Walk the Talk

After the great success of Love Serenade, winner of the Caméra d’Or in Cannes for the best début feature, the Australian director Shirley Barrett was given an offer by the Hollywood DreamWorks studio to make a film. That became Walk the Talk, made with a largely local crew and shot on the Gold Coast of Australia.Walk the Talk, a black comedy annex satirical drama, is about ordinary people who cherish outsized ambitions and have been blinded by the idea that if you want something, you can get it. The film is a brave attack on the think-positive Mafia. After all, some dreams can better be forgotten pretty quick.The prospective young entertainment manager Joe Grasso (a beautiful role by Salvatore Coco, who looks a little like a young De Niro) thinks he is a good listener, but when the news is not what he wants, he doesn’t hear a thing. His motto – follow that dream – is a variation on the philosophies of various self-help gurus that he adheres to with a dedication bordering on fanaticism. For instance, he is determined to get the ailing career of the seedy nightclub singer Nikki Raye (Nikki Bennett) back on the rails. With the insurance money of his invalid girlfriend Bonita (Sacha Horler), he sets up an agency, with the singer as the only client. Not hindered by any business knowledge, he goes all out to achieve his goal.