Band doco has a Hole lot of appeal
in a lightly re-cut version for general release. Boshier has reshaped a few of the narrative arcs, brought a couple of players into greater, deserved, prominence and incorporated more concert footage. But everything that astonished me about the film I first saw is intact and as potent as ever.
Swagger of Thieves isn’t so much a film about making music as being in a band, about seeing international success seeming genuinely possible and what the world looks like from an endless succession of vans, motel rooms and stages of all sizes. But more documentary unlike any I’ve seen. It appals, engrosses and entertains.
It’s about family (the only apparent hero of the film is Booga’s wife Tamzin), lousy behaviour, some of the greatest riffs ever committed in anger and a succession of highs and lows that should – and have – destroyed the band many times over.
On their night, Head Like a Hole were like no other band. They were a spitting, flailing, unstoppable beast of a thing. In its very best moments, Swagger of Thieves does them justice. It is a stunning achievement. Go see it. has what he believes is the perfect gift for her – a night nanny.
Initially, Marlo is reluctant to have a stranger in her home, but after newborn Mia arrives, the exhaustion and monotony of drudgery begin to take their toll.
That’s when Tully (Mackenzie Davis) arrives, a 26-year-old breath of fresh air. Not only will she take care of all Mia’s overnight needs (save breastfeeding), but she also makes muffins and ‘‘chisels eight years of filth off the floor’’.
‘‘Why is the house so clean?’’ asks bemused daughter Sarah (Lia Frankland), while a reinvigorated Marlo describes herself as feeling, ‘‘like I can see colour again’’.
Director Jason Reitman and screenwriter Diablo Cody’s fourth collaboration together feels like the perfect third part of an unofficial trilogy they began with Juno and Young Adult. Like those two dramedies, it is filled with memorable moments, kooky characters and clever camerawork and combinations of sound and vision (a car ride involved snatches of Cyndi Lauper’s She’s so Unusual and a montage of Marlo’s initial baby-led routine as two particular highlights).
But it also doesn’t shy away from social issues. While its depiction of post-natal depression has attracted some criticism, particularly in the US, its subtle and understated handling (not explicitly spelling out what it is in particular) is a revelation and delivers a greater dramatic impact.
Of course, it helps that Tully is anchored by two terrific performances. Davis ( Blade Runner 2049) is a scene-stealing revelation, and Theron delivers a stunning performance in a role so far removed from her last one in Atomic Blonde it’s mind-boggling.
Normally, we talk about male actors transforming their bodies for roles, but here the South African actress gained 23kg to play Marlo and the physical change is astounding.
But that is just one part of a wholehearted turn that will stick with you for days.