EM 4 JAY
Director: Alkino Tsilimidos Stars: Laura Gordon, Nick Barkla, Chloe Armstrong, Kay Stewart, Jeremy Lindsay Taylor
Reviewed by GREG KING
Yet another local drama that follows the self-destructive spiral of two pathetic drug addicts on the road to oblivion, Em 4 Jay hardly makes for uplifting viewing. Em 4 Jay follows closely on the heels of Neil Armfield’s acclaimed Candy, which similarly delved into this depressing milieu of drug abuse and addiction that seems to fascinate Australian film makers. As played by Abbie Cornish and Heath Ledger, the addicted couple in Candy was depicted as a far more glamorous and attractive pair than the central protagonists here.
Emma (played by Laura Gordon) and Jay (Nick Barkla) lurch from one fix to the next in a semi-conscious stupor, and eventually turn to robbery as a way of funding their habit. All-night chemists and convenience stores become their preferred target of opportunity. But as the couple grows more desperate to satisfy their cravings, their robberies become more daring and aggressive. There is a sense of inevitability about their ultimate fate, which is presented in uncompromising and brutally honest fashion by writer/director Alkinos Tsilimidos (whose last film was Tom White), who seems to be fascinated with the plight of the homeless and destitute and society’s fringe dwellers.
Gordon and Barkla deliver forceful and intense performances that dominate the film, but their characters are never for one minute likeable or charismatic. Tsilimidos deliberately strips away any sense of sympathy or compassion the audience may feel for the pair. They are outsiders with little hope of finding redemption or salvation.
Shot largely on video around the mean streets and dingy back alleys of St Kilda and inner city suburbs, this low budget film has a gritty, realistic style, which lends a pungent whiff of authenticity to the story. Ohio-based band The Black Keys provide a suitably grungy soundtrack that perfectly complements this seedy and uncomfortably downbeat look at the terrible personal cost of drug addiction.
**