Little Ray of

I love independent film. I love a good tale without explosions or CGI with characters that you want to take home and drink tea with them and introduce them to all your friends, and possibly share recipes for brownies. (Don't get me wrong, I also love seeing things blown to bits and pieces, and CGI creatures that look like they could tear off your face with ease). Living in West Bubblefuck limits the opportunities to see these indie gems. And so, with a trip to The Big Smoke, I grabbed the opportunity for a Sunday Arvo trip to The Ritz.

And found this baby.

Sunshine Cleaning is a darkly funny, hilariously sad story with the pointier famous Adams, Amy (as opposed to Rachel Adams, rather than Wednesday Addams) as Rose, a single mum fuddling her way through a start up forensic cleaning business. Emily Blunt is so delicious has the dubious and damaged sister Norah. And she is so much sweeter and realer as the vulnerable dropkick rather than the neurotic twisted roles with slightly British accents that if she doesn't always seem to take, then she has often enough for me to pigeon hole her there. Yes, I'm thinking of The Devil Wears Prada. Of course Alan Arkin is fabulous, as always. And surreptitiously taking the whole show off the table, putting it in his pocket and running off to steal other things too is Jason Spevack. Tiny nosed and freckled with eyes that look like he stole them off either a puppy or a doe. I remembered him from a somewhere (later discovered to be Perfect Catch, the slightly surprisingly OK US remake of Fever Pitch), and his wee gorgeous little charisma is like gravity for your eyes through the whole film.

It is the kind of film that touches on lots of pretty heavy stuff, but doesn't get too weighed down by any of them. Yes, death, grief, hopelessness, shattered dreams, coping without a limb, dealing with high school reunions and the loss of innocence are all pretty chokingly serious notions. And while you are almost wracked with sobs, you start to giggle at something else. The beautiful performances make this story so engaging and beautiful. And the script gives the audience the credit to make decisions for themselves - like we can't really be sure who Oscar's father is. Plus how hilarious is forcing your sibling to fall face first into a stinking rotting blood soaked mattress?

I don't have a sister. Sisterhood is a well trodden film subject - the connection of blood ties and responsibility. In Her Shoes attempted to make me care about the sisterly love (or lack thereof) between a dowdy Toni Collette and an irresponsible Cameron Diaz. And instead it just shat me. The only people I know that managed to like that film (and don't get me wrong, I have nothing against tatty trashy films, I just couldn't even really like this one for what it was) all have a sister. The similarities between this and that film are there.Maybe it is because that was actually a shit film, made by a big studio with no point other than Box Office Cash. Possibly because In Her Shoes was directed by a middle aged man who has never felt a sisterly connection either, whereas Sunshine Cleaning has no such middle-aged man fingerprints on it.

Right throughout the film, I was reminded of Little Miss Sunshine (which I also love love). For more than just the solar link in the title. And Alan Arkin. The lighting, the tone, the je ne say qua (i love my fluent French). But the preview reveals that it is the same producer! (plus it is plastered across the top of the poster...) I guess if the same boss is on 2 films, you might end up with some similarities...