Palace Cinemas presents Military Wives as part of the Mini British Film Festival 2019 and my, is it a real treat. Feature film Military Wives, directed by Peter Cattaneo, delivers on all fronts, and stars Kristin Scott Thomas as ‘Kate’ and Sharon Horgan as ‘Lisa’, who both naturally fit their roles and bring plenty of laughs. This feel-good film has a whole lot of heart and handles the heavy nature of the subject matter in a respectful manner.
Audience members always appreciate a balance of emotions within a film and Military Wives does this well by providing moments that give examples of both the positive and negative aspects of being married to someone serving in the Military. Whilst it is difficult for each of the wives involved, they all share the same pain of being away from their husband (or wife) for a lengthy period of time. Writers Rosanne Flynn and Rachel Tunnard have done an excellent job with the consistently witty and entertaining dialogue for Kate’s character.
The storyline in Military Wives gives plenty of room to dig into each of the storylines for the range of characters, as well as explore their hardships. For instance, Kate has to heal from the trauma of losing her Son, whilst Lisa must learn to take responsibility for parenting her Daughter and teaching her valuable life lessons. Everyone has something to learn, whether it be a major or minor character, and each of the women involved in the ‘singing club’ have a reason they are there - this film explores each of those reasons.
This film looks at the endurance it takes for any woman to be partnered with a Military Server, regardless of rank. Kate and Lisa are complete opposites, and the dynamic between these women is where the majority of the humour lies. Whilst Lisa attempts to gather the Military Wives together to drink alcohol and start a poorly run ‘sewing club’, on the other hand, Kate steps in and takes charge, putting the women to work and testing their abilities.
Kate has a far more structured procedure to tackling the women than Lisa does, and this shows in the way each of the women conduct the group during one of their choir sessions. Whilst doing a ‘choir club’ wasn’t the first idea on the list, they decide to give it a go - and ultimately give the women a voice to release the unspoken pain of patiently waiting for their partners to serve at war. Where Kate studies the art of conducting from a book and tries for a more practical approach to organising the women, Lisa tries for a more laid back approach and attempts to tune the ladies through an electronic piano.
The witty banter between uptight Kate and laidback Lisa is truly entertaining, and we learn about the endless differences between these two ladies, through a number of well thought out scenes within the film. The dynamic between these two ladies attempting to make a bunch of women sing in time and in key isn’t the only element that works in this film, and of course it would be nothing without the colourful characters within the singing club. As we learn about the underlying complexities of being a military wife, such as with Amy James-Kelly’s character Sarah who states her partner wanted to marry so she had legal rights when he passes, we also start to witness the various vocal talents amongst the ladies.
The ladies start to bond together and find a way to connect, whether it be through joking with each other or singing a pop tune in the choir club. As they start to unwind from their troubles, they begin to open up their voices and sing beautifully, and a few hidden talents are revealed. When the instant realisation hits Lisa and Kate that these women may be more talented than they are demonstrating, they get to work and start training harder than ever before. When training each of the women with varying vocal ranges in separate rooms, bringing everyone together again ultimately helps with timing, and strengthening the overall harmonies.
Whilst there are some embarrassing moments along the way for the women, and thoughts of giving it all up - that doesn’t mean quitting is in question! Through the reconciliation of their pain the women must rise up to the performance of a lifetime where they take the words from letters of their loved ones and sing their hearts out like never before. Whilst it is the ultimate challenge for these women, they know in their hearts that this is all they have to give. By taking a bold step forward on stage, these Military Wives continue to change the world and inspire women for generations to come.
“Stronger Together.”
Palace James Street
November 16th - 6:20pm
November 24th - 2:00pm
Palace Barracks
November 10th - 1:00pm
November 15th - 6:20pm
November 17th - 5:45pm
November 23rd - 1:15pm
Book Tickets: https://www.palacecinemas.com.au/movies/bff19-military-wives/?cinema=palace-james-street
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By: Joanna Letic