Slam (2018 film)

Slam is a 2018 Australian drama film written and directed by Partho Sen-Gupta. It is an official Australian-French co-production with funding from Screen Australia, Screenwest, Screen NSW, the French National Center of Cinematography and the moving image and private funders. The main roles are played by Adam Bakri and Rachael Blake.[1] It was an official selected project at the 2016 International Film Festival Rotterdam's CineMart[2] and the 2016 Berlinale Co-production Market.[3]

Slam
Slam Artistic Poster 2018
Directed byPartho Sen-Gupta
Produced byMichael Wrenn
Marc Irmer
Tenille Kennedy
Written byPartho Sen-Gupta
StarringAdam Bakri
Rachael Blake
Rebecca Breeds
Darina Al Joundi
Danielle Horvat
Music byEryck Abecassis
CinematographyBonnie Elliott
Edited byAnnick Raoul
Release date
  • 27 November 2018 (2018-11-27)
Running time
116 minutes
CountryAustralia, France
LanguageEnglish

The film is set in modern day Sydney, Australia, and was shot on location in its Western suburbs.[4]

Slam had its world premiere at the Official Selection Competition at the Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival on 27 November 2018.[5][6] On 15 June 2019, the film had its Australian premiere at the Sydney Film Festival in the Special Presentations section at the State Theatre.[7][8] It has since screened many film festivals notably at the Melbourne International Film Festival[9] and was the Opening film at the 2019 Darwin International Film Festival.[10]

Plot

Ricky Nasser is a young Australian whose peaceful suburban life turns into hell when sister Ameena, a slam poet, disappears without a trace.

Cast

Reception

British Film Critic Victor Fraga of DMovies called it 'the film of the year' in his review of the premiere screening at the 2018 Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival.[11] After the Australian premiere at the 2019 Sydney Film Festival, academic researcher Ingrid Matthews reviewed the film for the Australian Critical Race & Whiteness Studies (ACRAWSA) blog, writing, "Slam is a devastating film. Devastatingly good, devastatingly sad, and devastatingly accurate in its portrayal of racism in Australia. The camera turns its gaze on two institutions in particular: the media; and law enforcement."[12] Film Critic Christine Westwood wrote in Filmink "For all its tough subject matter, Slam is a gripping, entertaining mystery. You can’t turn away from it until the very end."[13]

The film had a limited theatrical release in Australia on 17 October 2019[14] and received many positive reviews. The Australian award-winning film critic David Stratton gave the film 4/5 stars in his video review 'David Stratton Recommends'[15] and, in The Australian, stated "Slam is very impressive: it tells an important story in a convincing and enthralling way".[16] The film critic Sandra Hall also gave it 4/5 stars in her review in the Sydney Morning Herald[17] and The Age[18] and said "[Director Partho Sen-Gupta]'s a confident talent with a finely tuned instinct for the mechanics of plot and character. There's a lot going on in this film and although the conclusion it reaches is pretty predictable, the trajectory it takes is not." Jim Schembri, Journalist, critic, and author gave the film 3 1/2 Stars on 3AW and said "Without descending into hysterics writer/director Partho Sen-Gupta does a fine job detailing how promptly fear and suspicion can be coaxed used to promote an official agenda. It's a strong-minded, subdued film that bravely confronts the politics of grief."[19] Film Critic Richard Kuipers in Variety called it "an outstanding slow-burn thriller"[20]

Guardian Australia film critic Luke Buckmaster named the film as one of 'The best Australian films of 2019' and wrote "Sen-Gupta doesn’t turn a blind eye to grim reality, nor does he prioritise verisimilitude over dramatically interesting storytelling."[21]

References
  1. "Partho Sen-Gupta directs Australian-French Feature Slam". Screen Australia. 22 May 2017.
  2. Michael Rosser (15 December 2015). "IFFR: CineMart 2016 line-up". Screen Daily.
  3. Michael Rosser (16 January 2016). "Berlin 2016: Co-pro market lineup". Screen Daily.
  4. Groves, Don (4 December 2017). "Partho Sen-Gupta's 'Slam' takes a fresh look at terrorism". if.com.au.
  5. Kozlov, Vladimir (10 October 2018). "Tallinn Black Nights Festival Unveils Competition Lineup". The Hollywood Reporter.
  6. "Programme Official Selection: Slam". poff.ee. 17 October 2018.
  7. Keast, Jackie (8 May 2019). "'Judy & Punch', 'Hearts and Bones' in competition at Sydney Film Festival". if.com.au.
  8. "Slam". sff.org.au. 8 May 2019.
  9. "Slam film Page". Melbourne International Film Festival. 9 August 2019.
  10. "Slam - DIFF Opening Night". Deckchair Cinema. 12 September 2019.
  11. "Slam Review - Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival". Dmovies.org. 28 November 2018.
  12. Matthews, Ingrid (19 June 2019). "Love in the Time of Terror: Slam at Sydney Film Festival".
  13. Westwood, Christine (14 June 2018). "Slam: Poetic Australian Film". Filmink.
  14. "SLAM opens in cinemas on 17 October". filmink.com.au.
  15. "David Stratton reviews SLAM". David Stratton Recommends.
  16. "Critic Reviews For Slam". Rotten Tomatoes.
  17. Hall, Sandra (16 October 2019). "A small story tackling big issues". Sydney Morning Herald.
  18. Hall, Sandra (16 October 2019). "A small story tackling big issues". The Age.
  19. "Jim Schembri's new release movie reviews 17 Oct, 2019". 3AW. 17 October 2019.
  20. Kuipers, Richard (17 October 2018). "Film Review: 'Slam'". Variety.
  21. Buckmaster, Luke (16 December 2019). "From The Final Quarter to Judy & Punch: the best Australian films of 2019". Guardian Australia.
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