FILMMAKER Q&A SCREENING: SET IN CANBERRA WITH SCENES SHOT ON THE ANU CAMPUS, THIS AACTA-NOMINATED FILM MAKES ITS WAY TO THE ANU FILM GROUP FOR A SPECIAL Q&A WITH DIRECTOR SOTIRIS DOUNOUKOS!

Based on Helen Garner’s book of the same title, Joe Cinque’s Consolation details the events leading up to the planned murder of Joe Cinque by his girlfriend, Anu Singh.

Anu had a mental condition, and blamed Joe for making her ill – including supposedly telling her that she needed to lose weight and to take drugs to help the process. Anu later became depressed as she fell behind in her studies and started thinking about committing suicide. She engaged a fellow student, Madhavi Rao, to help her with her suicide plans. As the days passed, Anu got increasingly paranoid and annoyed at Joe – and he unwittingly became a part of their plans.

As it is based on a true story, the enjoyment of the film lies not in knowing the ending, but in the journey of getting there. Director Sotiris Dounoukos immerses you in the story and you find yourself hoping that the ending would be different.

I was involved in the filming of this movie as an extra, but sadly I am nowhere to be found (trust me, I kept my eyes peeled) as the 3 scenes that I was part of had been cut. That’s an entire day of mine down the drain, but I promise that your 102 minutes spent watching this movie won’t be.

Also don’t forget to keep a lookout for the little snippets of none other than your very own ANU Film Group mentioned in the film – there might be a quiz after to see if you found them!