Cosi

The basic premise of Cosi is uni-dropout wannabe-director Lewis (Ben Mendelsohn), who gets his first ‘real job’ in a very long time - an assignment to direct a stage play, with the actors being a group of interns in an asylum. The backdrop of the movie is a theme of love and fidelity, addressed by the material of the selected play and reflected in the life of our bemused director, his exceptionally seedy friend and his remarkably patient girlfriend.

Another undercurrent is the age old ‘who is insane?’ ‘What is insane?’ ‘Don’t you look at me… I’m the only one here…’ conundrum. This question is teased out in a duel director theme. Our Lewis is directing a bunch of madmen, while his friend, Nasty Nick (Aden Young), is directing and starring in a successful play about insanity. Meanwhile, Roy (Barry Otto) is sure to drive you insane.

"“Just one more word out of you and I quit!� “You’re incompetent.� “That’s it, I quit!� “That was two words…�"

Roy is dominant in the production, both insisting that the play be Mozart’s opera Cosi Fan Tutte and demanding that he play the lead role. Roy harasses and irritates both the hapless Lewis and the haphazard crew relentlessly. He will equally harass and irritate you relentlessly. Granted, the character was meant to be annoying, but did he have to be so darned annoying?

Fortunately for the besieged viewer, there is a backup, courtesy of some absolutely fantastic performances from the rest of the loonies. Just when you’re about to smack your head against the coffee table, you’ll find yourself cheering and laughing out loud. From the audition through to the final performance, the actors excel in turning a delicate subject matter into a rollicking comedy. Particularly noteworthy is, of course, Toni Collette, who’s bloody brilliant, playing a habitual drug taker admitted by her parents. Attention fan club, did you know she can sing? One of the greatest delights of this film is three songs by Toni (hang in there for the credits, you’ll be rewarded!).

Ben Mendelsohn is adequate as the hopeless Lewis. Alright, a bit more than adequate, as anyone with half a heart would find themselves audibly cheering him on by the end. This is helped in part by Nasty Nick; sure, he’s obvious, but you’ll forget that by the time you see him cop a right hook to the nose and find yourself yelling ‘take that, arsehole!’. Rachel Griffiths is resplendent in green as the Lovely Lucy, a final year law student, putting up with Lewis for some reason or other. This provides another interesting take on the fidelity theme, as you wonder how the hell such a catch manages to stay faithful to bloody Lewis.

There’s plenty of faults to be picked, if you choose to look for them. How the hell is a psychotic pyromaniac able to get out of the asylum? Sure, he’s kind of useless, but does Lewis not for one minute notice that Nick is a dick? Why does Lucy’s daywear resemble her pyjamas so blatantly? Why has nobody killed the ridiculously irritating Roy yet? Is anybody watching those darned pigs? Where in Christ’s name is security in this asylum (sorry, but that psycho pyromaniac getting out will have this reviewer sleeping with the window locked). But you’ve no sooner asked, than you’ve told your irritating mind to bloody shut up and enjoy the ride, and enjoy you will. Particularly the finishing sequence; no, don’t worry, there’s no spoils in this review, but take a splash of Moulin Rouge, a dash of One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, and just a smidgen of Play School on acid, and you’ve got the general idea.

Augh, Goddammit. Remember the good old days of VHS? If you’re in the slightest bit nostalgic, maybe you’ll get some sort of kick out of this. Probably not, though. The opening scene’s font sets the scene by opening the mouth with horror; it’s poorly defined, scratchy and barely legible. Presented in 1.78:1 (not the 1.85:1 the back cover advertises), Cosi fills the screen with over-saturated colours, particularly the reds. Keep the sunnies nearby, for like a good Aussie afternoon, this good Aussie film is far too bright for the naked eye. It’s a contrast problem, as added to the luminescence is the fact that the shadows are over done. There is visible edge enhancement in parts and grain in the lighter backgrounds. The producers didn’t trouble themselves with cleaning up the reel cue markers from the original source print. Oh, and very early on, look out for what is presumably a hair, turning the lovely head nurse into a disfigured freak, albeit briefly. Whilst her gruesome scar is momentary, the artefacts continue visibly throughout the film.

Barely better than the video. Augh, Goddammit. While the sound is Dolby Digital 5.1, the back speakers are only really utilised for a rather bizarre throwback of the dialogue, which harks of some sort of mastering bug. Thshere’s alsho a rathsher nashty over emphashish on s’s, which is rather distracting, kind of like the first half of this sentence, exacerbated by the fact that young Ben Mendelsohn has a bit of a lishp. Or does he? Hard to tell, really. Fortunately, when Toni Collette sings you’ll be so surprised you’ll momentarily forget the fact that she’s probably actually thinging.

Cosi offers a few little titbits. The menu is anamorphically presented, animated and very cute, with lovely theatrical bright pinks and sparkly bits.

English subtitles are provided for the hearing impaired. These are rather considerately positioned on screen to indicate who the speaker was, which is a nice touch.

A 1.44 minute theatrical trailer is included, whose presentation drops back to a 4:3 letterbox format, and Dolby Digital 2.0. The trailer is, well, pretty well like the movie, only shorter and with a warm, deep voice over the top saying some stuff. They manage, though, not to give too much away. Not that there is much to give away, really…

Cosi also offers a 25 minute AFTRS short film, The Two-Wheeled Time Machine if you’re interested, though unless it’s an extremely rainy day you probably won’t be. This, as with the trailer, is presented in 4:3 letterbox format, and Dolby Digital 2.0. The general idea is about love, exploring the world, ageing (or a lack thereof) and time travel. Sounds kinda cool, right? It’s not. It doesn’t really have anything to do with the movie, apart from containing one of the loonies from the Cosi asylum. Hmm, perhaps this explains something. The only reason I’d recommend watching it would be for the novelty, in this grand age of animation, of seeing what resembles a massive, warped stuffed kid’s toy with some dodgy flame graphics dropped into the middle of the set.

There are films people watch with too many expectations and preconceptions, which just ruin the journey. For example, you’ve admired and worshipped the director for all your life. Perhaps your best friend, who you think is a genius, says it’s the greatest movie he’s ever seen. Or, it’s starred in by that actor you’re determined you’ll lose your virginity to. Any of the above expectations, or a somewhat critical outlook, could easily ruin the Cosi experience for the viewer. But, as is generally advised for Australian creations, if you press play with an open mind, imagination and heart, there’ll be loads to enjoy in Cosi.