to the provocations are entirely unscripted and authentic. The FIVE Provocations is an ensemble drama about overcoming emotional trauma. It examines the five emotional responses to provocation and asks the question what would you do?
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