In Canadian-born John Cook’s restless documentary of an Austrian couple, I JUST CAN’T GO ON, the husband Petrus, channeling “Cassius Marcellus Clay,” takes up boxing to supplement the income from his day-job burnishing frames. His companion, the much older Gisi, works as a janitor. They are an odd couple, scavenging at the bottom of the Viennese social ladder. But there is nothing patronizing or exploitative in Cook’s treatment of the couple and their eccentricities as they try to make ends meet. In one of the film’s key aesthetic choices, Cook eschews synched sound in favor of a stream-of-consciousness soundtrack pitting Petrus and Gisi’s unfiltered remarks in relief against the harsh material world.
Alongside A Drowning Man, I Signed The Petition, 3 Logical Exits, and A World Not Ours, A Man Returned continues to paint a realistic portrait of the Refugee Crisis that eschews the Western gaze and stereotype. These are real portraits painted by a director with lived experience, cultural connection and an amazing eye for visuals.
Where we leave the characters is in such a peaceful and optimistic place. It feels well-earned to ensure everyone gets their own specially-crafted happy ending.
'Midnight at the Paradise' premieres tomorrow at Toronto's Paradise Theatre! I had the pleasure to sit down with Vanessa Matsui to discuss the making of this film.
This little Netflix film was very inspirational. It passes the Bechdel test, and features a different worldview with rural Indian representation.
