Passion
If you haven’t heard by now Passion is the new film about the life of Australian composer Percy Grainger (Richard Roxburgh) and his relationship with his mother Rose (Barbara Hershey). Grainger was a brilliant pianist and composer and spent much of his life recording folk songs and preserving them as well as writing new arrangements of them.
The controversy in his life came from his relationship with his mother. They had such a close relationship that there were accusations of incest. This happens after the period in which the film deals with but their closeness in the film is disconcerting at times. The one source of conflict between the mother and son is Percy’s penchant for flagellation. Rose believes that his urges will be his undoing, he sees them as his joy, his passion. When Karin (Emily Woof) appears on the scene, Rose believes that she will be able to help control Percy.
This is a good film and the filmmakers have dealt with the flagellation very tastefully. Why this film has an ‘R’ rating, I do not know. Many film critics have commented on the ridiculousness of the rating because the subject matter is dealt with in such a tasteful way. There is minimal to no nudity and Percy and Karin are depicted as a loving couple. So why is something as non-offensive as this given an ’R’ rating when psycho killers and rapists only get ‘M’ or ‘MA’ if we are lucky? The answer lies with a very prudish government and therefore censors.
I enjoyed this film and especially recommend it to anyone who is interested in Percy Grainger’s music. Those looking for a thrill may be disappointed.
ChrisB
