Customer Reviews

He Died with a Felafel in His Hand

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Based on the strange and very interesting book of "ugly roomers" (of the same name as the film), this doesn't have all the funny hell raising laughs brought by the book, but the tone and the flavor are there.

There's no other film like this, and it's hard to put forth reasons why it's so good. It often approaches humiliation, often angry, often stupid, often...stirred with a chainsaw...blended into an integrated whole.

An overlooked masterpiece. No other way to describe it. The paperback it was based on often fetches big bucks, and that's worth a reading or three.

After we watched this film and thoroughly enjoyed it, my wife said, "I'd like to see how you're going to review this." Um, yeah.

Well, I hung my four stars on it. That's a great start. Then I read the other reviews here. I see most of them had the same problem, but one reviewer led off with cane toads and golf clubs and pretty much nailed it.

You can see all the awards, every one well-deserved. It was faithful to the tone of the novel, which my wife has read and which I'll find. And then you can read all these reviews and still wonder what this movie is about. That's the beauty of it. You'll love it.

"I want something different," you think, meaning different in a good way. Well, you found it.

I did not connect with this film for the following reasons:

1. There was a lot of talk that seemed to bog down the pace. Granted, cultural and literary references were plentiful and cleverly integrated, but I too often found the dialogue tedious.

2. Many of the plot situations were over the top and just not that funny to me---a tribal roasting interrupted by skin heads??? I felt these silly plot gags were at odds with the often deadpan pseudo(?) intellectual dialogue. The tone of the movie veered from one extreme to the other.

3. There really was not much of a plot, which is ok with me if there is sufficient character development. But I didn't find much character development here either. Lots of characters, but what do we learn about any of them? Not much. I saw them more as "type." It was hard for me to care about watching any of them.

Director Richard Lowenstein attempts to film the unfilmable John Birmingham novel of shared living arrangements in He Died with a Falafel in His Hand. The film loosely follows the travails of a writer named Danny (Noah Taylor) as he moves in an out of three shared houses in Australia. The houses and the roomies as much as the cities of Brisbane, Melbourne and Sydney get top billing here.

The film winds its quirky way from location to location introducing us to new characters and those who follow Danny around. Lowenstein fills his movie with a ton of pop culture references which the careful viewer will have no problem spotting. There is a good deal of homage to the French New Wave as there is to classic comedy. The film is an entertaining and humorous look at the social environment and its impact on the individual. Lowenstein's script acutely captures the angst, the disparity, the conflict and the heart of the characters, each of which is beautifully drawn. The ensemble cast is especially good and this is a film that gets better with repeated viewings. It may put off some with its lack of cohesive plotline but is rewarding to those who stick with it. The film , like much of Lowenstein's work is likely to develop a cult following sa more and more people see it.

If you've ever share-flatted you'll be in stitches with this one. It's an excellent adaptation of John Birmingham's novel (of the same name). Rendering the variety and intensity of the share-flatting experience in excruciating detail. From the rickety, run-down house full of odd characters - an albino moon-tanner, a mysterious and beautiful eastern-bloc woman, a bikey-type with neo-nazi leanings and a penchant for brothels, a young japanese girl with very little english... and the main character - a struggling writer who is desperate to write a great novel on his underwood typewriter... but doesn't know how to start. From there you pass through the succession of share-houses and the characters they meet, seeing a cross-section of Australian culture, but with characters that anyone can recognise.

The story has been adapted brilliantly - giving the full flavour of the original book, while tying it together with a fabulous storyline.

Well worth a watch, no matter where you hang your hat.

He Died with a Felafel in His Hand (Richard Lowenstein, 2001)

The movie's opening scene is a close-up of an Australian cane toad. We sit and stare at it for a bit, then a three wood lines up alongside it. It disappears, then you hear a cry of "Fore!" cut to main title, and there's a wet thwack. If you almost fall off your chair laughing at this scene, then I can guarantee you that He Died with a Felafel in His Hand is a movie that you're going to enjoy in a big way.

The movie follows Danny (Max's Noah Taylor), a chronically unemployed Australian who fancies himself a writer, as he tries to find cheap living arrangements that don't feature neurotic and/or insane flatmates. A number of those we meet in his first living arrangement ("House #43") keep popping up as he goes from place to place, including his childhood pal Sam (Emily Hamilton, probably best remembered on this side of the pond for Haunted, her first big-screen role) and his best friend Flip (Brett Stewart). Other than that, I can't say much of anything about the movie without unveiling a number of spoilers; like most slice-of-life films, every event builds on what comes before it.

It's funny, but laced with a number of moments of surprisingly poignant human drama that will keep the chick-flick fans happy. Some of the acting is a bit subpar, and some of the minor characters aren't fully fleshed out, but these are nitpicky complaints in a movie this good. ****

Quite an enjoyable little quirky Aussie movie. Strictly for those who enjoy arthouse/indi films though. For those who have ever shared houses, you will probably relate to some of this movie.

An outrageously indie film that attempts to make death meaningful or to make a meaningful film. The movie is funny and sad and reflective at times, but on the whole, seems rather disjointed. Overall, it's a good overlook of the existential struggle that 20-somethings face about life, relationships, and living arrangements.

I guess if you are a male college student getting stoned in your dorm room and watch this movie you may think is "awesome". If that's not you stay away. Ramblings of an artsy writer wanna be that takes himself way too seriously, makes for one dull movie.
Sorry to the fans of this but all I can say is keep up your studies and get rid of that bong.

Quirky film - interesting spin on shared housing and personal hells.