“I found it hard to pick the difference between the short version and the long version”, I said to my friend Michaela, about the documentary film she has produced, “Destination Arnold”. A few months ago I saw the 50 minute version that will screen later this year on ABC-TV. This weekend I saw the 77 minute cinema version, which premiered at the Sydney Film Festival. The difference between the two? “You get the chance to stay in the moment longer”, she told me.
Though I knew the plotline, had seen the earlier version, and had “lived” through much of the documentary’s development, as Michaela and I catch up regularly, I still really enjoyed the Sydney Film Festival screening.
Destination Arnold
It’s such a great story, about two women who aspire to to enter the Australian finals of the Arnold Schwarzenegger Body Building Contest. Along the way, they lose their way, and ultimately it becomes a film about friendship.
But it’s not a friendship without flaws, and the two lead characters have their own individual flaws, and that’s what makes it such an enjoyable film. It’s real!
Destination Arnold
And we had an awesome night dancing at the after party!
“So after being here on and off for three weeks what do you think of Hobart?”, Damien asked me as we dined last night on some delicious Japanese food last. He caught me by surprise, as I didn’t really have a ready answer, aside from “I think I really like it”. It was one of those “non-answers” in some respects.
Yes, I’ve been here for a reasonable length of time, and yes, I’ve been staying in AirBnB accommodation (not a hotel), and yes, I’ve been mostly working (tourism came second), I had a break in the middle to return to Sydney. Oh, and the weather has been unusually warm. So yeah, I really like Hobart, but I still feel like I’ve only scratched the surface.
For the past few days, I’ve been staying in North Hobart. If you were to declare somewhere “peak hipster”, I think I’ve won “bingo”, because I’ve been staying in an apartment above a funky hairdressing salon, a hole-in-the-wall coffee shop, and a cat cafe. With a bus stop out the front that got me to work in about 15 minutes and lots of wonderful restaurants close by, I feel like I’ve been living in the Hobart equivalent to where I live in Sydney. So in many ways, it’s felt “quite normal”. Hence, my “non-answer” to Damien’s question.
The cat cafe is not far from where I’m staying.
As is common back in Sydney, I’ve gone to work come home, gone out for a meal or something to do, and just gotten on with my life. A couple of “out and about” highlights, however, have included going to a comedy night, and visiting Hobart’s only “gay bar”.
The highlight of the comedy night at the Polish Club was a performance by Ivan Aristgueta, originally from Venezuela, who based much of his routine on loving Australia but still missing his home country which he and his family left due to political strife.A couple of rather amusing moments happened at the gay bar, as a man came up to me, and asked me if I was from Sydney, recognising me as a patron from a pub where he works; and with someone else coming up to me, having recognised the shirt I was wearing, as being one he sold in the shop where he worked. Appropriately for the bar called Flamingos, it was a shirt featuring Flamingos.
Small world, eh? Or maybe that’s just Hobart, and why I like it. An excellent combination of the two “worlds” of my life: that of living in a big city like Sydney, as well as a series of smaller country towns in my earlier life. I doubt I’ll retire in Sydney (I don’t think I can afford it), and I doubt I’ll retire in a small country town (lacking some of the creature comforts of city-life I’ve become used to), so maybe it’s somewhere in between. Maybe it’s Newcastle? Maybe it’s Canberra? Could it be Hobart?
Living so close to the Sydney Cricket Ground, I’m always consciously aware of when there’s a major sporting event or concert occurring: Cleveland Street turns into a carpark, and the pubs of Devonshire Street are always full (especially for the Sydney Test) as people make their way to and from the SCG.
Back in the day when I was still going to events like the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras and Sleaze Ball (remember that?) it was great to live so close, even if you were taking your life into risk crossing South Dowling Street and ANZAC Parade.
But I discovered this morning there’s a new walkway that allows you to cross the road without risk. I’m not sure how long it’s been there for, since I haven’t walked this way in a few months, but it looks new.
The Albert Tibby Cotter WalkwayThe Albert Tibby Cotter Walkway
The Albert Tibby Cotter WalkwayAs I went about my morning walk, I also noticed there was a development application sign all over a nearby group of terrace houses which have been empty since construction of the light rail commenced. Oh no, they’re going to pull them down and put up apartments, I thought to myself. Pleasingly, they’re planning to renovate the balconies, and give them a lick of paint, which is good to hear.
Meanwhile, I note City of Sydney have been out and about putting stickers on dirty garbage bins and furniture left in the back laneway.
Clearly, Surry Hills is undergoing its latest transformation.
“The last time I was here must have been ten years ago, and nothing’s changed: the scenery’s the same, and so is the music…”, I said to my friend, as we entered Sydney’s Arq nightclub, late tonight to the sounds of Kylie Minogue.
“The last time I was here was two weeks ago…” she replied. An answer which would surprise a lot of people, given my friend (like me) is in her fifties and is fairly straight-laced. However, she works with young people, and over the last few months has been supporting a young man she works with, who has been participating in the “From Drags To Riches” drag queen contest. I felt a bit of a connection with him, as he grew up in a small country town where I had once lived. I can only begin to imagine his journey as a gender-fluid young person.
From Drags To Riches
Tonight was the Grand Final, with $2000 in prize money for the winning contestant. It was down to the final five, and each had to perform both a ballad and up-tempo number. In some ways, we both became drag queen judges in our own right, whispering phrases to each other such as “that one’s too dramatic” , or “that one missed her queue” etc.
From Drags To Riches
The young guy we were supporting performed well, was popular with the audience, and was most definitely “our favourite”. And, he won!!!!!
PS: Please forgive my use/misuse of the personal pronouns, but I believe the young person I’ve been talking about identifies as male, though has been somewhat gender-fluid over the years. I apologise if I’ve messed the pronouns up.
After yesterday’s festivities which were loads of fun, I have nothing to report. I went to work, did my job, and came home to an evening of watching stuff on air and online. See you tomorrow.
