Lewis (Ben Mendelsohn) is a young uni graduate living with his girlfriend Lucy (Rachel Griffiths) and pretentious playwright roommate Nick (Aden Young), who takes a desperate job in a mental institution working with patients interested in drama. Lewis thinks the job will just mean helping them stage a small variety show, until stalwart patient Roy (a show-stealing Barry Otto) insists the production be no less than an epic performance of Mozart's Cosi Fan Tutte. This is stacking the deck on them at best, as none of the patients can speak Italian much less sing opera and they consist of nymphomaniacs, pyromaniacs and obsessives who clearly have other preoccupations.
Obviously, this isn't a "respectable drama," but it's still a comedy that explores mental illness accurately and sensitively, and indeed there are some deeply touching moments here also. Working from Louis Nowra's adaptation of his own celebrated play (based on his own experiences working in an institution), Mark Joffe handles the rehearsal and performance scenes very vibrantly and the more tender moments with discreet restraint. And the whole cast are a hoot: this is ultimately Otto's show as I said, but Jacki Weaver unleashes her inner schizophrenic to great comic effect, David Wenham (in his breakthrough role, which he originated on-stage) is a riot as pyromaniac Doug, and there's even Men at Work frontman Colin Hay as Wagner-obsessed Zac. And as bulimic Julie, Toni Collette performs a stunning a cappella rendition of Ben E. King's Stand By Me.
And on that note (no pun intended), Cosi ultimatelty emphasizes how the arts can give us all, particularly the marginalised or misunderstood, an unmistakable voice, even if it needs some encouragement or guidance. Cosi is compassionate, realistic, deftly handled and most of all, very, very funny. A (literally) madcap Australian treat.
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