“So, you are on your knees?Good.Now die to yourself. To your idea of yourself. Everything you think you are, you are not." —Top of the Lake(Jane Campion, 2013)
A woman on her knees is a recurring image on Jane Campion’s filmography:
I just finished watching Top of the Lake, straight through from beginning to end. I started watching as something to do but then just could not stop, swearing at the end of each episode as now I just HAD to watch another one. Top of the Lake was created by Jane Campion (director of the amazing Bright Star) and Gerald Lee and follows the Elizabeth Moss’ detective as she investigates the disappearance of a pregnant 12 year old girl. The wild New Zealand scenery is beautiful and haunting and the performances by Elizabeth Moss and Peter Mullen are exquisite. Holly Hunter also makes an unrecognisable appearance as GJ, a guru who barks blunt statements at people as advice or prophecy, leaving the viewer unsure if she is truly enlightened or just a bit crazy.The BBC has been advertising The Top of The Lake for what seems like ages without it ever actually arriving on our screens but when it comes you should watch it. If you don’t want to wait (and I wouldn’t blame you) seek it out yourself, its worth the trouble as its really something that stays with you.
The fear of being watched, that somebody is following your every move, is a fear that you can safely say is a common paranoia. There’s something sinister and creepy, but obvious in the idea that Australian director Leigh Whannellhas created the latest variation of classic HG Wells’ story, The Invisible Man. But rather than retreading the bandaged mysterious figure wearing sunglasses, hat and…
