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PLEASE NOTE: Michael D's is currently in READ ONLY MODE. Anything submitted will simply not be written to the database.
Lots of stuff is still broken, but at least reviews can now be looked up and read.
His & Hers (2009)

His & Hers (2009)

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Released 10-Aug-2011

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Details At A Glance

General Extras
Category Documentary Theatrical Trailer
Rating Rated PG
Year Of Production 2009
Running Time 80:00
RSDL / Flipper No/No Cast & Crew
Start Up Menu
Region Coding 4 Directed By Ken Wardrop
Studio
Distributor

Madman Entertainment
Starring Leah Holohan
Grace McGee
Eimear Peters
Chloe O'Connor
Emily Rose McHugh
Emma Quinn
Katie Gilligan
Maria O'Donohue
Chantelle Monaghan
Jess Nolan
Siofra MacNamara
Laura Dixon
Eileen Brennan
Case Amaray-Transparent
RPI ? Music Denis Clohessy


Video Audio
Pan & Scan/Full Frame None English Dolby Digital 5.1 (448Kb/s)
English Dolby Digital 2.0 (224Kb/s)
Widescreen Aspect Ratio 1.78:1
16x9 Enhancement
16x9 Enhanced
Video Format 576i (PAL)
Original Aspect Ratio 1.78:1 Miscellaneous
Jacket Pictures No
Subtitles None Smoking No
Annoying Product Placement No
Action In or After Credits No

NOTE: The Profanity Filter is ON. Turn it off here.

Plot Synopsis

     His & Hers is a 2009 documentary of sorts from Ireland. I say, "of sorts", because it is nothing more than a series of short interviews with females - from 4 to 84 - about the men in their lives. There is no narration and no obvious structure. The closest comparison would be to Michael Apted's 7 Up series.

     This is a deceptively simple affair. The women talk about day to day issues. Only a few times does tragedy or serious drama rear its head. Yet it is often a profound and memorable experience. His & Hers is , of course, two stories. All the words come from the womenfolk. Men are not to be seen anywhere though their presence is eerily felt. Even in the interviews it appears that the images of the men, photos and the like, have been removed from the mantelpieces. Director Ken Wardrop wants us to absorb the women and imagine the men. There is, in fact, a structure. It moves generationally. The interviews begin with little girls talking about their fathers and progress until the final subject, the director’s mother, who talks about the contact from her son.

     The advantage of the short interview format is that we barely have time to get bored as each story or snippet of life is told briefly before we move on to another. The disadvantage is that we never invest too deeply in any of the individual stories. That, however, must have been the filmmakers’ intentions. Instead of a selection of dramatic or funny stories we instead have a tapestry of real life forcing us to think about our own role as sons, husbands and fathers.

     A charming experience.

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Transfer Quality

Video

     His & Hers was shot on 16mm film and comes to DVD in the original aspect ratio of 1.85:1. It is 16x9 enhanced.

     No one should approach this film with a view to using it as reference material. The image quality is adequate without being exceptional. The image is reasonably sharp and the colours are stable if a little dour. The only defect, for want of a better word, is the sometimes heavy grain from the use of 16mm film which almost gives the film a look of another era. Still nothing distracting in the presentation.

     There are no subtitles. The DVD case promises subtitles but they are absent. More on that later ...

Video Ratings Summary
Sharpness
Shadow Detail
Colour
Grain/Pixelization
Film-To-Video Artefacts
Film Artefacts
Overall

Audio

     His & Hers carries two English soundtracks, both Dolby Digital, being a 5.1 track running at 448 Kb/s and a 2.0 track running at 224 Kb/s. Both are sufficient for the material. The surrounds and sub-woofer are barely used.

     The film consists of solely talking heads so dialogue is important. Two comments - one good one bad. The dialogue is rendered clearly in the sense that it can at all times be heard. However, a large number of the interviewees have a broad Irish Midlands accent. I struggled at times understanding what was being said and in my view the absence of the subtitles is a big problem. No doubt anyone from Ireland wouldn't have this problem.

     The score by Denis Clohessy is jaunty and light.

Audio Ratings Summary
Dialogue
Audio Sync
Clicks/Pops/Dropouts
Surround Channel Use
Subwoofer
Overall

Extras

Theatrical Trailer

    There are no real extras bar the trailer.

R4 vs R1

NOTE: To view non-R4 releases, your equipment needs to be multi-zone compatible and usually also NTSC compatible.

    I cannot find a reference to the release of this film anywhere else bar Region 4.

Summary

     His & Hers is a film that grows with the viewing. These simple stories about boys and men, how we drive our women crazy but mean the world to them are often moving and profound. The transfer is adequate though the strong accents do make the absence of the subtitles a problem.

Ratings (out of 5)

Video
Audio
Extras
Plot
Overall

© Trevor Darge (read my bio)
Monday, December 19, 2011
Review Equipment
DVDCambridge 650BD (All Regions), using HDMI output
DisplaySony VPL-VW80 Projector on 110" Screen. Calibrated with Video Essentials. This display device is 16x9 capable. This display device has a maximum native resolution of 1080p.
Audio DecoderBuilt in to amplifier/receiver. Calibrated with Ultimate DVD Platinum.
AmplificationPioneer SC-LX 81 7.1
SpeakersAaron ATS-5 7.1

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