Men's Group
Encyclopedia
Men's Group is a 2008 Australian
drama film
. The film is directed by Michael Joy and produced by John L. Simpson
.
.
They are all very different men with very different problems. Freddy (Steve Rodgers), Cecil (Don Reid), Lucas (Steve Le Marquand), Moses (Paul Tassone) and Alex (Grant Dodwell) meet each week at Paul's house (Paul Gleeson). They soon discover that they have something in common: being male. As trust grows between them they gradually begin to share as they learn to listen to each other and discover they are not as alone in their fears as they had presumed. It takes a tragedy for the men to finally understand that they must take responsibilities for their own lives and those of their loved ones.
The actors were not allowed to see the screenplay prior to shooting, and had little or no idea of other characters story lines. The filmmaker's did this to capture the actors first responses to what was unfolding in front of them. There was only one take for each shot that appears in the film, and was shot over only 14 days. The film was shot in sequence, so the filmmakers could not go back to reshoot. Before each scene, Joy spent five to forty five minutes talking to the actors quietly and individually about their lives at that point, using it to get them to speak about specific things that needed to happen in the film.
The film was a micro budget feature film, created on a reverse finance model, with each key crew member and actor taking an equity position in the film.
Margaret Pomeranz
awarded the film four stars and David Stratton
awarded three and a half on At the Movies
, Producer John L. Simpson was approached by men's health groups who wished to screen the film and use it as a tool to agitate discussions about men's mental health. With this interest, John L. 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.
The program has allowed the film to tour to town's such as Tamworth, Armidale, Bellingen, Dorrigo, Bowraville, and Bowral.
In early March 2009, Men’s Group was screened to men’s and women’s prisons in Tasmania.
Inside Film Awards
Cinema of Australia
Cinema of Australia, more commonly referred to as the Australian film industry, refers to the system of production, distribution, and exhibition of films in Australia. Film production commenced in Australia in 1906 with the production of The Story of the Kelly Gang, the earliest feature film made...
drama film
Drama film
A drama film is a film genre that depends mostly on in-depth development of realistic characters dealing with emotional themes. Dramatic themes such as alcoholism, drug addiction, infidelity, moral dilemmas, racial prejudice, religious intolerance, poverty, class divisions, violence against women...
. The film is directed by Michael Joy and produced by John L. Simpson
John L. Simpson
John L. Simpson is an Australian film and theatre producer, writer and distributor. He is the CEO and founder of Titan View...
.
Plot
The film follows the lives of six men over a period of months as they convene weekly in a self-help style groupSelf-help group
Self-help group may refer to:*Support group, group in which members provide each other with various types of help for a particular shared characteristic...
.
They are all very different men with very different problems. Freddy (Steve Rodgers), Cecil (Don Reid), Lucas (Steve Le Marquand), Moses (Paul Tassone) and Alex (Grant Dodwell) meet each week at Paul's house (Paul Gleeson). They soon discover that they have something in common: being male. As trust grows between them they gradually begin to share as they learn to listen to each other and discover they are not as alone in their fears as they had presumed. It takes a tragedy for the men to finally understand that they must take responsibilities for their own lives and those of their loved ones.
Cast
- Grant DodwellGrant DodwellGrant Dodwell is an Australian producer, actor, writer and director.He has also worked as a drama teacher.Dodwell has more than 30 years' experience in the entertainment industry in theatre, film and television appearing in many of Australia's best known stage shows and television series. He is...
as Alex - Paul Gleeson as Paul
- Steve Le Marquand as Lucas
- Don Reid as Cecil
- Steve Rodgers as Freddy
- Paul TassonePaul TassonePaul Tassone is an Australian actor most known for his work as Nelson Curtis on All Saints, an Australian hospital drama. In late 2007-2008, he played a reverend who turned out to be a violent stalker as a result of a brain tumor on Home and Away...
as Moses - William Zappa as Anthony
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 the same time, Director Michael Joy was experiencing depression and attended a men’s group on the advice of a telephone counsellor. The pain of the men in the room, and the safe environment in which they could express what they were going through struck him.Production
Director Michael Joy worked with each of the actors separately, workshopping over two months. 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.The actors were not allowed to see the screenplay prior to shooting, and had little or no idea of other characters story lines. The filmmaker's did this to capture the actors first responses to what was unfolding in front of them. There was only one take for each shot that appears in the film, and was shot over only 14 days. The film was shot in sequence, so the filmmakers could not go back to reshoot. Before each scene, Joy spent five to forty five minutes talking to the actors quietly and individually about their lives at that point, using it to get them to speak about specific things that needed to happen in the film.
The film was a micro budget feature film, created on a reverse finance model, with each key crew member and actor taking an equity position in the film.
Reception
Men's Group has won Best Feature Film, Best Script and Best Actor at the 2008 Inside Film Awards. Critically, the film was praised and is particularly recognised for the strong performances by the lead actors.Margaret Pomeranz
Margaret Pomeranz
Margaret Pomeranz AM is an Australian film critic and television personality.-Early life:Pomeranz was born in 1944 in Waverley, a suburb of Sydney, and was educated at the Presbyterian Ladies' College, Sydney in Croydon, the then newly opened Macquarie University, and the Playwright's Studio at...
awarded the film four stars and David Stratton
David Stratton
David James Stratton is an English- Australian film critic and television personality.-Life and career:Born in Trowbridge, Wiltshire, England in 1939, Stratton was sent to Hampshire to see out the war years with his grandmother, an avid filmgoer, where he was taken to the local cinemas regularly...
awarded three and a half on At the Movies
At the Movies
At the Movies is an Australian television program on ABC1 hosted by film critics Margaret Pomeranz and David Stratton, in which they discuss the films opening in theatres that week.-History:...
AFI Fellowship and Tour
Following the theatrical release of the film by Titan ViewTitan View
Titan View is an Australian feature film distributor and production company, founded in July, 2007 by John L. Simpson, who is the current CEO of the company. Titan View is the 2010 recipient of the Innovative Distribution Funding from Screen Australia, and CEO John L. Simpson pioneered a 'do it...
, Producer John L. Simpson was approached by men's health groups who wished to screen the film and use it as a tool to agitate discussions about men's mental health. With this interest, John L. 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.
The program has allowed the film to tour to town's such as Tamworth, Armidale, Bellingen, Dorrigo, Bowraville, and Bowral.
In early March 2009, Men’s Group was screened to men’s and women’s prisons in Tasmania.
Awards and nominations
Film Critics Circle of AustraliaFilm Critics Circle of Australia
The Film Critics Circle of Australia is a group of cinema critics that judge Australian films.-External links:**...
- 2009: Nominated, "Best Actor" - Grant Dodwell
Inside Film Awards
Inside Film Awards
The Inside Film Awards is an annual awards ceremony and broadcast platform for the Australian film industry, a format created by Australian Producer Andrew Dillon...
- 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