Men's Group

Men's Group is a 2008 Australian drama film. The film is directed by Michael Joy from a screenplay co-written with John L. Simpson.

Men's Group
Directed byMichael Joy
Written byMichael Joy
John L. Simpson
Produced byJohn L. Simpson
StarringGrant Dodwell
Paul Gleeson
Steve Le Marquand
Don Reid
Steve Rodgers
Paul Tassone
William Zappa
CinematographyGeoffrey Wharton
Edited byStuart Morley
Music byHaydn Walker
Distributed byTitan View
Release date
  • 18 September 2008 (2008-09-18)
Running time
104 minutes[1]
CountryAustralia
LanguageEnglish

Plot

The film follows the lives of six men over a period of months as they convene weekly in a self-help style group. Meeting at the home of Paul, the men include Freddy, a depressed stand-up comedian; the elderly Cecil; businessman Lucas; the bereaved Anthony; taciturn Moses; and talkative, middle-aged Alex. As trust grows between the men they gradually begin to open up and learn to listen to each other, discovering they are not alone in their fears as they had presumed. When a tragedy befalls the group, the men realize they must take responsibilities for their own lives and those of their loved ones.

Cast
  • Grant Dodwell as Alex
  • Paul Gleeson as Paul
  • Steve Le Marquand as Lucas
  • Don Reid as Cecil
  • Steve Rodgers as Freddy
  • Paul Tassone as Moses
  • William Zappa as Anthony

Production

Development

The concept of the film was conceived by Michael Joy and John L. Simpson, while working together on another project dealing with men's issues and their inability to communicate. At that time, director Michael Joy was experiencing depression and attended a men's support group on the advice of a telephone counsellor.[2] Joy was struck by the pain of the men in the room and the safe environment in which they could express what they were going through.[2]

Filming

Joy worked with each of the actors separately, workshopping the script over two months.[2] Using this technique, Michael and John L. would create scenes from key character points and events. Only then was a comprehensive screenplay drafted and delivered to the heads of departments.[3]

The actors were not allowed to see the screenplay prior to shooting, and had little or no idea of other characters' story lines. The filmmakers did this to capture the actors' first responses to what was unfolding in front of them.[4] There was only one take for each shot that appears in the film, and the shoot lasted only 14 days.[5][2] It was shot in sequence, so the filmmakers could not go back to reshoot.[2] Before each scene, Joy spent time talking to the actors quietly and individually about their lives at that point, trying to get them to speak about specific things that needed to happen in the film.[2]

The film was a micro-budget production, created on a reverse finance model, with each key crew member and actor taking an equity position in the film.[3]

Reception

The film was praised and is particularly recognised for the strong performances by the lead actors.[6][5][7] Anton Bitel of Eye for Film wrote the film "represents a refreshing examination of the collective male psyche through pure drama", and added the improvisational nature of the film results in an "ensemble performances of searing, warts-and-all realism, so utterly believable that viewers themselves will feel like silent members of the party, compelled by the power of the proceedings to watch, listen, learn – and maybe join in the conversation after the credits have rolled."[8] On At the Movies, Margaret Pomeranz awarded the film four stars and David Stratton awarded it three and a half stars.[7]

On review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, Men's Group has an approval rating of 86% based on 7 reviews.[9]

AFI Fellowship and Tour

Following the theatrical release of the film by Titan View, John L. Simpson was approached by men's health groups who wished to screen the film and use it as a tool to prompt discussions about men's mental health.[10] With this interest, Simpson proposed to tour the film around Australia to non-theatrical venues for community group screenings, and in the process create a map of all venues in Australia suitable to screen from. For this proposal he was awarded the 2008 AFI Fellowship.[11][12]

The program has allowed the film to tour to towns such as Tamworth, Armidale, Bellingen, Dorrigo, Bowraville, and Bowral.[13] In early March 2009, Men’s Group was screened to men's and women's prisons in Tasmania.[14]

Awards and nominations

Film Critics Circle of Australia[15]

  • 2009: Nominated, Best Actor – Grant Dodwell

Inside Film Awards[16]

  • 2008: Won, Best Actor – Grant Dodwell
  • 2008: Won, Best Feature Film – John L. Simpson, Michael Joy
  • 2008: Won, Best Script – John L. Simpson, Michael Joy
  • 2008: Nominated, Best Music – Haydn Walker
  • 2008: DigiSPAA Award

References
  1. "Men's Group". Screen Australia. Retrieved 13 February 2023.
  2. Buckmaster, Luke (6 December 2008). "Features: Q & A with Men's Group director Michael Joy and producer John L. Simpson". In Film Australia. Archived from the original on 28 September 2011. Retrieved 3 June 2011.
  3. Boltin, Kyle (10 November 2008). "Film Fix: The making of Men's Group". SBS Movies. Retrieved 13 February 2023.
  4. "Men's Group - 2009 Buninyong Film Festival". www.buninyong.vic.au. Archived from the original on 26 February 2011. Retrieved 13 February 2023.
  5. Griffiths, Trent (11 November 2008). "Men's Group". Filmink. Archived from the original on 8 March 2011. Retrieved 27 May 2011.
  6. Keller, Louise; Urban, Andrew L. "Men's Group". Urban Cinefile. Archived from the original on 30 April 2009.
  7. "At the Movies: Men's Group". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Archived from the original on 8 November 2008.
  8. Bitel, Anton (16 March 2009). "Men's Group". Eye for Film. Retrieved 13 February 2023.
  9. "Men's Group". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 13 February 2023.
  10. Griffiths, Trent (1 October 2008). "Secret Men's Business". Filmink News. Archived from the original on 5 March 2011. Retrieved 27 May 2011.
  11. "keeping the screen industry and public connected" (PDF). Australian Film Institute. 18 February 2009. Retrieved 13 February 2023.
  12. George, Sandy (29 October 2008). "Black Balloon, Unfinished Sky lead Aussie awards pack". Screen Daily. Retrieved 13 February 2023.
  13. de Bruyn, Simon (3 September 2009). "Men's Group to screen in prisons". Inside Film. Archived from the original on 26 November 2010. Retrieved 13 February 2023.
  14. "AFI Fellowship Update: John L. Simpson takes Men's Group to Tasmanian Prison". Australian Film Institute. March 2009. Archived from the original on 15 July 2009. Retrieved 13 February 2013.
  15. Schwartzkoff, Louise; Maddox, Garry (28 January 2009). "Baz rides the best-film buzz". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 13 February 2023.
  16. "Men's Group helps itself to top IF Award". ABC News. 14 November 2008. Archived from the original on 13 November 2012. Retrieved 13 February 2023.
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