KT 089: My Darling in Stirling
Tabacco considers KT's most anticipated Australian film of the year
My Darling in Stirling
Bill Mousoulis, 2023
DCP Courtesy: Innersense Productions
Classification: CTC
Words by Andrew Tabacco
It’s Sunday afternoon sometime in September. The who’s who of those that want to be seen at the kino are already in ACMI 1 watching Do Not Expect Much from the End of the World by Radu Jude. Whilst the near packed house watches the Romanian enfant terrible of arthouse’s new film, about 50-odd people walked into the catacomb that is ACMI 2 to watch the grand-père terrible of Australian independent cinema, Bill Mousoulis’ new ‘sung-through’ musical, My Darling in Stirling.
I sit with an old and trusted confidant of mine in the middle row of the cinema, we’re both excited for the film which had one of the more enticing trailers made this century. The cineaste is a mere five seats to my right, seemingly nervous to see how his new work would be received by what seemed like a room of mainly his peers. The room goes dark…
Everyone has that cinema experience they will remember for life. My pivotal cinema experience came in my very early years on Christmas day. On the night prior, I had gotten into a scuffle with my brother Buzz and was sent up to the attic as punishment. My family were going on a family holiday to Paris the next day but following a power outage which caused my parents’ alarms to not ring, in the haste of potentially missing the flight, everyone in my family failed to realise I was still sleeping and left me behind. At first, I was dismayed that I wouldn’t be able to visit the ‘City of Love’ with my parents, as it had been a life goal to visit La Cinémathèque française in the 12th arrondissement. The prospect of being home alone at such a young age was also tantalising. At first, I thought I’d delve into my father’s DVD of Battleship Potemkin, but living only two suburbs from Cinema Nova, I decided to take my tricycle and see what my local movie palace would be playing. To my delight, Nanni Moretti’s Palme d’Or winner The Sons Room was screening that day. In a serendipitous turn, as I am half-Italian, I decided to watch my countryman’s film. The rest, as they say, is history. Returning to that day in September, only mere moments into the film, I realised that My Darling in Stirling could be that film for someone.
One could only imagine the thrill and bewilderment of anyone in that room who had no prior knowledge about Mousoulis. If anything, I felt envious of those who got to watch near two-hours of mostly off-key (dubbed) songs about the special little town in the Adelaide Hills or how the local bookstore was in fact not hiring currently. Sung over what I can safely assume are AI generated beats comprising literally every genre, My Darling was equal parts thrilling and confusing. Both the experience in ACMI 2 and the film itself was kino in its purest form.
In his introduction, Mousoulis mentioned that the film was ‘inspired’ by Jacques Demy’s revered musical, The Umbrellas of Cherbourg. Where Demy presents a technicolour daydream of the pains of young love, Bill presents an almost ‘Lochian’ look at the ills of suburban life in the City of Churches. Replacing Catherine Deneuve’s Geneviève with ‘Emma’, an equally impressionistic young girl who lives with her melancholic mother and the ambitious mechanic Guy with ‘Nick’, a charming and aspirational barista working in the beguiling suburb of Stirling. At first viewing it’s a disservice to both Mousoulis and the French New Wave to compare the two films. If Demy only had access to Starnow, Target’s 2023 Spring/Summer collection and most importantly, an endless free archive of royalty free music, who knows what the end result would’ve been?
The ‘independent spirit’ that permeates My Darling is palpable and for those not cynical, possibly intoxicating. In one aspect, the songs, the melodrama, the location and confusing ‘will they/won’t they’ between the mother character and the laid off postman are a playful take on banalities of living in a place like Adelaide. Or for those that struggle to understand indépendance d'esprit, like this author, you can find solace in the sheer rejection of formality of any kind. I don’t think I’ve seen an actor light up the screen in a more awkward way than the scruffy looking brother character, whose lines are both grating and impossible to understand over the piercing eclectic guitar that the vocalist, who is different to the actor, overdubbed.
I read on Letterboxd that Mousoulis won’t be releasing the OST, which is a tragedy but also speaks to the cinematic experience that is My Darling in Stirling. A film like My Darling, which both demands to be seen in a cinema and most likely will only ever be seen in a cinema setting, has the potential to inspire a new generation of filmmakers and artists. Whether it inspires an aspiring filmmaker to never make films like that or helps a local singer realise that they can out-croon those featured on a Government-funded silver screen. Bill’s tireless work within the independent film scene promoting events through his website Pure Shit: Australian Cinema; countless underground screenings programmed by none other than KT co-founder Digby Houghton; and a tireless passion for unearthing local gems like Adelaide’s beloved Movie Juice. Or, for those seeking inspiration of any kind, might see that Bill Mousoulis, who is over 100 films into his career, and who we can safely assume has very little knowledge in music or the musical genre, just decided to make an entirely sung musical. Screening for probably the last time in Melbourne at TPH next Tuesday, My Darling in Stirling could be the final chance to experience that little piece of magic called “cinema” in 2024.
7 Nov - 13 Nov
Notable Screenings & Events
NOT TO BE MISS: BILL M’S LATEST RELEASE
My Darling in Sterling
Bill Mousoulis, 2023
Screening Tuesday 12 November
New Releases
Sasquatch Sunset
Nathan and David Zellner
The Anti-Hero Takeover
The Magnificent Seven
John Sturges, 1960
Screening Fri
Black Panther
Ryan Coogler, 2018
Screening Sat
Cruella
Craig Gillespie, 2021
Screening Sat
Female Trouble
John Waters, 1974
Screening Sat
Werewolf By Night
Michael Giacchino, 2022
Screening Sun
A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night
Ana Lily Amirpour, 2014
Screening Sun
The Godfather
Francis Ford Coppola, 1972
Screening Mon
Bonnie and Clyde
Arthur Penn, 1967
Screening Tue
Blade
Stephen Norrington, 1998
Screening Tue
Lady Snowblood
Toshiya Fujita, 1973
Screening Wed
Kill Bill: Volume I
Quentin Tarantino, 2003
Screening Wed
Matinees
Nocturnes
Anirban Dutta & Anupama Srinivasan, 2024
Screening Fri, Sat and Sun
My Sassy Girl
Kwak Jae-yong, 2001
Screening Wednesday November 13 @ 7:30pm
No screening this week
ASTOR CINEMA
Placebo: This Search for Meaning
Oscar Sansom, 2024
Screening Friday
Paris, Texas
Wim Wenders, 1984
Screening Fri, Sat and Mon
The Lion in Winter
Anthony Harvey, 1968
Screening Sat
This is Spinal Tap
Rob Reiner, 1984
Screening Mon
BBBC CINEMA (GALLERYGALLERY BRUNSWICK)
Closed until 2025
No screening this week
CHINATOWN CINEMA
Venom: The Last Dance (Chinese Subs)
Kelly Marcel, 2024
Screening Daily
The Unseen Sister
Midi Z, 2024
CINÉ-CLUB (Carlton)
Coming back in some variety soon
The Running Man
Paul Michael Glaser, 1987
Screening Saturday
Events
Check sites for rep titles
Release
Here
Robert Zemeckis, 2024
Screening Daily
Saturday Night,
Jason Reitman, 2024
Screening Daily
Lee
Ellen Kuras, 2023
Screening Daily
A Different Man
Aaron Schimberg, 2024
Screening Daily
Memoir of a Snail
Adam Elliot, 2024
Screening Daily
From Hilde, With Love
Andreas Dresen, 2024
Screening Daily
Like My Brother
Sal Balharrie, Danielle MacLean, 2024
Screening Daily
Cat Video Fest
Will Braden, 2024
Screening Daily
The Apprentice
Ali Abbasi, 2024
Screening Daily
Ghostlight
Alex Thompson, 2024
Screening Daily
The Critic
Craig Armstrong, 2024
Screening Daily
Megalopolis
Francis Ford Coppola, 2024
Screening Daily
The Substance
Coralie Fargeat, 2024
Screening Daily
Bonnard, Pierre and Marthe
Maurice Pialat, 2023
Screening Daily
Kneecap
Rich Peppiatt, 2023
Screening Daily
I Saw the TV Glow
Jane Schoenbrun, 2023
Screening Thurs
Strange Darling
Jacqueline Lentzou, 2024
Screening Daily
Longlegs
Graham Verchere, 2024
Screening Daily
How to Make Millions Before Grandma Dies
Liu Jia, 2024
Screening Daily
DOGMILK DEGUSTATIONS: @ Miscellania
Coming back soon
EXPERIMENTAL FILM CLUB
Listings coming soon
Done for now, will return soon
GAY24 (Bar Flippy’s)
No screening this week
HITLIST (9 Gertrude St, Fitzroy)
Shut for now
LIDO / CLASSIC / CAMEO
Events
Jewish International Film Festival – Screening at all Moving Story Cinemas
Program here
General Release
Here
Robert Zemeckis, 2024
Screening Daily
Saturday Night,
Jason Reitman, 2024
Screening Daily
Lee
Ellen Kuras, 2023
Screening almost everywhere
A Different Man
Aaron Schimberg, 2024
Screening almost everywhere
Memoir of a Snail
Adam Elliot, 2024
Screening Daily
Like My Brother
Sal Balharrie, Danielle MacLean, 2024
Screening Daily
The Apprentice
Ali Abbasi, 2024
Screening Daily
A Different Man
Aaron Schimberg, 2024
Screening Daily
Joker: Folie à Duex
Todd Phillips, 2024
Screening Daily
The Critic
Craig Armstrong, 2024
Screening Daily
Megalopolis
Francis Ford Coppola, 2024
Screening Daily
The Substance
Coralie Fargeat, 2024
Screening Daily
OVA CLUB
No screening this week
THE MELBOURNE CINÉMATHÈQUE (ACMI)
The Last of England
Derek Jarman, 1987
Screening Wed 13 Nov
+
The Garden
Derek Jarman, 1990
Screening Wed 13 Nov
TOP OF THE HEAP (Tramway Hotel)
No screening this week
No screening this week
MELBOURNE UNIVERSITY: SCREENING IDEAS
No screening this week
PALACE BALWYN / BRIGHTON / COMO / KINO / PENTRIDGE / MOONEE PONDS / WESTGARTH
Events
British Film Festival – Running from 6 Nov for a month
Program here
General Release
Here
Robert Zemeckis, 2024
Screening Daily
Saturday Night,
Jason Reitman, 2024
Screening Daily
Lee
Ellen Kuras, 2023
Screening Daily
A Different Man
Aaron Schimberg, 2024
Screening Daily
Memoir of a Snail
Adam Elliot, 2024
Screening Daily
From Hilde, With Love
Andreas Dresen, 2024
Screening Daily
Like My Brother
Sal Balharrie, Danielle MacLean, 2024
Screening Daily
The Apprentice
Ali Abbasi, 2024
Screening Daily
Joker: Folie à Duex
Todd Phillips, 2024
Screening Daily
The Critic
Craig Armstrong, 2024
Screening daily
The Substance
Coralie Fargeat, 2024
Screening Daily
A Difficult Year
Olivier Nakache & Éric Toledano
Screening Daily
Megalopolis
Francis Ford Coppola, 2024
Screening Daily
My Old Ass
Megan Park, 2024
Screening Daily
Bonnard, Pierre and Marthe
Maurice Pialat, 2023
Screening Daily
No screening this week
No listings this week / click link above to see what’s on (their site too hard to list)
Beats Working: A Music Doc Fest
Teaches of Peaches
Philipp Fussenegger & Judy Landkammer, 2024
Screening Friday and Saturday
Free Party: A Folk History
Aaron Trinder, 2023
Screening Fri and Sat
Devo
Chris Smith, 2024
Screening Sat & Mon
The Most Australian Band Ever
Jonathan Sequeira, 2024
Screening Tue and Wed
Pulp: Life Death and Supermarkets
Florian Habicht, 2014
Screening Sunday
Dig XX!
Ondi Timoner, 2024
Screening Wed
Regular
Paris, Texas
Wim Wenders, 1984
Screening Sun
A Different Man
Aaron Schimberg, 2024
Screening Sun
Lee
Ellen Kuras, 2023
Screening Mon and Wed
UNKNOWN PLEASURES @ Thornbury Picture House
My Darling in Sterling
Bill Mousoulis, 2023
Screening Tuesday 12 November