Cibbuano
RubySoho
Morgan Bell
Matt Shea
David O'Connell
Mountain FogThree Hams in a Can
July 29th 2009 07:31
by Matt Shea
Kenta McGrath is a West Australian independent filmmaker who recently tailed three friends, experimental musicians Chris Coblis, Pedrag Delibasich and Stina Thomas, on tour to Tokyo. When McGrath took off with his companions, he had no real idea as to what kind of film he was going to make, but simply decided to follow their adventures through the sweltering heat of a Tokyo August.
The result is the minimalist and fragmentary “Three Hams in a Can”, a documentary film made from a patchwork of moments, some of them beautiful, some of them oddly mundane.
Documentaries are of course very different to narrative or feature films with very different requirements, both in terms of production and the final viewing experience. But a well-made documentary just about always shares a fictional work’s focus on character: without a compelling subject and accompanying story most documentaries are dead in the water.
And this is the struggle of “Three Hams in a Can”: it twists and turns, wrestling with itself to find an angle from which to build upon its subjects, and it’s perhaps through McGrath’s tenacity that the film finally succeeds on a quiet, thoughtful level.
The biggest obstacles for the audience are Coblis, Delibasich and Thomas: none of them seem particularly comfortable on film during the early scenes, with McGrath’s camera therefore distancing the viewer from the subject rather than providing a medium of communion.
But just as you’re beginning to get fidgety, “Three Hams in a Can” slowly goes to work on your senses, sewing a gentle rhythm as it hits its very subtle stride. The subjects loosen up also, helped along by beer and perhaps the sheer delirium created by some obviously uncomfortable weather.
It’s then that “Three Hams” starts to segue from one great scene to another: a visit to a Japanese family for a barbecue in the musicians’ honour; Coblis, Delibasich and Thomas in a karaoke room; their intimate individual musical performances at a small bar; and Delibasich’s conversation across the language barrier with an off duty and exceptionally boozed train driver – probably the funniest and most touching point of the film.
Kenta McGrath has a great eye for the minutiae in "Three Hams in a Can"
These are all great moments and allow the film’s quiet personality to really shine on McGrath’s concerns about the nature of friendship and communication. It’s just shame that he couldn’t introduce some of these elements earlier in the piece.
And that’s the sense that runs through “Three Hams in a Can”: perhaps the director needed to have a greater say in the itinerary of his subjects and propel them sooner into the cross cultural exchanges that make the second half of the project so delightful.
Given McGrath’s broad ideas when he set out to film “Three Hams in a Can”, the final result could only be described as a success, particularly seeing as he did most of the technical work himself. Indeed, much of the photography is inspired, showing a filmmaker who skilfully balances a keen eye for detail with a firm grasp on framing and visual space.
Still, one hopes that for his next documentary project the director finds a slightly meatier target for his accomplished lens work. As it is, “Three Hams in a Can” is a minimalist experience that’s allowed a little too much time to work its magic, even if the payoff is eventually worth the effort.
Check out a trailer for the film here.
| 42 |
| Vote |
Add Comments
Comments (2)
Read More
