| UNMADE BEDS |
| Written by Sian Rafferty |
| Tuesday, 28 July 2009 10:10 |
 Axl is a Spanish expatriate throwing himself at life in London. Every morning he awakens to ask himself two simple questions: "Where am I and how did I get here?" Just as he is becoming increasingly lost in this never ending cycle, he awakens one morning to find himself in an East End squat, and decides to settle in with the eclectic collection of people inhabiting it. At least until he can confront his absent British father, that is. Vera; unbeknownst to Axl, lives across the hall in the squat. She is quietly living out her day-to-day life, slowly finding her feet in the cold and often lonely London world. As Vera and Axl circle closer and closer together, we see their seperate lives converge in what can only be termed as the most interesting study of the thoughts and actions of the youth of today, in a long, long time.  'UNMADE BEDS' by Alexis Dos Santos, is a simple enough story. Based strongly on the characters rather than any elaborate plot, the story is unnervingly fresh and written for youth, by the youth. When asked at the New Zealand International Film Festival Q&A session if this story was autobiographical, Dos Santos cleared his throat and pronounced: "No. I had a father, and I lived in his house." Yet I think Dos Santos has a point. Vera and Axl, are living the trendy London life that us Auckland teens from the suburbs can only hope to DREAM of. These are people who land where the wind blows them, who have beautiful foreign airs and impossibly cool taste in music and clothes. They live in that semi-bohemian age in the outskirts of reality, that all young people long to explore and adventure in.  A leading catalyst of 'Unmade Beds', and indeed in youth culture in general, is the prominence of alcohol. Axl and Vera are both caught up in this careless, almost hedonistic attitude towards what happens each night and where they end up. In the film this proves to be a social enabler, as it's by this means that Axl first stumbles upon the squat. I do, to some extent, envy the carefree nature of Axl. He comes across as a grinning, almost Peter Pan-esque character, who isn't even considering the fact that he needs to grow up at some point and make something of himself.  Yet in saying that, both Vera and Axl are both searching for something they lost... and compensating for this with their wild ways. Vera in particular, is fresh from a tough break-up and is looking for love without the hurt. She sets about seeing a new guy, and they experiment with creating a relationship based on knowing absolutely nothing about the other person, not even each others names. Without history to bridge conversations, their relationship is built on lingering touch and sudden bursts of eye contact; and this is often louder and more charged than words could ever be. Vera with her quasi-philosophical musings and the constant need to record everything via her Polaroid camera, exemplifies perfectly the soul-searching-spirit of the twenty-first century youth, where we are continually looking to reaffirm our place in the world.  The diverse characters are tied together in the colourful and wild London squat, by the shared indie music scene they all inhabit. Music provides conversation starters, connections to discover, and opportunities to randomly meet. Rarely is there a movie with a soundtrack as unbelievably cool and inspiring, as the one Dos Santos and his team managed to create. Music from Juno alumni Kimya Dawson and New Zealand's own Connan Mockasin feature, making this film one very tasty treat for your ears.  'UNMADE BEDS' is us, the modern youths, looking into a mirror and seeing not ourselves... but a shiny, and infinitely cooler reflection of what we all strive for. Now this may sound like a vaguely depressing picture, but believe me it sure does make for a colourful and smile-inspiring movie about love and life, which we can all learn a lesson from.  |
