Disclosure

A difficult topic or theme covered in this film. Very apt in the portrayal of the network of emotions, and choices of numerous people involved. Great actors and clean, crisp sound and visuals. Highly recommend

This is the sort of unflinching, uncompromising cinema we sadly so seldom see. Challenging and rewarding in equal measure, it engages your heart, mind and stomach; evoking some of the larger societal issues of our time, whilst never losing grip on the intensely personal story at its core. Balancing such intimate - at times claustrophobic - drama, with towering questions of contemporary society's notions of suspicion, guilt, truth and privacy, is a high bar to jump. Disclosure clears it confidently.

Disclosure uses minimal framing and long takes to immerse the viewer in the drama. There are few cut aways or B-roll shots making the audience feel party to the events that involve throughout the afternoon on a beautiful sunny afternoon. This leads to a claustrophobic effect as we see at the reactions and body language of each character in relation to what they are hearing. It's a tough subject matter to deal with child on child sexual abuse, but Micheal Bentham deals with it with sensitivity. Cinematographer Mark Carey also adds a beautiful and delicate touch.

The limited characters and dependence on back and forth dialogue make this far more like a play than a film, with the corresponding static quality of action as opposed to lively speech. A host of issues are touched on and secrets are revealed, betrayed, bounced around... To what ultimate effect? Ah. That will depend on the viewer. Personally I got irritated at them all and didn't really feel like I ended up anywhere.

The labelling of this film as a thriller may mislead some viewers. It's a psychological drama played out in long shot scenes in a suburban location. It's well written, well shot, well acted and raises very uncomfortable issues around sex abuse. But it's not an action thriller by any means.

You can always pick a bad film by when the actors appear to be acting! It has that cringeworthy feel of one of those horrid back street Sydney suburban amateur theatre shows where everyone pretends to be enthralled but really just wants to leave and go to the pub on the corner! The girl with the black hair was great...... The mother of the girl was strained and bloody annoying, she seems to have learnt all her lines from a thesaurus...... The father of the girl was woeful...... There's an old saying, 'In the Greek tragedies, you never know what The Gods had for breakfast'!