The question of art and its validity has been debated for most of the human experience. To some, it seems indulgent when there are more pressing practical issues to face. Plato wrote in his book The Republic that there was no place in society for poets as they were essentially lying and lying is inherently evil.
I wonder about the question of the validity of art while watching Hamish Bennett’s Bellbird. The film explores the life of a farmer Ross (Marshall Napier) after the sudden loss of his wife Beth (Annie Whittle) and his relationship with his son Bruce (Cohen Holloway).
Bruce is the ultimate pragmatist, the farm nor the animals care about your feelings, things need to get done, and so they shall be done. The tension in the film is that Ross is at that age where he can’t maintain the physical lifestyle to effectively look after the farm and Bruce doesn’t want to be a farmer.
The Aesthetic Movement of the late nineteenth century emphasised the sensual qualities of art and design over the practical or moral considerations, they championed the idea of ‘art for art’s sake’. Bruce works at a recycling centre and genuinely enjoys spending time fixing broken things, upcycling, and creating. Working on the farm is anathema to him.
The film has a confusing narrative. The film posits that it is about dealing with the grief of Ross, but it rarely spends time with him, focusing more on Bruce and his life. While this is not bad in of itself, the lack of interaction or discussion leaves character development on the table and puts unnecessary ambiguity into the narrative.
At one point Bruce acknowledges that he and his father do not talk much and that his mother did the talking for both of them. This is my central issue with the film. We need to see them reacting differently to the same situation to see how they view the world and understand their conflict and similarities. Their stoicism and silence in voice or action make it hard to identify with them.
Winston Churchill wrote that “The arts are essential to any complete national life. The State owes it to itself to sustain and encourage them.” I do consider that I am too harsh on this film and potentially it is portraying a slice of life that I am not familiar with. I did spend some of my youth in a farming community, but this was in Southland, not Northland. For me, the location of the film is meant to enhance the story and I didn’t find that the silence was effective in telling the story.
I am not Chinese, but I thought that the film The Farewell dealt with similar themes in a much more engaging way while still using silence poignantly and not as a replacement for depth and artistry.
This film was not for me, it had good performances, especially the verbose Clem (Stephen Tamarapa) who injected some life and humour into the proceedings, but it failed to deliver on the promise of the premise of seeing a taciturn man have to deal with his feelings and grieve for his wife and connect with his son. I may not have liked this film but I am glad that it has been made.
Starring Marshall Napier, Annie Whittle, Cohen Holloway, Rachel House
and Kahukura Retimana
Written & Directed by Hamish Bennett
Rated M offensive language
Runtime 96 minutes
2nd November 2019
Luke Meeken-Ruscoe