Her Master's Voice (2012)

Her Master’s Voice: Directed by Nina Conti. With Nina Conti, Jim Broadbent, Daisy Campbell, Ken Campbell. Internationally acclaimed ventriloquist Nina Conti, takes the bereaved puppets of her mentor and erstwhile lover Ken Campbell on a pilgrimage to ‘Venthaven’ the resting place for puppets of dead ventriloquists. She gets to know her latex and wooden travelling partners along the way, and with them deconstructs herself and her lost love in this ventriloquial docu-mocumentary requiem. Ken Campbell was a hugely respected maverick of the British Theatre, an eccentric genius who would snort out forgotten artforms. Nina was his prodigy in ventriloquism and has been said to have reinvented the artform. This film is truly unique in genre and style. No one has seen ventriloquism like this before.

“A bleak attempt of Nina Conti (daughter of actor Tom Conti) to rekindle her career as a ventriloquist.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eThrough her grinned teeth Nina manages to voice several puppets that sound somewhat similar to herself in a confusing, and sometimes muffled, manner. On the premise of mourning the death of a previous and much older lover her obvious contempt towards the art of ventriloquism is clear as she unceremoniously stuffs said loveru0026#39;s puppets into a suitcase and heads to the Vent Haven Convention. It is here she wonders alone, avoiding contact with more talented ventriloquists as she contemplates her future and ponders over what to do with the puppets she u0026quot;inheritedu0026quot; from her previous lover.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eThis so-called documentary is bland and without much of a point other than to showcase Nina Contiu0026#39;s contempt towards an industry she feels she is trapped in (and Nina replacing a u0026#39;pu0026#39; with a u0026#39;ku0026#39; sounds like a u0026#39;ku0026#39;)u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eThe only saving grace for this confusing yawn fest is that she apparently gives the only professional ventriloquist dummy in her possession to a young boy at the Vent Haven Convention who no doubt already is more skilled and dedicated than she.”