A Strange Brew... Jazz Funk, Orangutans and Sex

Thundersoul

With great emotional honesty and an infectious soundtrack, Thundersoul is refreshingly uplifting. Threading vibrant interviews with rare archival footage, the documentary celebrates the life and passionate work of Conrad 'Prof' O Johnson, who dedicated himself to music teaching. Creating his own arrangements, Johnson began infusing jazz funk into the repertoire of the Kashmere High School stage band he conducted during the 60s and 70s. Soon the group of of 15-year-olds became an international hit; the first all-black stage ensemble to be recognised and celebrated in America at a professional level.

To pay tribute to their beloved 'Prof', the band decides to reunite and perform for him. After 34 years, some members have gone on to pursue music as a career, whilst others haven't picked up their instruments since school. In any case, it doesn't take long for them to regain their groove. His ex-students have a captivating presence on screen. With their energy and eternal gratitude to Johnson, we come to realise what a deep effect he had on their lives. His story is currently being developed as a feature biopic, but I suggest you get in and see the documentary first! It will leave you with a skip in your step and the funk in your soul.

Nénette

With the huge success of his documentary 'To Be and To Have', director Nicholas Philibert has released another film centred around observation and human behaviour. Nénette is a French celebrity. The 40-year-old orangutan draws visitors from around the world to her home in a Parisian zoo. Throughout the film, the eye of the camera rests solely on Nénette, her son and her zoo-mates. Layered over this observational footage are audio recordings of visitors as they watch and muse from the other side of the glass, interviews with Nénette's keepers and various artistic monologues/improvisations. As Philibert admits, the film is artificial in that none of the visuals are synced with the audio, but carefully constructed in the edit. But I don't think this changes the intentions at the heart of the film.

A new look at animals in captivity, Nénette is a documentary of questions rather than answers. It doesn't champion any cause or push any ideology, but relies on the viewer to draw their own conclusions. Although we focus visually on Nénette, she remains a creature of mystery. The film is more an exploration of the human tendency to project our own reality onto something that is unknown. In a sense, having spent her life watching humans through the glass, we get the feeling that Nénette knows more about us and we do about her. Philibert's spontaneous idea was originally to make is a 10-15 minute documentary, which I think could have worked better. Even at a mere 70 minutes the film tests the patience of modern audiences. However, it is a very interesting piece of cinematic choreography that is well worth the time, albeit for the thought and discussion that it evokes.

Brilliantlove

I can't say that early mornings are ideal for films that are 90% explicit. After a while, I found myself desensitised to all the sex and nudity, and yearning for a simple conversation. In any case, Brilliantlove is an incredibly daring feature that pushes the boundaries of our view around relationships and intimacy. The film tells the story of two young lovers- she (Noon) is a taxidermist and he (Manchester) is a photographer. Together, they spend the summer living in a garage, surviving on sex and the bare essentials. Completely dependent on each other for constant physical contact and a sense of self-worth, their world is shaken when an 'outsider'- a wealthy 'art' enthusiast- stumbles across some of Manchester's explicit photographs of Noon. The cinematography is beautifully experimental and performances from the two main actors are bold and raw. Although for some reason their characters didn't gel together and I found it really hard to be absorbed in the story when I didn't believe in their relationship. It is by no means a hollow film; it makes its statement loud and clear from the very first frame.