Heathens, handbags and Hamlet: some art worth looking at
I spent the Easter break soaking up some art. Here are five things worth taking the time to watch, read and listen to.
Everything Everywhere All At Once
The highlight of my Easter weekend. I saw it with a friend at my local independent cinema. It was endlessly surprising, and so clean; there were so many promises and references laid in the first act that paid off later in the movie. I sat slouched in a bean bag (it’s one of those cool indie cinemas that has ✨bean bags✨) thinking this is the greatest film I’ve ever seen. This movie is perfect, and one day I want to write something just as crisp and fun and clever. I plan to return to it on days when I need to fill my creative well.
Watch Everything Everywhere All At Once in cinemas now, or on several streaming services, including YouTube.
P.S. Stephanie Hsu wins the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress in my heart.
Heathen – David Bowie
My dad associates some of his favourite albums with Easter break. School holidays meant road trips with his brother, which meant playing each other their favourite cassettes. Only the Easter holidays remind him of this; maybe it has something to do with the cycles of the music industry, or the fact that Australian Easters belongs in this magical space between early autumn and winter, when it’s still a pleasure to get outside because the air hasn’t yet turned icy. Good weather makes for good adventures.
Like my dad, holidays make me crave familiarity. I turn to art that comforts me, that encourages me to rest, to fill my creative well. I recently rewatched Brett Morgen’s documentary, Moonage Daydream (which you can stream on Netflix), and was in the mood to discover more of Bowie’s work. Despite owning a CD copy, I hadn’t listened to his Heathen album (the CD was purchased on a trip to Melbourne, after which I realised, disappointed, that my laptop doesn’t have a disc drive) in full. It’s a melancholy album, but not without currents of hope. And god, Bowie’s voice is especially gorgeous on it.
My favourite tracks: Sunday, I Took A Trip On A Gemini Spaceship, Everyone Says ‘Hi’.
Handbag: The Untold Story of the F… Hag
This documentary from Monica Davidson took me by surprise. The concept of a ‘fag hag’, or ‘handbag’ – terms given to a straight woman with an entourage of gay friends – was new to me. I worried, was this going to be about straight people putting themselves at the heart of queer communities? Were they there to support queer people, or were they just seeking validation?
I shouldn’t have worried. Handbag celebrates the unique friendships that exist between straight women and gay men. It was also about how these ‘hags’ and ‘handbags’ felt like they weren’t feminine enough, or were otherwise performing their womanhood ‘incorrectly’; they are women who delight in dressing up, who love going dancing with their friends and who feel safe and welcome in queer nightclubs. And it was about how these women are at the heart of much LGBTQIA+ advocacy, from campaigning for marriage equality to celebrating with their queer friends at pride events.
Catch Handbag for free on SBS On Demand.
Atmosphere – Clarice Beckett
If my neighbour hadn’t invited me to see this exhibition, I would have overlooked it. The visual arts world is still a mystery to me. I’m more likely to go to a gallery to see a) work from an artist I recognise, b) fashion exhibitions, and c) the Archibald Prize shortlist.
Beckett’s paintings – cityscapes of bayside Melbourne in varying light conditions – remind me of Picnic at Hanging Rock. It’s said that, to get that misty quality, the crew covered their cameras with bridal lace. Some of Beckett’s paintings have this same feeling, streetscapes so laden with fog that the road is only a suggestion, the rain brushing everything out of focus. There are no definite edges. I appreciated their softness. Her paintings of boats out on the water, the clean triangles of their sails, were my favourites.
Catch Clarice Beckett’s paintings at the Geelong Gallery until Sunday 9 July 2023.
Bernhardt/Hamlet – Melbourne Theatre Company
Back when I was writing for Deakin disruptr, I interviewed Dr Victoria Duckett for this article on early cinema. Dr Duckett was explaining how, while film as an art form was finding its feet, it was used as a tool to promote stage performances. Actors were using it to promote their traveling productions – and none with greater aplomb than a certain Sarah Bernhardt, the first celebrity, one who used film and advertising to cultivate a fan base and a mythology around her work.
Dr Duckett told me two facts about Sarah Bernhardt that I have not forgotten:
When Bernhardt performed death scenes, she was known for fainting in a spiral shape, and
Bernhardt decided that only a woman understood how to play the titular prince in Shakespeare’s Hamlet, who could combine his youthful naiveté with flashes of wisdom beyond his years.
So when I saw that Melbourne Theatre Company were staging a production of a show called Bernhardt/Hamlet, I dragged a friend to see a matinee and had a fabulous time. Later, I pulled Maggie O’Farrell’s Hamnet out from my TBR pile, so I could learn more about the people in Shakespeare’s life, and the boy who inspired the play.
Bernhardt/Hamlet closes in Melbourne on Saturday April 15. If you didn’t catch it, you can hear from the Director and cast, take a tour through the production’s costume and set design, or read Dr Duckett’s article, Defying Convention, on the Melbourne Theatre Company website.