Joe Cinque’s Consolation
Rohypnol is usually used as a date rape drug in bars and clubs, but Anu Singh didn’t need to do that, she already had a boyfriend, what she wanted, was something just as hideous as a rape crime.
Based on the novel written by Helen Garner Joe Cinque’s consolation, directed by Sotiris Dounoukos, is a film based on a true story about drugs, relationships and murder.
Anu Singh (Maggie Naouri) is a law student engaged to her partner Joe Cinque (Jerome Meyer). As their relationship progresses Anu starts to develop wild ideas that her past use of a weight loss drug, administered by Joe, had messed with her body and that she was losing muscle mass. She eventually wanted to die, but felt that her boyfriend couldn’t live without her, so took his life into her own hands. With the help of her friends, Anu was able to organise two “Goodbye” partiess. With the first party failing, she organised a second. This time, she laced her fiancé’s coffee with Rohypnol and injected Heroine into his sedated body. She then spent over 20 hours watching Joe struggle.
Joe Cinque’s consolation finds solace in what had lead up to the events of his death but it scarcely covered Anu Singhs mental health that led to her crime. Her mental health was subtly pointed at throughout the film which didn’t give the film its full extent of its true story feeling. Despite this, the story line was smooth and allowed for a tremendous story of how relationships and drugs can alter the course of someone’s life.
submitted to: The Australia Times magazine