Kenny - A review
November 5th 2006 06:19
This film was quite a surprise to me; I didn’t know how I was going to go with a feature-length film about a man who deals with toilets for a living. I’d read several positive reviews and knew that it was nominated for 6 AFI awards including Best Film, Best Director, Best Actor and Best Supporting Actor, but still I was a bit nervous about the possibility of never-ending toilet jokes. This film was much more than I expected.
When we first meet Kenny, he’s on the telephone seemingly discussing catering details for a large party. And then it sinks in. He’s only talking about curries because that will have an impact on his job as a portaloo supplier to a variety of events. As the film continues, we see Kenny evolve as an easygoing guy – a bit of a rough diamond who, in writer/director, Clayton Jacobson’s comical script, is also a very congenial one. Kenny is part-philosopher, part-comedian and overall endlessly generous. He believes in his vocation and takes pride in what he does. He says that he isn’t ashamed with his job, if others are, then that is their problem.
The film follows Kenny and his Splashdown team from one big event to another as they set up and take care of the big-scale sewage situations involved. It takes him to Nashville, Tennessee for the International Pumper and Cleaner Expo, the high-tech heaven of his trade, where he makes friends, has some fun and triumphs in a big, successful deal for Splashdown.
There is a strong undercurrent of poignancy throughout the film. At times, Kenny is almost an underdog who probably doesn’t think of himself as such and who takes any kicks he gets without a retort, apart from a moment of revenge when one of the people who treats him like dirt is treated to Kenny’s wrath. After joining Kenny on this journey, you’ll be right on his side when this happens.
The film skilfully walks a fine line between mockumentary and drama and beautifully balances the humour of Kenny’s vernacular and his job with the pathos of a man reviled by his ex-wife and treated with disdain by his father and brother. Kenny juggles family tensions, fatherhood and sewage with charm, humour and unflinching dignity... Kenny creates a portrait of a battler who epitomises so much of what we perceive as being a quintessential decent Aussie bloke.
To me, this was another hidden gem of a film. My fears were unfounded. [/COLOR][/SIZE]
When we first meet Kenny, he’s on the telephone seemingly discussing catering details for a large party. And then it sinks in. He’s only talking about curries because that will have an impact on his job as a portaloo supplier to a variety of events. As the film continues, we see Kenny evolve as an easygoing guy – a bit of a rough diamond who, in writer/director, Clayton Jacobson’s comical script, is also a very congenial one. Kenny is part-philosopher, part-comedian and overall endlessly generous. He believes in his vocation and takes pride in what he does. He says that he isn’t ashamed with his job, if others are, then that is their problem.
The film follows Kenny and his Splashdown team from one big event to another as they set up and take care of the big-scale sewage situations involved. It takes him to Nashville, Tennessee for the International Pumper and Cleaner Expo, the high-tech heaven of his trade, where he makes friends, has some fun and triumphs in a big, successful deal for Splashdown.
There is a strong undercurrent of poignancy throughout the film. At times, Kenny is almost an underdog who probably doesn’t think of himself as such and who takes any kicks he gets without a retort, apart from a moment of revenge when one of the people who treats him like dirt is treated to Kenny’s wrath. After joining Kenny on this journey, you’ll be right on his side when this happens.
The film skilfully walks a fine line between mockumentary and drama and beautifully balances the humour of Kenny’s vernacular and his job with the pathos of a man reviled by his ex-wife and treated with disdain by his father and brother. Kenny juggles family tensions, fatherhood and sewage with charm, humour and unflinching dignity... Kenny creates a portrait of a battler who epitomises so much of what we perceive as being a quintessential decent Aussie bloke.
To me, this was another hidden gem of a film. My fears were unfounded. [/COLOR][/SIZE]
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