Classroom drama tackles uncomfortable truths at the chalkface
Nominated for an Academy Award for Best International Film, The Teachers’ Lounge is a drama about the power dynamics in a school system where every decision feels like a mistake.
Bright Shining: how grace changes everything
In her new book Bright Shining: how grace changes everything, Australian author and broadcaster Julia Baird explores that most mysterious but necessary of human qualities: grace. Reviewed by Tracey Edstein.
The man who knew too much
A memoir by Irish author Fintan O’Toole, We Don’t Know Ourselves: A Personal History of Ireland Since 1958, was reviewed by Tracey Edstein for this edition of The Good Oil.
Film review: Freedom Is Beautiful
Freedom Is Beautiful follows the journey of two extraordinary Kurdish refugees, Farhad Bandesh and Mostafa (Moz) Azimitabar, who fled persecution in Iran and arrived in Australia seeking asylum in 2013.
BOOK REVIEW: A love letter from God
In his new book, The Law of Love: Modern Language for Ancient Wisdom, Father Richard Leonard SJ makes a positive contribution in addressing the tension between Christian liberty and obedience.
Film review: The Quiet Girl
The Quiet Girl is the story of Cait, a neglected girl who is sent away from her overcrowded, dysfunctional family to live with relatives in rural Ireland for the summer.
BOOK REVIEW: A new perspective on the COVID-19 pandemic
A new book by Father Gerald Arbuckle SM, ‘The Pandemic and the People of God: Cultural Impacts and Pastoral Responses’, is reviewed for ‘The Good Oil’ by Meg Kahler SGS.
REVIEW: 'King of Pigs' raises questions and concerns
A disturbing new play ‘King of Pigs’ rapidly intercuts the stories of three different women who become snared in physically violent relationships that ultimately land in the criminal justice system.
Team of mavericks upends an establishment of privilege and tradition
‘Blind Ambition’ is the story of four Zimbabwean refugees who conquer the odds to become South Africa’s top sommeliers. Peter Confeggi reviews this uplifting documentary about hope, courage and determination.
BOOK REVIEW: You had me at frosted teacakes
A new book by Ann Rennie asks you to pause and ponder. It’s a miscellany of musings, ranging from the serious to the whimsical and the spiritual to the serendipitous.
Book review: The Dance of the Dissident Daughter
‘The Dance of the Dissident Daughter’ shows a way forward for those whose faith is strong but who find the version of Christianity on offer critically lacking, writes Tracey Edstein.
The Grizzlies is a survivors’ tale of youth and hope
A new Canadian film goes beyond the sports genre in a compelling human drama that takes the viewer into the issues of identity affecting indigenous communities worldwide, writes Dan McAloon.