THE ETERNITY MAN (Julien Temple, Australia). 64 minutes. 1 pm, Saturday, June 20. NFB. Rating: N
Produced for Australian television, Julien Temple’s grotty cinematic adaptation of Jonathan Mills and Dorothy Porter’s 2003 opera tells the story of 20th-century Sydney through the life of Arthur Stace (Grant Doyle), who shamed the wanton and wretched around him by writing the word “Eternity” on sidewalks, benches and walls, the better to remind them of their empty, soulless lives.
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Shooting in HD (with wide-angle lenses to better emphasize the seediness Stace sees in the world), Temple has created a singularly unpleasant experience, made worse by shrieking orchestral arrangements and the over-the-top performances of every last supporting player.
For the love of god, don’t see this with a hangover.
