CFF60 review - FADING AWAY by Edwina Casey, David Johnson, Lisa Winstanley

A songwriter's obsessive nightmare. FADING AWAY, which premiered at the 60th CORK FILM FESTIVAL, is yet another ill-advised FILMBASE feature film. The worst thing about it, however, is that it could clearly have been better - but perhaps it's not too late!

Every year, FILMBASE master students complete a feature film that screens at most major Irish film fests and might even go on to enjoy some level of success at festivals overseas. The vast majority of these films have been underwhelming romantic comedy, and most times they have managed to stand out on an international level because of the prominence of dramas and heavies in programs of film festivals in general. 

FADING AWAY, however, aims to be a strange, dark, music flick that often flirts with surrealism and horror. Riddled by clumsiness in practically every one of its aspect, it reveals the usual flaws of a FILMBASE production, and most of these flaws can be traced back to the crazy concept of employing three different directions, who obviously end up bringing three different ideas and styles to the film, which lead to a cathartic type of mess. The hope can only be, upon approaching these films, that out of this cathartic mess will result a bizarrely entertaining vision of madness. Sadly, however, even in FADING AWAY, the drastic shift of tone and moods from previous feature productions does nothing to change this. 

FADING AWAY is the story of Leila, a bassist, singer, songwriter (ANTONIA CAMPBELL-HUGHES) who gets the idea of stealing a piece of music from an unknown underground band, in an attempt to make a name for herself. In other words, it is the same concept of the FATHER TED episode with the famous MY LOVELY HORSE tune.

CAMPBELL-HUGHES looks spaced out and drugged up all the way through, which is actually a re-deeming feature of the film, as it conveys a type of lucid nightmarish atmosphere, and makes her character look as if she is walking her way through some type of paranoid vision. This is the only way in which we can forgive so many of the film's underwhelming aspects, that can all essentially be rooted back to an awfully overlooked screenplay by usually talented VIKO NIKCI, that seems to be representing some type of screenplay jotted down by a prepubescent kid, daydreaming about what it might be like to live the decadent life as a member of a struggling rock and roll band - including a hot lesbian romance with methodical sex scene to take care of those "teenage kicks", as THE UNDERTONES might say. 

Everything that surrounds the leading character is clearly an afterthought. It's just as well. MARK AUSTIN is about twice the size of his other two band members, and is terribly miscast as the guitarist in the band, much more so as the romantic interest of drummer Sive (EMMA ELIZA REGAN, channelling the spirit of MEG WHITE in her role). Even Leila's infatuation with Kora (rockabilly chick KATE STANLEY BRENNAN, who also provides some lazy narration) is auto-piloted. 

Every other character is incredibly cartoonish. The street guitarist, with whom Leila interacts occasionally, the archetypal bar manager. Even the live music scenes are backed by little energy. 

The worst part about FADING AWAY is that, while at a length of approximately 85 minutes its ludicrousness is perversely entertaining, mostly for all the wrong reasons, it could probably still be edited into a relatively shorter version that might valour and give into its bizarre nature. As it stands at the moment, it is impossible to forgive its air of self-importance. 

The one thing that remains praise worthy is the music, mostly provided by Irish three-piece rock band THE MINUTES. Some of the best moments in FADING AWAY are in fact due to the power of the music itself, and the way in which it is able to singlehandedly manipulate the energy of each of the sequences - therefore, it is an invaluable asset.