Disclosure (II) (2020) User Reviews

Geraldine Hakewill Steals the show

[jackyFell-18289 · 7/10 · 6 February 2021]

Great character Drama, clever use use of a small budget. Really enjoyable. Geraldine Hakewill as always is excellent.

Full Disclosure

[MogwaiMovieReviews · 7/10 · 30 June 2020]

Disclosure is a well-acted and thoughtful film that could easily have been a play but does a lot with its single location and miniscule cast and budget. It deals with a single afternoon in which two couples clash in increasingly ugly ways over an accusation made by one of their children against another. The premise itself reminded me quite a bit of 2011's "Carnage", although I actually think it gets better results than Polanski did, and with a much thornier topic.

While it does a detailed and subtle job of equally portraying the realities of the four principle characters, it seems (inevitably, in 2020) to come down on the side of 'believe all unfounded accusations any female makes against any male, no matter how old' and therefore on the side of treating 9 year old children like 50-year old repeat sex offenders. Which I guess is what the glowing reviews mean when they say it's "timely".

The basic struggle at the centre could have been dealt with in less-than feature-length time, and, while it is not dull, or poorly told, it does feel like it drags a little. Having said that, I appreciate what it tries to do and so recommend watching the once, with the above reservations.

(6½ stars out of 10)

Strong Controversial Well-Acted Abuse Drama

[roger-99-171599 · 7/10 · 30 June 2020]

DISCLOSURE ⭐⭐⭐ How would you react if your best friend's 9 year-old son had just abused and attacked your 4 year-old daughter during a Summer gathering? It's a very complicated situation, utterly uncomfortable and dysfunctional. It involves kids, modern behavior and bad influence, hormonal confusion, violence, precocious sex. And if such scandal happens to be in a small, conservative community, including a politician's reputation, things can get out of control, for the sake of good values. Writer-Director Michael Bentham's debut feature isn't shy of putting all the controversial matter on the table, as the couples, parents of the children, are reunited to discuss the issue and solve it at whatever cost it will take. The film opens with a slow-motion, friendly-like look at the community in movement through the sidewalks, and immediately cuts to the climax of a sexual activity between a couple, enjoying it while recording themselves. It's a sign there's something bizarre about to happen, as the residents of such a quiet community seem to have unusual, straight-forward habits. The use of slow motion continues through the film, especially highlighting moments of extreme distress. Cinematographer Mark Carey does a fabulous job with enhanced lights on the sunny, green-filled Australian estate, with beautiful observations on insects, shades into the woods, the shining water, the heat, fire, leaves, and of course, the facial confrontations. The four actors who play both couples dealing with this disturbing moral issue give courageously convincing performances, roles influenced by stage-techniques but in complete harmony with the magic imagery of the screen. Another fascinating attribute to the film is the fact we barely see the children. There's a glimpse of the boy in an euphoric attack at the beginning, and we finally see the accuser, the 4-year-old Natasha at the very last scene. With the premise of abuse predominating throughout the narrative, many ideas are proposed, with relevance on modern adults' behavior, and children's behavior, resulting in a stirring, investigative and thought-provoking analysis on loyalty, righteousness, acceptance, frustration, privilege and sexual taboo. Director Bentham masterly pushes the players to drastic conclusions, as they insist on their distinctive perspectives on the case, hurting, offending and committing attacks to each other's privacy in order to save themselves from the scandal. A very satisfying and well-done dramatic production, it suffers from repetitive dialogue, but despite that flaw, it's a controversial, gripping, intense and authentic account on human instinct and priorities.

Better than other similar films

[Gordon-11 · 26 August 2020]

This film is better than most single location quarrelling films. It is set in a beautiful house, and every scene is beautifully constructed. They quarrel with a reason, as they all have different missions to accomplish.

uncomfortable

[ops-52535 · 7/10 · 5 July 2020]

Its adults quarelling, pair against pair, wrenching and bending over their childrens way of ''playing ''with eachother, do you wanna play doctor and innocent stuff like that that most curious children do or did at least 50 years ago.

but pride and prejudice and a whole lot of stubborness, and personal peeling off the layers of controlled behaviour as the verbal strategic talk and infuriating bodymovements makes this a destructive mess of sodoma and gomorrah like dimentions of adult friendship.

so its a verbal aggitative flick, one location and small cast, doing a brilliant job all four. the film do lack the visual story of the claimed sexual attack done by one kid to another, but that might as well be so because its a uncomfortable film to watch even without that part of the story. it has some sexual content anyway,why? well have a look and youll find out.

i think the whole production are brilliant, it has the opportunity to be sequelized, if so the grumpy old man will swallow that one too. its not a childfriendly movie, but otherwise its a recommend

Dreadful and forced!

[markmclews · 4/10 · 28 November 2021]

You can always pick a bad film by when the actors appear to be acting!

It has that cringeworthy feel of one of those horrid back street Sydney suburban amateur theatre shows where everyone pretends to be enthralled but really just wants to leave and go to the pub on the corner!

The girl with the black hair was great...... The mother of the girl was strained and bloody annoying, she seems to have learnt all her lines from a thesaurus...... The father of the girl was woeful...... There's an old saying, 'In the Greek tragedies, you never know what The Gods had for breakfast'!

More like a play; heartfelt but pointless

[jimcheva · 6/10 · 29 July 2021]

The limited characters and dependence on back and forth dialogue make this far more like a play than a film, with the corresponding static quality of action as opposed to lively speech. A host of issues are touched on and secrets are revealed, betrayed, bounced around... To what ultimate effect? Ah. That will depend on the viewer. Personally I got irritated at them all and didn't really feel like I ended up anywhere.

Disclosure - thought provoking

[judyhamilton-30293 · 9/10 · 7 July 2020]

I thoroughly enjoyed this film. The acting was strong and it was refreshing to watch something that was not over produced. I don't know if I would class it as a typical thriller but it did have me held in suspense from start to finish. I loved the slow build at the beginning and the bushland setting helped me feel deeply the life of Australians in their bushfire prone environment. The theme of this film is timely. Pedophelia in regards to children's relationships with other children and the complicated relationships between adult friends and that of their children. Many of us know this challenge and this movie hits it head on. People, power with a dash of politics and a whole lot of suspense and emotion makes for a great film.

Minimal Artsy Flick

[blueoysterdvp · 6/10 · 28 September 2021]

I love Geraldine Hakewill or I wouldn't have even watched this. The cast is small as is the plot. Not an action packed movie. Mostly dialogue. Interesting and mysterious at times. The lack of a set changes hurts this attempt at making whatever they were going for. When you are used to watching "Ms. Fisher's Modern Murder Mysteries" or "Wanted" this is a major disappointment. A very bizarre affair. Hope we get a Season 3 of Peregrine Fisher!

Doesn't seem like I watched the same movie the other reviewers did...

[vegicat · 8/10 · 7 July 2020]

Either that, or I just don't filter every single movie or event through a bitter anti-@metoo lens. Crikey. The movie is about a child alleging abuse from another child. And, no, it wasn't a "he-said/she said" as it involved children and one of the alleged victims was also a boy. So, no, the movie is not about "believing women who make unfounded claims against men at all costs" like someone bizarrely claimed.

Another review mentions "children's precocious sex", while another tosses around "playing doctor". The allegation in the movie wasn't just sexual. The child also alleged being choked. How can that be innocent "playing doctor"? Also, how can the age difference of 9 and 4 in any way be "innocent"?

I saw some complaints about how the children aren't shown, the alleged abuse is not shown, etc. That is the whole point! The movie is not in any way whatsoever focused on the children. Everything about it is the parents and what they will do to protect their children. And protect themselves legally and socially. How down in the dirt they are willing to go. It really is about the adult's very un-adult behaviour trying to resolve an issue they're all invested in, in more ways than one.

So, no clue what movie the other reviewers watched because it didn't seem anything like what they described. It is a very good movie. Not graphic, no sex (even the supposed sex scenes didn't have nudity, really). It reminded me a lot of another awesome Australian film called The Slap (not the American re-make, watch the original Australian version first),

It's a great movie if you like watching adults behaving badly, as they often do in real life.

Drama, not Thriller.

[sjmckenzieauthor · 9/10 · 12 November 2020]

The labelling of this film as a thriller may mislead some viewers. It's a psychological drama played out in long shot scenes in a suburban location. It's well written, well shot, well acted and raises very uncomfortable issues around sex abuse. But it's not an action thriller by any means.

GREAT UNFLINCHING FILM INTO A DARK SUBJECT

[teresa-97170 · 10/10 · 18 February 2022]

Disclosure uses minimal framing and long takes to immerse the viewer in the drama. There are few cut aways or B-roll shots making the audience feel party to the events that involve throughout the afternoon on a beautiful sunny afternoon. This leads to a claustrophobic effect as we see at the reactions and body language of each character in relation to what they are hearing.

It's a tough subject matter to deal with child on child sexual abuse, but Micheal Bentham deals with it with sensitivity. Cinematographer Mark Carey also adds a beautiful and delicate touch.

Confronting

[suejoakley · 8/10 · 9 March 2021]

A difficult topic or theme covered in this film. Very apt in the portrayal of the network of emotions, and choices of numerous people involved. Great actors and clean, crisp sound and visuals. Highly recommend

Exceptional cinematography and acting

[leah2021 · 10/10 · 17 February 2022]

An enjoyable watch that is unlike anything I have seen recently. This film offers exceptional and experimental cinematography, well developed characters, as well as acting that is completely on point. Would definitely recommend watching, this film deserves a lot more recognition!..

Makes you think, as well as feel.

[frankberryfilms · 10/10 · 18 February 2022]

This is the sort of unflinching, uncompromising cinema we sadly so seldom see. Challenging and rewarding in equal measure, it engages your heart, mind and stomach; evoking some of the larger societal issues of our time, whilst never losing grip on the intensely personal story at its core. Balancing such intimate - at times claustrophobic - drama, with towering questions of contemporary society's notions of suspicion, guilt, truth and privacy, is a high bar to jump. Disclosure clears it confidently.

Riveting and challenging.

[Nemesis42 · 8/10 · 21 August 2023]

Brilliantly written, apart from, for me, the ending. A powerful and challenging drama to experience. More memorable than standard Hollywood CGI action blockbusters for example, for the heavy implications each character falls under, and the tight meaningful storyline.

Clever utilisation of a low budget. It has the feel of an intense play. The story winds us through increasingly disturbing human interactions. The acting, casting and direction, all great.

The ending I didn't like. It left things too unresolved. You have no idea which characters will be left on top. Literally as open ending as it could be. Some will feel satisfied by this. We must imagine our own ending if we want one. Or is the lack of resolution an anti-ending ending?

Everything apart from the last minute is brilliant.