Praise (1998)

An unfocused twentysomething (Peter Fenton) moves in with a former co-worker (Sacha Holder), who is suffering from low self-esteem because of her weight, looks, and a case of eczema. Their ... See full summary »

Director:

John Curran

Writers:

Andrew McGahan (novel), Andrew McGahan (screenplay)

Stars:

Peter Fenton, Sacha Horler, Marta Dusseldorp

8 wins & 14 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Peter Fenton	...	Gordon
Sacha Horler	...	Cynthia
Marta Dusseldorp	...	Rachel
Ray Bull	...	Vass
Joel Edgerton	...	Leo
Yvette Duncan	...	Molly
Gregory Perkins	...	Raymond
Loene Carmen	...	Cathy
Skye Wansey	...	Helen
Richard Green	...	Dave
Lynette Curran	...	Sexual Health Worker
Susan Prior	...	Sophie
Paul Lum	...	Darren
Fiona Mahl	...	Darren's Girlfriend
Damon Herriman	...	Skinhead

Storyline

An unfocused twentysomething (Peter Fenton) moves in with a former co-worker (Sacha Holder), who is suffering from low self-esteem because of her weight, looks, and a case of eczema. Their relationship is based on unending drink, drugs, and sex. Curiously, though the two are presented in a tender and humorous light that lets the viewer get involved in concerned about their direction.

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Plot Keywords:

eczema | sex | woman on top | buxom | female nudity | 

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Taglines:

Sex and drugs in BrisVegas!

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Genres:

Drama

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Details

Official Sites:

Siren Entertainment

Country:

Australia

Language:

English

Release Date:

22 April 1999 (Australia)

Also Known As:

Epainos

Box Office

Opening Weekend:

$6,315 (USA) (30 June 2000)

Gross:

$30,432 (USA) (17 November 2000)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Emcee Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

98 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby SR

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

User Reviews

Twenty-first century Smurfoid Man does LAST TANGO IN PARIS

Great, thrilling, scarily intimate. In its first half hour, this astonishing Australian feature gets so close to its characters you feel the director is touching your skin. Gordon (Peter Fenton) is a type well known to people in that age between Bill Clinton and the Backstreet Boys: smart, alert, passive, asexual, easily emotionally manipulated. Cynthia (Sacha Horler) is a big girl with a big appetite for beer and the male organ; she needs sex desperately, helplessly, in the way a love-starved puppy races in circles in need of a touch. The movie records the birth pangs, first steps, clunky adolescence, and quick death of a relationship. Like Wong Kar-wai's HAPPY TOGETHER, most of it takes place in a crappy flophouse apartment. That's it--that's the movie. And every detail in it, from the stigmata-like blood flow of Cynthia's eczemous skin, to the fellatio in a milky bathtub, to the reaction of a horny couple to a violent row, is flawless.

The director, John S. Cullen, is all about getting it right, and so he does--to the point where you can find yourself mouthing aloud the dialogue seconds before it happens. This isn't because the movie is cliched; quite the opposite. It's because the movie gets things about falling in and out of love that no one--nobody, not even those who have made the Big Famous Movies About Sex--has hit. PRAISE seems to have had no luck in the theatres; perhaps it will live on in its IFC afterlife. All praise to Strand Releasing, the best distributors of foreign and independent movies in America. If you want to see a non-studio movie on a subject other than a cute boy and his grandpa, or a wily chef who woos all the ladies, you have Strand to thank for your satisfaction.