Sampling of Cinema From Down Under

Australian filmmakers have been surprising the world for a couple of decades now. That country doesn’t put out many movies that score internationally, but the ones that do are often impressive.

Peter Weir, who made “Picnic at Hanging Rock” and “The Last Wave,” is probably the most influential of the Down Under directors, but men like Fred Schepisi (“The Chant of Jimmie Blacksmith”) and Bruce Beresford (“Breaker Morant”) have also had an impact.

The latest wave includes Jocelyn Moorhouse, whose “Proof” was one of the more intriguing movies to come out of Australia in 1991. That film, along with “Breaker Morant,” can be seen tonight at Cal State Fullerton in a mini-tribute to the Australian cinema.

“Proof” hinges on a fascinating, if far-fetched, premise: What can the world of a blind photographer be like? Martin (Hugo Weaving) shoots his environment, then has a friend, Andy (Russel Crowe), describe the pictures in striking detail.

Moorhouse, who wrote the screenplay based on a true story, uses the movie to create a wickedly contemporary parable about the nature of truth, reality and trust.

Her film is also a probe of character. Martin and Andy become inseparable, which annoys Martin’s housekeeper Celia (Genevieve Picot), who both loves and torments him.

The dynamic of this unusual triangle generates a kind of queasy intimacy for the audience; Moorhouse and her cast reveal who these not-always-likable people really are.

“Breaker Morant” is Beresford’s retelling of an incident in 1901 during the Boer War in South Africa. The film turns on a bloody event: After an Australian captain is killed by guerrillas, his friend Lt. Harry Morant (Edward Woodward) goes looking for revenge. The result is the execution of several Boer prisoners and a German missionary believed to be a spy.

Beresford uses flashbacks tautly linked to the present action to reveal the tragedy’s history as Morant and two of his men (Bryan Brown and Lewis Fitzgerald) are tried for war crimes. Beresford’s sympathies lie with the three, despite their actions.

The picture’s parallels to the Vietnam War, especially to the My Lai massacre, can become distractingly polemical as Beresford, at times clumsily, tries to probe the hypocrisy and ambiguities of war.

The film has a liberal chicness to it that pervades even the compelling story line. But the movie still holds you, primarily because Beresford gets remarkably convincing portrayals from his actors, especially Woodward.

His Morant is the most contradictory of heroes: He appeals to us because of his loyalty and courage, all the while pushing us away with his casual barbarity.

What: “Proof” and “Breaker Morant.”

When: Tonight, Nov. 18, at 8 (“Proof”) and 10 (“Breaker Morant”).

Where: Where: Cal State Fullerton Student Center Titan Theatre, 800 N. State College Blvd., Fullerton.

Whereabouts: Take the Riverside (91) Freeway to State College Boulevard and head north.

Wherewithal: Free.

Where to call: (714) 773-3501.

MORE SPECIAL SCREENINGS

Summer With Monika

(NR) Director Ingmar Bergman’s simple 1952 telling of a young couple’s growing relationship will be shown in Swedish with English subtitles Friday, Nov. 19, at 7 and 9 p.m. in the Social Science Hall at UC Irvine, Campus Drive and Bridge Road, Irvine, as part of the “Love and Madness” film series. $4. (714) 856-6379.

Black Diamond Rush

(NR) Warren Miller’s latest ski film, shot in Russia, Chile, Romania, Iceland, France and North America, screens Tuesday, Nov. 23, at 8 p.m., in the Orange County Performing Arts Center, 600 Town Center Drive, Costa Mesa. $14. (714) 740-2000 (Ticketmaster) or 556-ARTS.