David Black reviews Choir Girl
Choir Girl is a gritty B&W feature film, directed by John Fraser and featuring Peter Flaherty, Krista Vendy, Andy McPhee, Roger Ward and many other well-known actors from the Aussie indie film industry.
The IMDB description is as follows, “Eugene, a lonely photographer, becomes fixated on a young street prostitute, Josephine, in his rundown neighbourhood. She becomes his muse and his photographs could be a way out for both of them - yet is Eugene saving Josephine or is he using her?”
The movie has a street level pathos and features the down trodden and outcast of an inner city suburb of Melbourne. It depicts the dark side of life within the back alleys, housing commission flats and clinics that would be familiar to many of those that have been left behind by society.
Peter Flaherty plays the part of Eugene, who seems to be a man on a mission to expose the things he feels are wrong. Eugene however is another outcast in this bleak world and doesn’t seem to connect well with others. The odds are as stacked against him as they are with most of the denizens of this sad world. All that he has going for him is a good heart and unwavering determination.
Roger Ward plays William Millard who is Eugene’s cranky disabled father. Roger plays the part convincingly and helps give context to the odds that Eugene is facing.
Krista Vendy plays Polly, a sympathetic journalist, who offers some hope as she reaches across the divide to connect with Eugene.
Andy McPhee is absolutely chilling as a Russian underworld pimp. Every film needs a great villain and this one is going to give me nightmares for some time to come.
Sarah Timm is our underage prostitute and the focus of our film. She is an illegal immigrant and a slave of the Russian underworld.
Asher Pope’s soundtrack is eerie. It gives a bit of a Film Noir feel and adds to the suspense.
They say that the pen is mightier than the sword, but a picture tells a thousand words. This film will appeal to those that like a good suspenseful movie with underdog heroes and despicable villains. The film does have a message but you will have to watch it to find that out.
Choir Girl is currently available to watch on Tubi TV - https://tubitv.com/movies/646900/choir-girl