I was very lucky to be amongst the audience at the pre-release screening of The Turning last Wednesday night at Dendy Opera Quay, it was indeed a very special experience, compared to all other film screenings I've been to.

Received a beautifully printed film guide at the entrance, which was just extremely helpful, for someone like me who hadn't got a chance to read the book, to better understand the plot (though I wouldn't say it's essential to know what's exactly going on, I only read the booklet when I finished the film and that worked just fine).

The film, as the book, is split into 17 sections, 17 clips produced by different people. The arrangement isn't exactly unheard of, but it surely is quite unique and, per my own interpretation of the film, is just crucial. Because it's not a film about just one ore two specific Australians, it's a film that tells the stories of Australians, people with different lives and minds. So whilst it does make the film a bit un-organised, it gives the whole production to a realistic dimensional feel.

My favourite 3 pieces, which I have to tell you is really difficult to pick but if I really need to, Immunity, Sand (I guess you can somehow see my type through these two) and Ash Wednesday (although I have to say that the spearing sharks scene did make me uncomfortable). I decided to go for the screening because of Cate Blanchett, Rose Byrne, Miranda Otto and Mia Wasikowska but surprisingly none of them were in these 3 clips, I still love their performances (and as for Mia, her directing) nonetheless but these three were just really right on my spot.

One last note to keep in mind, if you don't normally watch short films, because of the time restriction it's really hard for short clips to tell a complete story and have a major climax that shakes your heart. I like short films (as much as I like feature ones) because they are usually very interesting (and I don't know why but short films often give me that warm nostalgic feel). A length of only several minutes means that the budget is much lower and it's easier to realise ideas that fail to interest big investors. Doesn't matter if it's indie or commercial works, short film is an important component of the entire industry.