Girl Asleep (film)
2015 Australian film
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Girl Asleep is a 2015 Australian surrealist coming-of-age drama film written by Matthew Whittet and directed by Rosemary Myers.[2][3][4] The film has been described as an extroverted fantasy dreamscape of an introverted teenage girl.[5] The film is an adaptation of the successful theatre production, also written by Matthew Whittet,[6] by Windmill Theatre in 2014 of the same name, that premiered at the Adelaide Festival.[7] The cast includes: Bethany Whitmore,[8] Tilda Cobham-Hervey,[9][10] Imogen Archer,[7] Harrison Feldman, Amber McMahon, Eamon Farren, scriptwriter Matthew Whittet[7] and Maiah Stewardson.
by Matthew Whittet
| Girl Asleep | |
|---|---|
Australian release poster | |
| Directed by | Rosemary Myers |
| Screenplay by | Matthew Whittet |
| Based on | Girl Asleep (play) by Matthew Whittet |
| Produced by | Jo Dyer |
| Starring | Bethany Whitmore Harrison Feldman Imogen Archer Tilda Cobham-Hervey Eamon Farren Matthew Whittet Amber McMahon Maiah Stewardson |
| Cinematography | Andrew Commis ACS |
| Edited by | Karryn de Cinque |
| Music by | Luke Smiles Harry Covill |
| Distributed by | Kojo Group |
Release date |
|
Running time | 77 minutes |
| Country | Australia |
| Language | English |
| Budget | AU$1.5 million |
| Box office | $211,637[1] |
Girl Asleep showed at the 2016 Berlin International Film Festival to critical acclaim,[citation needed] and garnered the top prize at CinefestOZ, the richest film prize in Australia.[11]
Plot
In the late 1970s, 14-year old Greta Driscoll arrives at a new school. She is immediately befriended by the overenthusiastic Elliott, whom she likes, and is also approached by a group of sophisticated girls, Jade, Sapphire and Amber, who pressure her into friendship even though she doesn't like them.
Greta's mother worries that she has no friends and decides to invite her whole school to her fifteenth birthday party. Though Greta is extremely opposed to the idea, she eventually allows her mother to proceed with her plan. The day of the party Greta is surprised to find herself having fun but is yanked away from the party by Amber and her friends who give her a song they have recorded where they mock her body. Running away crying Greta is approached by Elliott who confesses he has a crush on her. Greta cruelly shuts him down.
Shortly afterwards Greta notices a strange creature in her room who has stolen her music box. Chasing it, she finds herself lured into the forest behind her house where menacing creatures lurk. As she is about to be attacked she meets the Huldra who rescues her. After being separated from the Huldra, Greta tries to find her music box and is instead frozen by a woman smashing various music boxes. She is once again rescued by the Huldra who throws her back into her world. After fighting off evil versions of Amber, Jade and Sapphire, Greta finds the creature who stole her music box and discovers the creature is actually her child self.
Awakening in her bedroom, Greta is met by her older sister who comforts her and tells her that while her current age is an awkward one she is not alone. Greta returns to the party where she apologises to Elliott and she asks him to switch clothes so that she can abandon the uncomfortable dress her mother forced her to wear. Decked out in Elliot's suit, Greta blows out her candles and celebrates her 15th birthday.
Cast
- Bethany Whitmore as Greta[7]
- Harrison Feldman as Elliott[7]
- Imogen Archer as Genevieve[7]
- Tilda Cobham-Hervey as The Huldra[7]
- Eamon Farren[2] as Adam / Benoit Tremet
- Matthew Whittet[2] as Conrad / Abject Man
- Amber McMahon[2] as Janet / Frozen Woman
- Maiah Stewardson as Jade
- Fiona Dawson[2] as Sapphire
- Grace Dawson[2] as Amber
- Lucy Cowan as Little Greta
- Ellen Steele as Miss Shiswick
- Danielle Catanzariti[2] as Denise Mackel
Production
The film received funding from Windmill Theatre, South Australian Film Corporation, The Ian Potter Foundation and The Hive Production Fund, a unique initiative of the Adelaide Film Festival in partnership with the Australia Council for the Arts, Screen Australia and ABC Arts.[2]
The film was primarily shot in Adelaide, South Australia, with most of the interior and forest shots filmed at Anomaly Studios.[7] Other locations include Findon High School, Blackwood Forest, Bonython Park and a private house in the suburb of Panorama.[4]
Reception
Critical response
On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 82% of 38 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 6.70/10. The website's consensus reads: "Girl Asleep takes a singularly quirky look at adolescence with a distinctive visual style and a refreshing perspective that belies the story's period setting."[12] According to Metacritic, which compiled 12 reviews and calculated a weighted average score of 67 out of 100, the film received "generally favorable reviews".[13]
Jane Howard of The Guardian praises the film giving it 4 out of 5 stars and said that "It’s remarkable how comfortable the oddities we might associate with theatre sit on the screen".[14] and further stating "The rich colours popping from cinematographer Andrew Commis’s 4:3 aspect ratio draw us back into an Australia of the past. Production and costume designer Jonathon Oxlade also embraces the 70s in all of its oddities and excess. And yet Myers always grounds her characters and their stories in a recognisable reality, drawing out delicate and nuanced performances. Even when the fantasy and magic reaches a peak, we still feel passionately engaged with the humanity."[14] Simon Foster of Screen-Space gave the film 4.5 out of 5 stars and said "As Greta embraces her blossoming self, so to does Australian cinema welcome another memorable movie heroine."[15] Cat Kusmuk-Dodd of The Upside News states "Both Greta’s journey through her everyday life and into her imaginary world make for a visually pleasing experience, the latter enchanting us with the appearance of creatures similar to those in The Mighty Boosh. The excessive timber décor and brightly coloured wallpaper in the Driscoll’s family home would not seem out of place in Napoleon Dynamite."[16]
Accolades
| Award | Category | Subject | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Adelaide Film Festival | Audience Award for Most Popular Feature | Rosemary Myers | Won |
| Jo Dyer | Won | ||
| AACTA Awards (6th) |
Best Film | Nominated | |
| Best Direction | Rosemary Meyers | Nominated | |
| Best Adapted Screenplay | Matthew Whittet | Nominated | |
| Best Cinematography | Andrew Commis | Nominated | |
| Best Editing | Karryn de Cinque | Nominated | |
| Best Production Design | Jonathon Oxlade | Nominated | |
| Best Costume Design | Won | ||
| AFCA Awards | Best Film | Jo Dyer | Won |
| Best Director | Rosemary Meyers | Nominated | |
| Best Screenplay | Matthew Whittet | Nominated | |
| Best Actress | Bethany Whitmore | Nominated | |
| Best Supporting Actor | Harrison Feldman | Nominated | |
| Best Supporting Actress | Amber McMahon | Nominated | |
| ASE Award | Best Editing in a Feature Film | Karryn de Cinque | Nominated |
| BAFICI Film Festival | Best Film | Rosemary Myers | Nominated |
| Berlin International Film Festival | Crystal Bear for Best Feature Film | Nominated | |
| CinefestOZ | Best Film | Won | |
| FCCA Award | Best Film | Jo Dyer | Nominated |
| Melbourne International Film Festival | Age Critics Prize for Best Australian Feature Film | Won | |
| Rosemary Meyers | Won | ||
| Neuchâtel International Fantastic Film Festival | Best Film | Nominated | |
| Seattle International Film Festival | Grand Jury Prize | Won | |
| Jo Dyer | Won | ||
| Futurewave Youth Jury Award | Won | ||
| Rosemary Meyers | Won | ||
