MIFF NOTES: Christine (2016, Dir. Antonio Campos)

I know I vowed not to bother with Christine after the finger-pointing travesty of Kate Plays Christine. But curiosity got the better of me (not *that* curiosity).

I should have stuck to my guns.

While a marginally better take on the material, Antonio Campos' version of Christine Chubbuck's on-air suicide is far from good.

Yes, the '70s look and feel is well portrayed and the performances from the bulk of the cast are solid (Rebecca Hall as Chubbuck is a stern anchor for all), but Campos opts for black comedy over get-inside-the-head drama. Chubbuck still isn't particularly well served.

There is a film in this. It sits somewhere in the middle of Kate Plays Christine's pat moralising, Christine's telemovie blackness and Network's high concept comedy. Most of the holes have been dug now though, so I don't think anybody is going to find it.

★★☆

Christine screened as part of the Melbourne International Film Festival 2016.

You can check out other films from the festival here.