Julie plays Rose (2020 Melbourne International Film Festival)  ★★★½ 

IN these difficult times the Melbourne International Film Festival took the decision to go fully digital during August 2020.

A range of strong international releases were made available to download for a 30-hour viewing window with a variety of options making the technical process relatively simple and straight-forward.

Several international festivals, such as Toronto, are doing the same but are not allowing streaming for all countries, presumably for protection of copyright reasons.

I managed to see six films…and messed up the timing so that access to a sixth film was cut off mid-way.

The Irish drama Julie plays Rose is definitely one I would urge people to seek out when it hits other Australian festivals.

Made in 2019 it features three exceptional performances and an interesting approach to the subject of sexual assault.

Ann Skelly plays Rose, a university student studying veterinary science who appears to be struggling with alienation and depression. As a way of dealing with her identity issues she decides to search out the birth mother who gave her up for adoption when she was an infant.

Rose tracks down Ellen, a successful actress, played by Orla Brady, but Ellen is initially not interested in any form of reconciliation. However, as Rose persists and Ellen’s natural defences come down, the pair slowly form a tentative relationship.

Rose learns the truth about her natural father Peter (Aidan Gillen) and embarks on a path of retribution that has significant impacts for everyone’s lives.

This is the third feature film from writing/directing team Joe Lawlor and Christine Molloy and is an assured and confident piece that defies narrative convention. There is a particular plot device that would seem to be leading the film to an inevitable conclusion but takes a final, unexpected turn.

The use of locations, music and sound is particularly effective and all three performances enhance the atmospheric sense of dread and inevitability.