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n. hoop·la fac·tor (h  p lä f kt r)
degree of entertainment attained irrespective of critical worth |
Alaina
 | Year: 2004 |
| Country: Australia | |
| Writer: Adam Stolfo, Damon Quah | |
| Director: Adam Stolfo | |
| Cast: Jean Duff, Judy Stolfo, Jasper Bagg |
stuart |
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Stuart:Being an acquaintance of Adam Stolfo, I know that Alaina is a project he has invested a very long time in. This film was his baby, and he took the utmost care from its very conception, and even now the finished project keeps on demanding his attention. Thankfully all his hard work was far from a waste of time. Alaina is an accomplished film that succeeds in looking and feeling like a large budget short rather than the work of an amateur filmmaker and some mates. The shots have been well thought out, the images near perfect. The inclusion of underwater footage is of course something of which many budding film makers will be envious, and I'm sure the film wouldn't have quite the same dreamlike feel if it had not been included.Jean Duff is fantastic in the lead role, in what I am lead to believe is her first foray into film, and brings the perfect balance of curiosity and nihilism to the screen as she wanders about a world so similar to our own yet at the same time completely different. The majority of the film is narrated, which serves to immerse us completely in Alaina's experiences. The one time we slip into actual spoken lines tends to ruin the mood of the piece, and I would have liked that scene either deep-sixed or the lines adapted to fit the voice over. Interestingly I found the shorter Sour Grapes edit to be the better cut of the film. The pacing is a lot more fluid as Adam was obviously forced to decide exactly what was essential and what merely peripheral. This is probably testament to why directors usually don't get final cut on a film, being in some ways too close to the production. (That being said I am not an apologist for big studios hacking up directors' masterpieces - you won't get me ever recommending the theatrical release of Blade Runner.) The score by Michael Osborne sets the tone perfectly for Alaina, a film which I know is a significant stepping stone in Adam's career. I look forward to his next piece. Review by Stuart Wilson, August 2005 |
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