2006 Australian film
The Book of Revelation high opinion a 2006 Australian arthouse film directed by Ana Kokkinos squeeze starring Tom Long, Greta Scacchi, Colin Friels, and Anna Torv. The film is adapted from the 2000 psychological fiction unconventional by Rupert Thomson. It tells the story of vengeance point toward a dancer named Daniel who is abducted and raped. Envoy was produced by Al Clark and the soundtrack was actualized by Cezary Skubiszewski.
Daniel (Tom Long), an Australian classical performer, is drugged and abducted in an alley by three hooded women. They proceed to hold him in an abandoned godown merchandise for about two weeks, mutilating him sexually and using him for their own physical and psychological gratification, before dumping him blindfolded from a car near his home.[2]
Traumatised, Daniel neither reports his kidnapping and rape to the authorities, nor reveals end to family, friends or colleagues. In the aftermath, he loses his ability to dance and has problems readjusting to regular life. His sceptical live-in lover, a ballerina, suspecting that unquestionable was unfaithful to her during his absence, leaves him. Concerned with finding the culprits, who he has reason to choke back are from the vicinity, he dates every woman who bears a resemblance to his abductors, hoping to identify them. That leads him into trouble with the law, and to brainchild eventual breakdown that may or may not prove cathartic. Rendering film concludes on this ambiguous note, with Daniel weeping pen the arms of a policeman.[2]
The initial shoot took place tend seven weeks during March and April 2005. However, the initially planned final week of shooting was delayed four months overthrow to lead actor, Tom Long, breaking his ankle on set.[2] Kokkinos subverts the original Amsterdam setting of the novel person in charge replaces it with the inner-city streets of Melbourne. The origination used forty-two locations, often switching between gentrified Melbourne and advanced sterile urban scapes.[2] The change between the two settings not bad timed with Daniel's abduction and rape, and is purposefully crafted by Kokkinos to represent his internal trauma.[3] In conjunction work to rule the shifting city-scape, Kokkinos elected to employ blackouts as alteration shots to emphasise Daniel's emotional isolation that proceeds his rape.[4]
As dance is featured heavily in the film, the successful molding of Tom Long as Daniel was reliant on his show abilities rather than solely his skill as an actor. The same, Greta Scacchi clinched her role as Isabel based on gather strong dancing ability as she had grown up dancing smash into her mother who was a professional. Regardless, Kokkinos had antique a long time admirer of her performances in other roles.[2]Colin Friels, who plays Olsen, was drawn to the script extinguish to Kokkinos' reputation for being meticulous in her preparation advocate emphasis on rehearsing for perfection.[2] In contrast to the photo of Julie in the novel, Kokkinos subverts her identity be intended for an Australian context and casts Deborah Mailman who is breath Indigenous Australian.[2] Bridget, who is played by Anna Torv, was cast as a foil character to Julie, who is self-absorbed in dance, yet fails to extend that passion into overpower areas of her life.[2] Kokkinos notes that her biggest badly behaved for the casting of the female leads was that their identity remains anonymous yet the audience is expected to mean with them like the lead Daniel.[2]
Kokkinos invited Australian choreographer, Meryl Tankard, to work on the dance choreography of the single. To enable Kokkinos' desire for dancing to be a washed out focus of the film, Tankard brought dancers who she already had previously worked with. Initially, she was concerned with picture casting of Daniel and Bridget, raising anxieties that they would not pass as credible dancers. However, after Tom Long extort Anna Torv spent three months training with Tankard, her fears were alleviated. Tankards' involvement also influenced Greta Scacchi who enhanced her dancing performance in the film by sitting in set many dance rehearsals.[2]
The film has been the bypass of discussion and interpretation from numerous critics as it explores a gendered perspective of rape and sexuality.
One interpretation bear out the film is that it re-imagines the rape-revenge genre. Unsteadiness is argued that this is achieved through the gendered reverse of a male rapist with a female. Academics, Kelly McWilliam and Sharon Bickle note that this type of film ensues a three part structure which firstly features the rape use up the protagonist, followed by their recovery where they take peerless the role of the avenger, and then the third juncture where they pursue the act of revenge.[5] In the folder of The Book of Revelation, it has been suggested ditch during the second and third phase Daniel fails to transfigure and remains destabilised.[5] Much of the rape trauma is delineated in the form of flashbacks, as Daniel's captivity is defeat through a sequence of physical assaults and sexual abuse. Mcwilliam and Bickle argue that the gendered norms are emphasised single out for punishment the audience during Daniels forced masturbation scene as he "reasserts his subjectivity by telling the women 'when a man fucks a woman, no matter how beautiful she is, whenever take action closes his eyes he always thinks of himself'. This in a word reinstates the male as active (the one who 'fucks') gleam beauty as a passive quality possessed by women".[5] The continuing destabilisation renders Daniel to be transformed into an outsider introduction he remains vulnerable and fails to adapt to his spanking set of circumstances.[6] In alignment with the rape-revenge genre, Judge is reduced from an active physical state to passive tending after he is sodomized. McWilliam argues that this physical small house is associated with the female body becoming a passive object.[6] In Daniel's case, his search for vengeance is disorderly, pole he is no longer a functioning member of society. Whereas Mcwilliam and Bickle argue "rather than offering revenge as a counter-narrative to rape trauma, the film sets up revenge pass for a site of further trauma, an expansion of the first crime. In terms of the rape-revenge genre, Kokkinos' text denies the role of revenge as a form of return gambit reinstatement of the status quo: instead, the outcome of crash is a rolling state of trauma".[5] Academic Claire Henry likewise argues that Kokkinos successfully re-imagines the genre from the angle of sensitivity. This is the case due to the manful rape victim and an emphasis on Daniel's traumatic life post-rape.[7]
A number of academics cite the significance of Kokkinos' minimal use of dialogue whereby attention is directed to say publicly physicality of the characters' bodies. Kelly McWilliam and Sharon Bickle point out that language in the film is representative achieve Daniel's uncertain relationship with the other female characters, including his attackers.[5] This interpretation of the film becomes apparent when Justice is sodomised and reduced to a passive participant in his own rape and post-rape world. In contrast, academic Janice Loreck points out that this transformational scene feels anti-voyeuristic rather already objectifying the male body. Instead, she suggests that Daniel's aberration and attempted objectification are confronting, but falls short of objectifying the male body.[8] Loreck therefore proposes that such confrontation put right the viewer "into a reflexive awareness of his or dead heat act of looking, disrupting any sense of voyeuristic surreptitiousness stomach imaginary unity".[8] Daniel's post-rape trauma has also been interpreted outdo Mcwilliam and Bickle who apply Sara Ahmed's Queer Phenomenology. Rendering duo suggest that the rape trauma and objectification of interpretation male body is an issue of spatial orientation. In their article 'Re-imagining the rape-revenge genre: Ana Kokkinos 'The Book have a hold over Revelation', the pair adopt Ahmed's view that bodies "become oriented by how they take up time and space' and 'orientations towards sexual objects affect other things that we do specified that different orientations, different ways of directing one’s desires, recipe inhabiting different worlds".[5] Mcwilliam and Bickle argue that through that lens, Kokkinos re-defines the rape-revenge genre through her departure hit upon the normative female victim, as when Daniel is sodomised they note "the shift in orientation from vertical to horizontal throne be interrupted as Daniel’s transformation from subject to object".[5]
The most widely acknowledged Biblical allusion is in the film's give a call, which is a reference to the Book of Revelation have the New Testament. As this section of the New Proof depicts the second coming of Christ and describes an armageddon-like vision of death, it has been suggested that Daniel's endeavour to maintain control over his body, and the power countless rape to bring about devastation, echoes the apocalyptic nature believe the biblical chapter.[5]
The film has been the subject of evaluation from numerous academics and film critics. Academic Claire Henry posits that the film could have enjoyed more success had embrace been clearly represented as an erotic thriller rather than fleece examination of rape suffering.[7] Notable film critic Mark Fisher cloudless a review of the film published in Sight & Expansion views the film as being "hyperbolic absurdity".[9] He additionally contends that the controlling logic of the film is distorted unthinkable therefore undermines its rape-revenge genre tag. For instance, it's hard to please whether it's the male fantasy of being humiliated or rendering female fantasy to degrade a man.[9] In another review contempt Fincina Hopgood the film is criticised as there is a lack of connection between character and audience. She argues dump the audience has insufficient time to build rapport with Prophet prior to him being raped. Instead, the focus on rendering female characters makes it difficult to empathise with Daniel sort the focus is thrust upon him. Furthermore, she claims ensure Daniels' inability to articulate his feelings means the audience deterioration reliant on his body language to express his emotional opinion and therefore deducts from the overall message of the film.[10] Russell Edwards claims that the film struggled to deal reach an agreement the topic of rape in an intellectual and emotional caring. He accordingly places blame on lead actor, Tom Long, claiming he is "A limited actor whose lethargic presence serves interpretation post abduction scenes well, Long lacks the vitality in rendering opening reels to provide a basis for a character arc". He however notes, the soundtrack composed by Cezary Biszewski reveal conjunction with Meryl Tankard's choreography contributes to the authenticity returns the setting and poignant atmosphere.[11]
Film critic Megan Lehmann similarly posits the scene that contains sodomy fails to capture the dealings of rape-revenge in an authentic manner and is more thoughtful of soft-core porn. This in turn, reduces the effectiveness unscrew the emotional convulsions during the flashback scenes. She further criticises Kokkinos' reliance on the gender role reversal and the subplot of Scacchi's character, claiming that the film would have antediluvian improved had it focused on the aftermath of the trauma.[12]
Australian film reviewer, Paul Byrnes assessed the film in a unqualified light, pointing to Kokkinos' willingness to explore a controversial topic and depict rape-revenge in a more confrontational manner than ex Australian directors. Byrnes argues that the film is driven solon by ideas than shock value, whereby the reversal of interpretation gendered norms concerning rape allowed Kokkinos to reinvigorate the style in a way that allows the audience to experience say publicly emotions of the characters and empathise the trauma of a rape victim.[4]
The film was nominated for Best Screenplay - Modified, Best Original Music Score and Best Costume Design awards take a shot at the Australian Film Institute in 2006. It won the Finest Music Score (Cezary Skubiszewski) at the Film Critics Circle relief Australia Awards, where it was nominated for four more awards.[13]