Benedict_Cumberbatch Wong Kar-Wai ("In the Mood for Love") meets Jim Jarmusch ("Broken Flowers") and flirts with Wim Wenders ("Paris, Texas") and David Lynch ("The Elephant Man", "Blue Velvet"). That'd be a simplified way of describing "The Goddess of 1967", a dazzling, unique road movie written and directed by Clara Law ("Floating Life").The goddess of the title isn't a woman, but the nickname of a Citroën DS, a famous car designed in the 50's. A young Japanese man (Rikiya Kurokawa) dreams of buying that car, and he travels to Australia after he finds an offering on the net. He has an unpleasant surprise when he gets there, and then embarks on a road trip through the outback with a mysterious, red-haired blind girl (Rose Byrne, who deservedly won the Volpi Cup for best actress at the Venice Film Festival and was robbed of an Oscar nod).Byrne is the soul of this film. She has some of the saddest eyes I've ever seen, an exotic, captivating beauty and one of the most cinematic faces of the past years (her dance scene at the bar is anthologic - probably my favourite since Uma Thurman's in "Pulp Fiction"). She's been in lots of different films since her breakthrough, from blockbusters (Star Wars II, Troy) to indies (City of Ghosts, The Dead Girl), period dramas (I Capture the Castle, Marie Antoinette) to horror/sci-fi (28 Weeks Later, Sunshine), has proved herself extremely versatile and deserves to be a big name. But special kudos go to Clara Law, her co-writer Eddie Ling-Ching Fong and cinematographer Dion Beebe (Oscar winner for "Memoirs of a Geisha"), responsible for the breathtaking visuals (Aussie landscapes seldom looked so gorgeous).Incest, murder, blindness aren't light issues, and a less talented director could make an imbroglio with this material. Fortunately, Clara Law knows what she's talking about and her film is a cinematic poem - sad, sometimes disturbing, but not depressing (I have no idea how could someone classify this as a comedy, though). She shows much more talent than other contemporary female avant-garde directors, such as the overrated Claire Denis ("Beau Travail") or Lynne Ramsay ("Morvern Callar"). "The Goddess of 1967" is a vigorous film that deserves to be discovered. My vote is 10.

maudielebowski I saw this movie at a film festival, and have been patiently waiting for it to be distributed. Unfortunately, the world at large is deprived of the pleasure. This film conveys a collector's love (a difficult thing to understand if you don't have the affliction), and a profound sense of culture and culture shock. The most remarkable thing is that all this is done without overuse of dialog. Through the study of the human condition and the connection that can exist between two people previously unmet, the audience is witness to an evolution on several levels. Beautifully shot and artfully acted, this film achieves (and then some) what Japanese Story fell short of.

hylinski This film combines an interesting and meaningful plot with cinematography which is a tribute to the many textures of Australia and some restrained but insightful acting and direction. Most of the funding for the movie was from two state governments. The producers have had to be sparing with their special effects. Despite this the film has more atmosphere than most Hollywood films with budgets in the tens of millions. This film does not shout any particular message at its audience, so how much you see is really up to you. Many films about such a sensitive topic can be too heavy handed. It is a great credit to Clara Law that she says so much so quietly.

robie-1 In movies - road movies especially - we are looking for change in the characters, the relationships and possibly the balance between two themes. In the Goddess we see Deidre become more whole, at a physical level by wanting and experiencing tender lovemaking. And debatably in the end as her search to confront her dad/granddad is fulfilled - death and his death in particular no longer an obsession. What of the male character though? Although very well played and amusing - what journey does he really undertake? Has he learned to drive with his eyes closed? Learned to love a being without scales?And in looking for themes that may be juxtaposed or in tension with each other - yes there is Megacity Vs Outback, there is beauty vs ugliness, black holes vs religion, responsibility for yourself vs the excuse of horrid childhood - but for me somehow they were a bit fitted in, if any one stands out - perhaps it is travelling with a purpose vs with your eyes closed, and the frightning thing of travelling with a purpose (to buy the car or kill your dad) turns out to be: What then? What do you do next? Perhaps being able to travel with your eyes closed is a better skill after all.