Down Under

How do you make a comedy about one of the darkest days in Australia’s history? Writer/Diretor Abe Forsythe tries to tackle the challenge with the Cronulla Riots in his latest film Down Under.

It’s the day after the Cronulla riots and the suburb is still on edge. Shit-stick (Alexander England), a stoner who works at Blockbuster, is doing a terrible job teaching his cousin Evan (Chris Bunton) who has down-syndrome, how to drive. Shit-stick’s racist friend Jason (Damon Herriman) arrives, announcing that it’s time to go “beat up some Wogs”, and they’re promptly joined by Ned Kelly enthusiast Ditch (Justin Rosniak). Armed with a World War I rifle and a rusty grenade, they think they’re about to do their country proud.

Over in Lakemba, frustrated Nick (Rahel Romahn) attempts to recruit his intellectual friend Hassim (Lincoln Younes) to join himself, devout Muslim Ibrahim (Michael Denkha) and their rapping mate D-Mac (Fayssal Bazzi) in a raid on the Shire, to teach the ‘White Aussies’ that they’re a force to be reckoned with. Over the course of the day and night, these two car-loads of idiots from both sides of the cultural gap prepare to force their version of the revolution that the riots ignited.

Down Under is absolutely one of those films that will split audiences, just as it has critics. One of this blog’s patron Saints, David Stratton, doesn’t think it’s particularly funny, and sorry David but I have to disagree. Forsythe consistently treads the thin line between satire and derision, which is the formula that makes this film work. This could quite well be one of the most offensive films I’ve seen, channeling a mix of shock comedy, dark humour, sad reality and that good old Australian proverb, the C-Bomb - a combination that not everybody will be able to stomach, especially given the subject matter. There were no walk-outs at my screening - probably because you have to brace yourself for what you’re going into - but a lot of heavy sighs, amongst a barrel-load of laughter

Yes it has the dry-wit and irony that has often defined the Australian sense of humour, but where Down Under draws itself apart from similar satire-pieces like The Castle, or Kenny is its insistence that all the characters - bar perhaps Evan - exist as just different levels of antagonist. Ultimately the film (and its portrayal of racism in Australia) hinges on its ability to scathingly paint these hateful eight as petty, idiotic and juvenile, which it succeeds in doing. It feels a bit like watching the lead-up to a school-yard brawl.

An unexpected pleasure as well is some of the small artistic touches and creative moments that are scattered throughout. Some don’t entirely pay off - such as a run-in with an extremely flamboyant drug dealer that quickly escalates into a weird moment of violently homoerotic tension in a way that’s neither really funny, nor offensive - but others work well to add to the satire, particularly brief montages such as the souped-up, eureka-branded hoon-mobile doing donuts in slow-motion to Kelis’ ‘Milkshake’. Moments like this and the other well integrated pieces of pop-music from the era allow Down Under to paint a pretty accurate picture of Sydney circa-2005. Although I was, quite frankly, disgusted that they chose to use the modern Doritos packaging. Show me where in your artistic licence, good sir, that it gives you permission to distort such a fine and cheesy triangular corn chip brand! *Not a Sponsor*

Other parts of Down Under weren’t so great. The climax, whilst ultimately the direction that the film needed to go, wasn’t particularly well executed - missing an opportunity to challenge the audience's emotions into some sort of much needed catharsis - and the strong anti-racism message that the film works so hard to set-up, starts to get lost in the effort to tie things up for the conclusion

Down Under is a devilishly hilarious, well meaning, often sobering piece of satire that gives a lot of other dark comedies a run for their money. It might not be as hard-hitting as it could have been and will probably go over the heads of the audience it’s really trying to target, but if you appreciate this kind of humour it’s absolutely worth your time.

Goldstone

“Are you a cop? Sometimes.”

Ivan Sen has found recognition both at home in Australia and abroad, particularly with his features that draw on his Indigenous heritage; Beneath Clouds, Toomelah and Mystery Road. His latest feature, Goldstone is a sequel to the last of those and once again follows Indigenous Detective Jay Swan.

We open with a montage of sepia pictures from the gold rush as strings soar over the top. We see a society that’s divided by both race and class - a very deliberate foreshadowing to open the film. Many years later, we see Detective Jay Swan (Aaron Pedersen) driving along an open road in a desolate outback. He’s pulled over by Josh (Alex Russell), the local cop from nearby town/roadstop Goldstone. Obviously drunk, Josh takes the detective into the precinct. Soon it becomes clear that Jay’s in Goldstone on federal business, to follow up on a missing persons report. However that is far from the only suspicious occurrence happening in this small desert outcrop, and soon Jay’s detective skills are put to the test.

I’d been looking forward to Goldstone for quite a while now, not just because it feels that we’re still in a quality film drought as we move into the second half of the year, but also because I appreciate great films that come out of our own industry. Goldstone looked to me to fit both those bills, but in the end I left decidedly underwhelmed. I think Ivan Sen is a talented writer/director and obviously has immense skills in other areas (more on that later) but unfortunately Goldstone falls into the familiar Australian crime/drama trap of overburdening the story with stereotyped characters. Be it the creepy mine manager with a bad haircut and outdated glasses who bribes his way through life with wads of $50 notes (David Wenham), the equally corrupt mayor who avoids suspicion with sweet talk and baked goods; “I’m just an old lady who likes to bake pies” (Jacki Weaver), or the redneck hermit who’s incapable of stringing a sentence together without a handful of f-bombs (Max Cullen). It’s difficult to take a film seriously when the lead - and Aaron Pedersen is extremely good - stands out like a sore thumb in a sea of caricatures.

The core elements of the plot, the missing persons inquiry and the prostitution ring, I thought were interesting and worked to flip some of the preconceptions people may have about the outback. However, its execution was a bit hit and miss. The conversations between May (Michelle Lim Davidson) and Josh were some of the best scenes in Goldstone and was where Sen’s dialogue peaked, however in other parts it had a tendency to fall into cliched phrases - as always, test this by seeing how many sentences you can finish. The other side-stories/happenings - as few as there were - just didn’t work as well, and there’s not much mystery involved either, just a constant tension. The story picks up speed in the final act but can’t make up for the up-and-down pacing that dominates the first part of the film.

Parts of Goldstone are helped along by the superb performances from Aaron Pederson and Alex Russell, with the relationship between the two cops one of the better takeaways from it. David Gulpilil also manages to do a lot with his relatively small screen time. However, you can’t escape the aforementioned stereotypes, and the ridiculous, pretentious portrayals from some of the supporting cast are really the worst parts of Goldstone, Jacki Weaver in particular. I normally really like her performances but her Mayor here just felt like a reincarnation of her homely psychopath ‘Smurf’ from Animal Kingdom, only on overdrive. Beyond that, the character actually just doesn’t feel like she fits in with the rest of the Goldstone community.

Others have suggested that Sen - who as usual also shot, edited and composed on top of his directorial duties - should have taken a step back and reeled in some of these issues, and perhaps we need to have a discussion about how much the multiple roles of filmmakers like Sen (Robert Rodriguez does a similar thing) actually affects the end result of their films. As an amateur filmmaker myself I can appreciate the desire to put your stamp on each part of the process, but that doesn’t rule out the process of collaboration. I also thought personally that whilst the film is very beautiful, there could be more done creatively with such a stunning backdrop, and perhaps a dedicated cinematographer could have given the film an extra edge - although of course the aesthetics are always subjective and what I might yearn for, could turn away other audience members.

If you’re a fan of Mystery Road, then Goldstone is probably worth checking out, and it’s far from a terrible film. It’s just not as exciting, not as moving, and not as mysterious as it could have been.

Kill Me Three Times

 "This place feels like an open-air fucking insane asylum!"

With a staggered release and recent semi-ceremonial dumping onto video-on-demand platforms and home release, Kriv Stenders follow-up to the runaway success of 2011's Red Dog, Kill Me Three Times, lands with a dull splat on the Aussie cinematic pavement. The rather oblique path to audiences that this film endured works decidedly against its internationally appealing cast, with the always welcome Simon Pegg (Cornetto Trilogy, Mission Impossible, Star Trek) heading the bill, followed by Brazilian supporting player Alice Braga (Predators, I Am Legend, City of God), Teresa Palmer (Warm Bodies, Point Break) and stars of the criminally underrated 300: Rise of an Empire Sullivan Stapleton and Callan Mulvey. Veteran Bryan Brown and the Luke "the Lesser" Hemsworth round out the cast with minor roles.

Kill Me Three Times opens with black-clad, muscle-car-driving, handle-bar moustachioed hitman Charlie Wolfe (Pegg) hunting an unknown blue collar worker on the sands of a WA mining site. After a clumsy attempt at a stylish kill, for both the character and the film, Wolfe receives a mysterious job offer. The job involves following Alice (Braga), wife of the vaguely criminal Jack (Mulvey), who is having an affair with mechanic Dylan (Hemsworth), who is mates with dentist Nathan (Stapleton) whose married to Jack's sister Lucy (Palmer). For various reasons everyone wants Alice dead and Bryan Brown shows up on occasion to deliver threatening dialogue in a police uniform. It's all inter-connected and numbingly simple.

With such an internationally appealing cast, a farcical noir premise, and a picturesque location, Kill Me Three Times flaws are almost instantly blatant. The debut screenplay from Irishman James McFarland leaves much to be desired with its banal plotting, empty world and on-the-nose dialogue and is certainly dragged further down by the flat, bored direction of Stenders, who has obviously put as much effort and style into the character and camera-direction of this bloody noir-ish farce as he did with Red Dog, a film with underwhelming direction though undeniable family-friendly charm. KMTT markets itself as a triumvirate of stories of remote, back-country murder and mayhem, but it's actually one story split into three parts; the set-up and execution of an action, the context, depth and character motivations behind that action, and the consequences. Finally, add a simple and over-used 70's Southern-style guitar riff in place of a score and you have the recipe for Wasted Opportunity.

The obvious inspiration behind KMTT is to create a 70's-styled, Coen-brothers film, but the execution is almost devoid of effort or visible interest. Pegg's charm and star-power is simply wasted, a golden opportunity to capitalise on his comedic skills into an enjoyably evil character but instead he spends much of his time hiding in bushes or sitting in his car staring at the other characters. Braga is either tossed into car boots, in hiding or unconscious, and so similarly wasted.  Palmer and Stapleton are the only ones involved who seem care about what they're doing but with the limited creative authority involved, there's not much to do. What little enjoyment this film elicits comes from the performances of Pegg and Brown and the beautiful setting that is almost as devoid of life, save for the cast, as the film itself is for original ideas or satisfactory execution. A derivative, wasted opportunity.

Last Cab to Darwin

There are certain Australian films that are totally immersed in our cultural relevance; The Castle, The Dish and Kenny among others. However it's rare to find a film from our homegrown industry which balances social issues, local folklore, comedy and raw emotion quite as well as Last Cab to Darwin, Jeremy Sims' and Reg Cribb's long-running project, starring Darryl Kerrigan himself, Michael Caton.

Rex (Michael Caton) is cab driver in Broken Hill, New South Wales, a local town where he's good friends with everybody. When he's not having a beer with his mates, he's at home with his dog - affectionately named Dog - or snuggling up on the porch with his neighbor and mistress, Polly (Ningali Lawford), although he's not very open about the fact that he's secretly dating an Aborigine. Despite all the people who know and love him, Rex feels alone, and to make matters worse his cancer has progressed to the stage that he only has approximately three months left to live. After hearing Dr. Nicole Farmer (Jacki Weaver) discussing the recently passed euthanasia laws in the Northern Territory, Rex decides that he'll do what he does best and drive all the way to Darwin, in the hope that he'll get a chance to die with dignity. 

About 12 years after he was telling lawyers to "go and get stuffed" and arguing over the price of jousting sticks, Michael Caton signed on to the lead role in Last Cab to Darwin, and after years of script re-writes and funding debacles, the film is getting an unusually widespread release around Australia. An international theatrical run is unlikely at this stage but I certainly hope something will come of it, because as we burgeon on potentially our best year in two decades as an industry, this film certainly sets the bar high for local productions. It's also sure to be a high-point in Michael Caton's career, because as much as I love Darryl Kerrigan, there's no doubt that this is Caton's best performance to date. The dry wit and down-to-earth attitude of a lonely, dying taxi driver is perfectly encapsulated in his portrayal, to the point that it's almost impossible not to love and sympathize with Rex.

Jacki Weaver is good as the soft-spoken, yet determined Dr. Nicole Farmer - although her role could have been more fleshed out - and Mark Coles Smith exudes charisma as the somewhat confused, but always entertaining Tilly. Some elements of the plot feel slightly too contrived, particularly when Rex and Tilly just happen to connect with a backpacker who's also a well-trained nurse, but overall this is a well-written, character driven film.

With a story that could have so easily rolled into road-trip cliche hell, Sims adroitly swerves around the obvious to tell a provocative story about Rex, and surprisingly does justice to almost all the supporting characters. There's an eloquence to the ease with which Last Cab to Darwin approaches a range of different issues - both personal and social - without blatantly commenting on the fragility of the human condition.  There's a definite mateship between Rex and his friends, even when they selfishly avoid his personal issues and choose to just natter over a beer, and on some level the film recognises the apartheid nature of the outback which we don't necessarily hear about in the coastal regions of Australia.

In a Q&A after the screening, Sims described Rex as Darryl Kerrigan's alter ego, an introvert that firmly believes that nobody would miss him if he were to be euthenised, allowing him to initially undertake the journey without too much personal struggle. "I'm a Cab driver Doc. So I'm gonna drive my cab until I can't drive it any more". In this respect, it's as much a film about learning to better understand just what we all mean to each other, as it is a spark toward the almost-dormant euthanasia debate.

Whilst central to the story, euthanasia and all the opinions around it are handled with a suitably light touch. The film convinces its audience that its a worthwhile debate but also manages to represent all the perspectives. We understand the position of Dr. Farmer, who comes off as slightly selfish in her push to support euthanasia. We see the effects of Rex's decision on those that love him, and most importantly, we're entirely sympathetic to Rex himself, no matter what decision he finally decides to make.

Last Cab to Darwin is a fantastic road film, taking a sensitive issue that will relate to a global audience and treating it with all the respect it deserves, perfectly situated in a unique setting with a character that will no doubt go down as a memorable element of Australian cinema. The message of the film isn't necessarily that everybody should have the right to die with dignity when they choose, but rather that everybody should have the right to live a gratifying life.

Ruben Guthrie

There has been a trend recently with Australian films that get marketed as comedies, but ultimately end up being quite serious dramas that have light moments, but they ultimately leave you thinking. Brendan Cowell's latest flick Ruben Guthrie is a film that does just that. It is a film with a lot of open ended questions that can either make you hopeful that things will work out for the characters or gives you a hollow feeling that things will never change and just keep going as they always have.

Ruben Guthrie (Patrick Brammall) is on top of the world. He is a young, award-winning advertising executive with a stunning European supermodel girlfriend, Zoya (Abbey Lee), and has all the fun that a guy could have. He also has a crippling alcohol addiction that he can't acknowledge. It's only when Zoya decides to leave him and tells him to give up alcohol for a year to be with her that he decides to do something about it. But Ruben has temptations from all sides. His boss at the advertising company, Ray (Jeremy Sims), tells him the only way he's able to work is drunk, his parents (Jack Thompson and Robyn Nevin) can't admit they have their own problems with alcohol and his best friend Damien (Alex Dimitriades) thinks the only way they can have fun is by getting hammered.

The big statement that Cowell is trying to make with the film is that Australia has a drinking problem, even going so far as to call it an "alcoholic country" many times. All the main characters drink with the main purpose of getting "fucked up", although they don't all describe it as such. Ruben's father constantly sees it as a way of bonding with his son.

Patrick Brammall plays the main character of Guthrie almost as a Van Wilder-esque character, albeit with a darker, tortured soul. At many times throughout out the film I even thought he looked like Ryan Reynolds. Brammall is exquisite at playing Ruben's darker moments, showing deep characterisation (this is also a testament to Cowell's script).

The supporting cast is mainly strong. Abbey Lee does a superb Czech accent, but ultimately plays what she is in real life. Alex Dimitriades is hysterical as Damien, but also makes you laugh in some dark, inappropriate moments. Jeremy Sims is fantastic as Ray, Ruben's boss, and he has a mysterious alcoholic past that is left unanswered, but enough is hinted at to show his character's pain. Even Brenton Thwaites wasn't too annoying in this film, but then again he was playing an annoying idiot.

I feel like Ruben Guthrie is a real triumph of Australian cinema for this year. I would strongly recommend it for our international readers because it is a truly great insight into Australian culture. As for all you Aussies out there, maybe watch this film to reflect on our own drinking habits.

Ed's Thoughts - Mad Max: Fury Road

Jack made some compelling arguments against the latest Mad Max film in his full review. As I enjoyed it a fair bit more, I thought I'd give some of my opinions.

A harsh desert landscape, a worn-out interceptor and a familiar man with a different face. The fourth instalment in the Mad Max series, Fury Road, has taken thirty years to get here, and it doesn't mess about. This barren and hostile world is unfettered, ferocious; fuelled by blood and a metric butt-tonne of petrol. The plot is simple, just like the first two, and every single frame is utterly beautiful. I've struggled through many modern action flicks, and I despise the Michael Bay 'splosion-fest model of filmmaking so everything here should be wrong. But it's oh so right.

Fury Road has everything that I look for in contemporary action: isolated settings, eccentric characters and a unique style of filmmaking that only comes around once in a blue moon. Miller harks back to a sorely missed era of filmmaking by utilising primarily practical effects, composited together with minimal CGI to create some visually incredible stunts. Take a look at this glorious B-Roll footage to see what I mean. Yes some of the explosions and crashes are ridiculous, and that definitely changes the level of realism that may be expected from the previous films, but at the same time this is still very much a Mad Max film. Other old-school effects like speed ramping to create the illusion of extreme motion, really do make this feel like a good old 80s action flick.

I do find it a bit sad that Max takes a step back in this film, but I actually thought that Imperator Furiosa was a well fleshed-out, very likable character and really didn't mind that she took the centre stage, along with her equally badass War Rig. The minimal plot was easy enough to follow, without too much exposition, and the blend of the rolling story with impeccably choreographed visual sequences make Fury Road almost operatic in design. It's a highly visual story and when done well, that is an undeniably powerful form of movie making.

Mad Max: Fury Road gave me a slap in the face more powerful than the strongest caffeinated drink (or other...substances...) and I was fixated from beginning to end. It's action-meets-arthouse and everything in between, and easily the best film of the year thus far. I want to hug George Miller for giving this series another shot...but I'd probably get arrested.

Mad Max: Fury Road

The Mad Max franchise has been a wholly Australian series of films. Yeah, Tina Turner was in Beyond Thunderdome, but we try to forget that. The movies focus on Australian's love of cars and our harsh, unforgiving outback. But Fury Road doesn't quite live up to the sleek vision created by Dr George Miller all those years ago and instead drowns in unbelievable landscapes and physical violence that seems out of place.

In the harsh post-apocalyptic world that has come, Max (Tom Hardy) has been captured by the followers of the cult leader Immortan Joe (Hugh Keays-Byrne). Joe's top lieutenant Imperator Furiosa (Charlize Theron) has been sent out to get oil from the nearby Gastown. It is soon revealed that Furiosa has stolen away Joe's harem and he sends out his armies to get them back. Max is sent along with Nux (Nicholas Hoult), who needs Max's blood to survive, but Max soon joins up with Furiosa to help her on her quest.

Now before I get started with any of my thoughts on the movie, I want you to know that I understand that this is supposed to be a mindless bit of entertainment. But that's the thing. Both Mad Max and Mad Max 2 were fun, but they were also better than this. They had simple story-lines with not too much in depth backgrounds going on. Here you are constantly confused by who characters are and what relationship they have to others (let alone figuring out what some of them are).

Miller attempts to capture the brilliance of the second film and leave all that Thunderdome business behind him. And it works to a certain point. Max has minimal dialogue in this movie, just like in that film, and the plot kind of revolves around oil. It takes a lot of time to figure out what exactly is happening in this movie and when you do figure it out, it seems a little disappointing.

Another big thing that I found in this movie is the violence. No, not that I was expecting it to be a peaceful film, but that it is the wrong kind of violence. These movies rely very heavily on car crashes and bashing into each other at high speeds with the occasional gun being shot (careful, you don't want to waste that ammo), but there is an inordinate amount of physical violence taking place. If I want to see hand-to-hand combat, I will watch literally any other action movie. I don't need to see Max get into fisticuffs with anyone, because the mere threat of him punching you will make anyone back down. And what about those car explosions? These are way too over the top. The appeal of the original films was seeing car accidents that were realistic because they were based on Miller's experiences in the Emergency ward of a hospital. Now it just seems like you throw a whole bunch of kerosene in there and that will appeal to audiences.

The acting in the film is pretty minimal. Tom Hardy does his best Mel Gibson impersonation and only gets an Aussie accent half the time. Charlize Theron does play a tough bitch, which is cool, but there isn't great characterisation on her part. Hugh Keays-Byrne is shouty enough, but fails to either scare or excite. Nicholas Hoult's character is a little weasel that is neither here nor there. Joe's harem gets screen time, but no time to properly act because look out, there's a truck exploding.

This is one that you either watch or you don't. It is littered with references to the original films (but don't worry, assumed knowledge isn't needed), as well as references to other classic Australian films, which you will get if you have seen them. Definitely a movie that you watch to chill out to or be revved up by. Your choice.

Infini

Aussie director Shane Abbess seeks to emulate the classic sci-fi movie Aliens with his debut. Although it does work as a good horror film, some poor writing and direction has made it slightly disappointing, despite being quite an ambitious film.

In the 23rd century, an impoverished population of Earth earn money by taking part in off world mining that they travel to via a process called Slipstreaming (time travel mixed with teleportation, it's a bit unclear). Whit Carmichael (Daniel MacPherson) is on the first day of this job, but after a crisis at the home base, he is transported to the furthest outpost in the galaxy. A search and rescue team is dispatched to bring him home. Only once they get there, the team discovers that there is an airborne virus that turns the crew against one another.

As previously stated this film is very similar to Aliens at the base level. But where this film suffers is that there is too much exposition happening throughout the entire thing, followed by patches where you are unsure of what is going on. Within the first twenty minutes we are exposed to a lot of sci-fi technology that we need to understand for later in the movie, but we don't get a clear enough explanation of how exactly they work. The movie also tries to make way too many explanations about what the virus is (spoiler: it's an alien lifeform!) and how it spreads, but instead we could have just been told that it is turns you into a space zombie, that I could have taken on board and not have been so confused about. Without going into it too much, the ending is also very confusing. I wasn't sure if it was supposed to be an allegory for something because what is there seems like a bit of a cop out.

The characters are largely unsympathetic as we don't get enough time to see any development from any of them. All we know about Whit is that he has a pregnant wife and he must get back to her, as is the case with crew member Harris Menzies (Harry Pavlidis), he has a daughter. I think there was a relationship between two of the crew members, but it was so intermittent that I couldn't tell for sure. The rest of the crew isn't at all expanded on, despite that Chester Huntington (Luke Ford) is one of three characters who share in the majority of screen time. Also there is a character called Rex Mannings! (Go watch Empire Records to discover why Rex Manning Day is so important).

Despite the fact that these characters are all severely underdeveloped, the main performances are top notch. Daniel MacPherson does show an incredible amount of fear and does share a fantastic scene with Luke Ford where I am pretty sure they shared a joint beforehand. Ford is channeling Adam Baldwin in Firefly, but still makes the character his own. Harry Pavlidis gives the only endearing performance. I'm surprised that Grace Huang and Luke Hemsworth (older brother of Chris and Luke) got such high credit in the film because they are barely in it.

The film has done one thing well though. For a movie with a low budget, Abbess has made a great looking film. The shots are all expertly done and the CGI backgrounds are impressive considering most budget sci-fi flicks look pretty poor. Also Brian Cachia's score is impressive and it does give the film a sound that wouldn't be out of place in a big Hollywood blockbuster.

This debut from Aussie writer/director Abbess aims a little high to differentiate itself from other legends in the genre of sci-fi horror, but it feels a little ambitious for a first feature film. Despite settling into it's rhythm in the second act, the over the top science fiction elements and poor writing take away any enjoyment of the film.

One Eyed Girl

Director Nick Matthews' debut feature is an incoherent mess of a film. This is sad for a first time director because you want to make a splash with your first film, but if this is the best he can do it's all downhill from here. Matthews tries to take on the subject of cults in rural Australia but ends up missing the mark by a long shot.

Travis (Mark Leonard Winter) is a hospital psychologist whose world is coming about after the suicide of one of his patients, Rachel (Katy Cheel). What makes her death particularly hard for Travis is that he was having an unorthodox sexual relationship with her. One day on the train, he is approached by Grace (Tilda Cobhem-Hervey) who belongs to a cult and she offers him a way out of his pain. Without too many options, Travis ends up joining the cult, led by the charismatic Father Jay (Steve Le Marquand), only to find not everything is what it seems.

Except that we never find out that anything bad is at play. The poor writing of this film leaves you confused about what is going on. There is no explicit explanation about what Father Jay really wants from his followers, although we do see him having sex with one of the young men in the cult, but that does not mean that he has nefarious designs on anyone else. The film's plot elements, especially early on, play out like a delirious fever dream, leaving the audience confused. There is no ultimate goal to any of the action and only the loosest of threads connect each scene to the one after it.

The characters are also extremely poorly written. I felt no sympathy for any of them, especially Travis, who is supposed to be the emotional centre. The character of Grace may have been intended as a glimmer of hope, but ends up fading into the background. Father Jay is given the most backstory, but no motivation over the course of the story. I only felt any emotion toward the character of Tom (played by co-writer Craig Behenna), Father Jay's second-in-command and that was just because he seemed like a nice enough guy or maybe because he was played by the person who wrote the film and therefore he'd know where that character is coming from.

Nick Matthews background as a cinematographer has definitely given this film a specific look, but that sometimes just adds to the confusion. The entire first thirty minutes is comprised almost completely of close ups and is quite disconcerting. I'm guessing that a large chunk of the budget also went to the aerial shots and while these are stunning, that money could have been better spent elsewhere.

A disappointing and lacklustre debut that will leave everyone confounded to the point of the whole endeavour. Matthews aims to make a film that is somewhere between the films Red State and The Master, but fails spectacularly.

Manny Lewis

"Don't piss on the ducks son!"

Australian comedian Carl Barron creates and stars as a fictionalised version of himself in Manny Lewis, the story of "a lonely comedian who tries his hand at love". But how well does Barron's act translate from stage to screen?

Manny Lewis (Carl Barron) is a highly successful stand-up comedian. He's often getting recognised wherever he goes, and is in talks with his friend Jimmy (Damien Garvey) to do a big American tour soon, but Manny is lonely. One night after calling up a sexy hotline, he speaks to Caroline (Leeanna Walsman) who he seems to form a connection with. Soon afterwards, at his local coffee shop he meets Maria, who coincidentally is Caroline (her pseudonym) from the hotline, though whilst she recognises his voice, she does not divulge this to him. Manny and Maria connect well over a short period, but Manny's lack of confidence - and to some degree hers too - could prevent them from forming a relationship.

There must be a very fine line between Carl Barron and Manny Lewis, at least that's how it feels watching the film. The shared personality between the man and his character is indicative of just how much of a passion project this is for him. It's a film with heart, but Manny Lewis also tries to be a romantic comedy, and that's a very difficult goal to achieve. It's a film for the Barron fans. If you don't align to his dry wit and often monotonous delivery then you won't be that interested. I certainly appreciate Barron's stand-up - in fact, the sequences that blend his stage act with the character's emotional arc and by far the strongest parts of the film - but there seems to be a crucial element missing from the romantic story line. These two characters are both socially awkward, and it's sweet  to see them attempt to form a romantic bond, but conversely, the audience's connection with the two is quite limited. 

Manny Lewis lives and breathes Australian. From the Iced Vovos, Tim Tam slamming, and self-depreciating sense of humour, to the notable locations around Sydney that would be instantly recognisable to locals. It's a film that plays on our own stereotypes, not necessarily those that come to mind when you mention Australia overseas (contrary to popular belief, we don't all go around hunting crocodiles, playing knifey-spoony and kicking each other with oversized boots). The creators of the film state that they see Sydney as another character in the film, and this is achieved very well. But the Aus-centric tone of the film could well be a double edged sword as it narrows the appeal (It's currently only slated for release in Australia and New Zealand). 

Overall the acting is very good from the core cast. Barron is able to channel himself into Manny with ease and seems very comfortable in front of the camera. Veteran Aussie actor Roy Billing is underused but fits into his role as Manny's father very well, and Leeanna Walsman seems to have great chemistry with Barron. The simplistic cinematography, with its shallow depth of field and calming representation of Sydney late at night (from my experience there's generally more drunks around) makes it a visually appealing feature, playing to the strengths of what I imagine was a small budget.

Manny Lewis is not a particularly romantic film. It hits the right notes but somehow misses the emotion. On the other hand, it has a poignant sense of isolation that you can't help but feel takes inspiration straight from Carl's life. At the end of the day, it's a decently funny movie with heart.

The Water Diviner

An Australian film that mostly takes place in Turkey, directed by and starring Russell Crowe, 

produced by the Seven Network, and executive produced by James Packer and Brett Ratner. The Water Diviner causes doubts before it's post-Gallipoli drama even begins, so how is it after the opening credits roll?

Crowe plays Joshua Connor, a Victorian farmer looking for water during a dry spell in 1919. After striking a new well, he returns home to his wife who is both grief-stricken and in denial since their sons were reported Killed In Action on the shores of Gallipoli four years earlier. The next day, she drowns herself and Connor vows to bury their sons bones next to her. He embarks a ship bound for Constantinople/Istanbul, and through a series of official refusals, cultural misunderstandings and morbid determination he meets Ayshe (Olga Kurylenko), a widowed hotel owner who refuses to accept her husbands wartime death to herself or her son,  Yilmaz Erdogan's Major Hassan who was the man in charge of the defence of Gallipoli from the ANZAC's and is forever haunted by the devastation of the war, and Jai Courtney's diplomatic Lieutenant Colonel Cyril Hughes, who is charge of the Australian military grave detail and determined to run things as smoothly as possible. During his travels to and beyond Gallipoli, Joshua reminisces about his sons childhoods and imagines their battles and fates away from him.

                              

                                               "Where I come from hope is a necessity."

The Water Diviner is not a bad film, not by any stretch. In fact, it's portrayal of the experiences of the ANZAC's and Turkish soldiers of Gallipoli is brutal and brilliant, and of enemies becoming friends is undeniably heartwarming. It's clear that Crowe's more than 25 years of experience with a wealth of talented local and international filmmakers has given him a leg-up of knowledge as he sits in the directors chair, and he has a lot of potential in this role. The lion's share of fault lies with the script, and some poor decisions in the direction. Connor's wife (Jaqueline Mackenzie) has four lines before she commits suicide, and most of them are non-senisical ramblings from a distraught mother. Additionally, Arthur is the only of the son's ever given more than one real scene in the film. One is shown more as a corpse than he is alive, and the other is only really present during one of the most dramatic moments. The pace at which the moments of establishing a connection not just between the Joshua and his family, but the audience as well, is brief, rushed and often involves poor or cliched dialogue. The film's title leaves much to be desired but it's near-magical tones relate to a frustrating and over-looked aspect of Crowe's character. Connor's love and determination manifest in moments of character development or plot advancement that border on literal magic. We see the tools he uses to find water at the beginning, but when he later describes the process to the young Orhan (Dylan Georgiades) the dialogue is muted and the scene becomes a slightly absurd moment of amusement, and when he searches for his sons, his dream and his intuition lead him to know where they are and it is constantly question and never explained. It could be implied that it's a fathers intuition, but it's more like the character just read the script.

The last scenes of the Water Diviner are by far the most disappointing, after a strong opening and engaging second act. It can really only be described as a okay-enough anti-climax followed by a sweet and happy ending with the weakest performances so far by the male actors. Corr is utterly underwhelming and devoid of all the charm or personality of  the rest of his performance, and it is just indicative of a poor choice. He's injured, though not particularly shell-shocked by his experiences so it makes little sense for his character to be so devoid of emotion, but perhaps a scene was cut. And his father is more emotionally affected at being reunited with Ayshe than he is his own son, though the love story angle between these two widowers is far too forced to begin with. His wife commited suicide weeks earlier and Ayshe cannot admit to her son, her brother-in-law, Connor or even herself that her husband is dead, and yet soon falls for Connor, a man old enough to be her father and who shows little interest in her romantically.

However, the film itself is beautiful to look at, and as an actor-director Crowe gets some very good performances. Jai Courtney puts on one of his best performances seen so far, and Turkish actor Yilmaz Erdogan may only have one emotion (somberness), but he plays it well. His Sergeant and companion played by Cem Yilmaz is much more of a rounded character who may or may not have fought directly against Connor's sons. Crowe as Connor is not any kind of badass or genius, but simply a determined man who occassionally employs some kind of magic. Whilst the pace was often too fast, the first act of the Water Diviner is excellently arranged, beginning with the retreat of the ANZAC's from Gallipoli from the Turkish perspective and then changing to Connor digging a well in the bush in Victoria four years later. Cinematographer Andrew Lesnie (LOTR & The Hobbit films, The Lovely Bones, Bran Nue Dae) captures some gorgeous and harrowing cinematography, at times utlising birds-eye-view shots to great effect. The battle scenes often disrupt moments of quiet reflection for Connor, haunting him. This effect of editing, and the scenes themselves are simply brilliant. The fights are full of heroism and brutality, though with little to no gore, and focus primarily on the brothers. Whether they're harrowing or heroic, these are the best moments in the entire film.

As much as this is a film about and dedicated to the ANZAC's, it's mostly about the mending of pains and grievances after a war. There's a focus on the occupation of Turkey and the late addition of Greek antagonists that certainly cause sympathies as it is comparable of the carving up of Germany post-World War Two. There's careful respects paid to the dead of both sides (though obviously Australia with more reverence) but the film is not afraid to meet the honouring of Australia's dead with the reminder that many Turks were defending an invasion. Upon reflection, most real malice, hatred or blame is relegated within two minor characters on either side. This emphasis on healing wounds in a post-war period is another area where the film shines, and leaving some of these conflicts unresolved is oddly satisfying.

Featuring some excellent shots, a genuinely fascinating and relevant social context. mostly good performances and a surprisingly effective debut from it's director, The Water Diviner is a good way for Australian cinema to finish in 2014. It's high-range of emotions, brilliant battle sequences and spirit of forgiveness are reinforce it's colourful and diverse visuals and politics. The Water Diviner is worth the watch before New Year's.

War Movie Month: Beneath Hill 60 (2010)

Why not start off War Movie Month with a modern Australian classic.

"Actually we've been invited to blow up the Red House. Apparently, you blokes keep missing."

Made in 2009 in time for an Anzac Day 2010 release, Jeremy Sims' Beneath Hill 60 is an Australian war drama starring Brendan Cowell as Captain Oliver Woodward, a mining engineer who leads the 1st Australian Tunnelers on the Western Front during World War One.  The script written by David Roach, was adapted from the recently discovered diary of the real life Captain Woodward, and was shot mostly in and around Townsville on a $6 million budget.. The story follows Woodward from his decision to enlist to his leadership of the group of Australian miners charged with creating and exploding the world's largest man-made explosion (at the time) directly underneath the trenches of the German army on the battlefields of Belgium. Woodward leaves behind his young sweetheart Marjorie, played by Isabella Heathcote, a woman ten years his junior and the younger sister of his mate whose wartime death spurs Woodward into enlisting.

The narrative alternates between the wartime struggles of Woody and co., and the story of his betrothal to Marjorie, and with this between rural Queensland and the Front. Much of the film is spent underground as the Tunnelers dig, plan attacks, plant explosives or silently search for German miners. The film emphasises the stakes of a silent war, where a single cough or squeak out of place is the difference between life and death. The supporting cast includes Gyton Grantley, Steve LeMarquand, Harrison Gilbertson and Anthony Hayes, among others. While Brendan Cowell is far-and-away the star, the supporting cast is solid as a as the blue clay they have to mine through.

Very films have succeeded in really capturing the ANZAC spirit through film. BH60 perfectly encapsulates the contemporary ideology of the ANZAC spirit and legend, and it declares this with it's tagline "After Gallipoli there was still a war to be won." Mateship, sacrifice, duty, and all with a laugh. Woody and his men crack jokes, huddle together, play rugby in the mud, and even enjoy a nice cuppa tea in the harsh and desolate warfield, in between bouts of being shelled, monitering the tunnels, and just surviving trench-life. The film treats the characters as imperfect men who did a great deed, but which is welcome and effective. The heroism of that deed, and the many others they perform, is suspect, open to interpretation, as the film more often focuses on the men themselves, rather than their actions and ramifications. The result is dramatic, and allows for enough association and appreciation of the characters and shines away from giving them an air of inherent nobility. It also very rarely portrays them as actual soldiers, more specialists who have to fight on occasion. This dynamic certainly allows for a wider array of emotion, rather than settling on the usual brutality and detachment that many war films force upon their characters.

The film-making style is rarely notable, but still solid, as is the score. There's lots of close-ups and playing with colour, as nearly all of the scenes shown below are lit by lantern or candle-light (within the film), where-as the daytime outside scenes are often blue-tinged. It's a simple and rather common colour contrast, but certainly effective. The close-ups also go a long way to enhance the character-driven claustrophobia. Where this film truly shines is in the production design as converting as small farm near Townsville into a believable WWI battlefield is no small task. And many props and costumes are sourced or directly copied from the real articles present in the Townsville War Museum.

Unfortunately, while the film is well-made, it is rarely particularly outstanding. It has little to nothing that makes it great, though just as little to make it bad. It's certainly on the highest order of Australian war films, and also a very good Aussie flick in general, but far from a great war film.

The Mule

You would think a movie about a man who is unable to go to the bathroom for a week, lest he reveal the copious amount of heroin that is in his stomach, would rely wholly on childish toilet humour. However, writers Leigh Whannell and Angus Sampson, along with director Tony Mahoney, have made a grimly comic thriller about drug smuggling.

The year is 1983 and the whole of Australia is gripped by America's Cup fever. Meanwhile in Melbourne, Ray Jenkins (Sampson) is convinced by his friend Gavin (Whannell) to come on the footy club end of year trip to Thailand. Gavin also has the extra objective of buying a kilo of heroin for shady businessman Pat (John Noble), which Ray has to ingest for the flight home. Once in Melbourne airport, Ray is immediately picked up by customs for his suspicious behaviour. He is then held in custody for seven days by detectives Paris (Ewen Leslie) and Croft (Hugo Weaving).

I had initially thought that this movie was going to be a comedy, based on the premise of the film and the idea that Angus Sampson is a pretty funny guy. Instead it is incredibly dark, and although it had some funny moments, it was on the whole a very serious film. I found the film to be a bit oddly paced however, and it sometimes seemed to speed along at places and at other times it slowed to get through a lengthy piece of exposition.

The performances in this film are a delight to watch though and distract you away from any slow storytelling. Sampson's slight idiot mother's boy Ray seems to only have a slight grasp of the situation he is in and the performances reflect this. Georgina Haig does a great job as Ray's attorney, although I would have liked to see her more. The two best performances for me come from Weaving and Noble. Weaving is incredibly vicious and sadistic as Detective Croft, who knows straight away that Ray has something to hide. Noble (who I had only known previously from Rockstar's LA Noire) is absolutely villainous as Pat 'the Rat'. He is the most enjoyable character to watch in the whole movie.

Verdict: A great display of Australian performances, even if it is a little difficult to watch at times.

Son Of A Gun

I don't know how a hero of a movie could be so dumb. Like really dumb. But then again if he wasn't so dumb, the events that cause main plot of this movie wouldn't have happened. Julius Avery's crime thriller is certainly a ride for the audience, but at moments I feel like he dropped the ball.

JR (Brendan Thwaites) is a young crook who is adjusting to his first stint in prison. Eager to prove he is not a weakling, he gets in fights with other inmates and this brings him to the attention of Brendan (Ewan McGregor), a fierce armed robber. Brendan takes JR under his wing and once JR is out of prison, Brendan gets him to do various jobs for him.

The plot of this movie is a little all over the place. Instead of just sticking to one particular part of the criminal life, the movie jumps from a movie about prison life, mobsters and heists. While many of these sequences work well as their own small plots, smashing them together to form a larger narrative doesn't really work. The themes of this movie are also a little too obvious. Throughout the film, games of chess are played by characters who want to prove how smart they are. But the film also labours the point that each character represents a type of chess piece.

The character of JR is intriguing at times, we never learn why he was in prison and his background is hinted at, but never fleshed out. From that we are left to fill in the blanks and give our own theories as to who he actually is. One thing we do know is that he is an idiot and I think he is told this by nearly every character in the film. Thwaites plays him well, although whether he is meant to be a likeable character is a mystery to me.

Unlike the idiot that is JR, McGregor plays the character of Brendan with sharp wit. Brendan can see what is happening around him and the consequences of other's actions with a lot of foresight. McGregor also brings a lot of charm to this violent character, but unlike the other characters, his back story is glaringly lacking.

The character of Tasha (Alicia Vikander) is a bit of a missed opportunity. She only really serves to be a love interest to JR. She hints at a violent and turbulent past in coming to Australia but that is picked up and then dropped almost immediately. She is an Eastern European girl who is bought to Australia with the promise of a passport after she gets a student visa, but ultimately ends up working in a strip club. This was a perfect opportunity to explore the scary and sadly real world of sex trafficking, but it wasn't to be.

The supporting characters only serve to move the plot along and once they have served that purpose, they are unceremoniously dumped. Brendan's partner Sterlo (Matt Nable) is a fun character to watch, but he is killed off soon after he is no longer needed. Also the primary antagonist, Sam (Jacek Koman), is used so negligibly that I didn't know his name for the first half of the movie. Damon Herriman makes a brief cameo as a crazy gun runner in a scene that was a fun break in the tension.

The film's action sequences are rather spectacular. The driving chase scene that takes place is a stand-out sequence, with tense moments and amazing crashes. To see something like that in an independent Australian film is great to see.

Verdict: Despite having some plot problems and the main character being a complete idiot, Son Of A Gun manages to tell an intriguing and fun crime movie.

The Little Death

I'm just putting it out there, but I think Josh Lawson has a foot fetish. Not that that's a bad thing. In fact, if we learn anything from his directorial debut, it's probably that you should tell your significant other what you are into. Because if you don't, well, things can get ugly.

This movie is divided into segments that focus on a different couple each time. As we are introduced to these people, we are presented with a particular fetish that relates to their particular story. And if you're thinking they're as simple as the aforementioned foot fetish, you'd be wrong. We see things like dacryphilia, somnophilia and even the good old fashioned role play (except highly creative role play). If you want to know about those first two, you can find a Wikipedia article for each one, here and here (I promise you that they aren't as bad as you think).

So, I know you're probably thinking that this is you're regular gross out sex comedy, with lots of nudity and coarse language. Well, you would be entirely wrong. Lawson, who also wrote the film, manages to make a funny, tender and, at times, bittersweet movie about relationships more than anything. Oh yeah, and despite being a movie about sex, there is no nudity whatsoever, although I would probably advise against going to this movie on a first date, or second, because it will probably up the ante for the rest of your relationship.

The cast of this movie is large and apart from Josh Lawson (Anchorman 2, The Candidate), you might not recognise the actors. Unless you watch a lot of Australian TV, especially the ABC. Patrick Brammall does a fantastic job at a man who has to cry a lot, Lachy Hulme is a creepy boss and Damon Herriman gets carried away with role play. A hilarious character, played by Kim Gyngall, uses people's sense of nostalgia to distract them while telling them he is a registered sex offender.

Verdict: The Little Death (a euphemism for orgasm, look it up) is a tender and hilarious comedy about sex. It really will make you think about what you're into. I know it made me think about it the whole way home, but that's a story for another time...

Predestination

Don't let this movie deceive you into thinking that it is American, because it's not. Written and directed by the Spierig brothers (Daybreakers), shot in Melbourne and funded by Australian film corporations, the only American things about it are the setting and the fact that Ethan Hawke stars.

To tell the plot of this movie would be to ruin it for anyone who wishes to see it, but the film focuses on time travel and the paradoxical nature of the concept. That's all I can say without going into too much depth although I did find after thinking about this paradox for a long time it can seem to fall apart.

The performances in this movie are phenomenal. Ethan Hawke (who worked with the Spierigs on their last film) is very adept and natural in the film. Newcomer Sarah Snook is possibly better than him in this film. I wouldn't say that she carries the film where it's lacking, but her performance elevates the film to another level of amazing. Fellow Aussie Noah Taylor floats through the background with slight menace, but we are never quite sure of his intentions.

The Spierig brothers are fantastic at constructing sci-fi worlds where you forget about the science element and focus on what's going on with the characters or the deeper meaning behind the film. They also have a superb ability to make a beautiful film.

Verdict: This movie blew me away and I thought it was fantastic. Great performances from a well written script.

Felony

It's good to see a movie that isn't just cops against crooks for once. Matthew Saville's latest film pitches cop against cop in this fantastic drama that questions what the right thing to do is.

Mal (Joel Edgerton) is a drug cop who becomes a hero after taking a bullet on a raid on a Sydney warehouse. After a big night celebrating, Mal is driving home and clips a young boy riding his bike. He is questioned by two detectives, Carl (Tom Wilkinson) and Jim (Jai Courtney), where he lies about what happens. This lie eventually snowballs and drags in Mal's wife, Julie (Melissa George).

Felony is by no means a fast paced movie. It is slow and brooding and sometimes takes time away from the main plot to watch the characters take part in actual police work. This is a welcome change from movies that get too caught up in their own plot. Edgerton also wrote the script and accurately portrays the minute details of Australian policing. However, there is a subplot where Jim has a slight romance with the victims mother, played by Sarah Roberts, which seemed to go a tad too far.

On the whole, the performances were solid, which is what you'd expect of a cast like this. Wilkinson manages an Australian accent without fault (although it is relatively easy for British actors). Jai Courtney has also become one of my favourite new actors to watch. From playing in big American action movies like Die Hard 5 or Jack Reacher to smaller Aussie dramas like this demonstrates fantastic range. I felt as though Edgerton was slipping at times, but still delivers a great performance.

Verdict: A great slow-paced drama that is full of intrigue and has a gripping plot, although I am a bit confused by calling the film after a level of crime that technically doesn't exist in Australia.

Charlie's Country

The last time that Rolf de Heer and David Gulpilil worked together was the 2006 film Ten Canoes. Now they've reunited to make Charlie's Country, a film that draws on Gulpilil's own experiences, with him in the titular role and de Heer directing.

Charlie's Country is set in a remote Aboriginal community in the Northern Territory, where Charlie, an Aborigine originally born in the bush, lives with his mates, very much under the influence of the 'white man' culture. He lives on the dole and resides in a small tenement with his large family.

Charlie longs for the old life, living off the land the way he grew up, and subsequently he is often having brushes with the law, who represent all that is wrong with society to him. Charlie decides to go it on his own, living in the bush by hunting and gathering and embracing the life of his ancestors and getting away from the influence of white society.

Gulpilil is outstanding in this, often bringing out this beautiful raw emotion which really shows just how personal this story is for him. Other fantastic performances come from Peter Djigirr as Black Pete and Peter Minygululu as Old Lulu. Unfortunately, most of the white cast members give rather flat performances, which is mainly due to the heartless nature of the white characters towards the Indigenous population. Of course that's not to say that their representation is unrealistic, unfortunately there are great prejudices present in our society, but this still makes the characters appear rather one-dimensional.

Ian Jones (Rabbit Proof Fence, The Piano) was the DP on this and he has shot some astoundingly beautiful footage that really brings this story together. The simple static shots of Charlie and his friends in the community contrast to the beautiful scenery in the bush that really lights up the screen. All of this combined with the long cuts, that seem to take inspiration from Steve McQueen/Sean Bobbit's work, really draws you into Charlie's surroundings.

Graham Tardif, who worked with de Heer on The Tracker, has composed a beautifully simple soundtrack that is largely just a single piano, which works perfectly for such an intimate film. The one real issue that I had with the film was that it does become a little bit anti-climactic, in a way. It's very circular which works quite well but it did tend to wane here and there.

This really is a beautiful film that is supported greatly by Gulpilil's performance. But if I did have to nitpick, I think there could have been better performances from the Caucasian cast and the plot could have done with a bit more of an edge at the end. I still highly recommend seeing it if you have a chance to.

The Rover

David Michôd is an extremely visual director. Rather than the narrow suburban streets of Melbourne in Animal Kingdom, we get the sweeping plains of South Australia. Set a decade after a presumed economic collapse that affected only Australia, we follow Eric (Guy Pearce), a former soldier and farmer, who is trying to recover his stolen car.

Guy Pearce is a force of nature in this film. His character Eric is unrelenting in his goal and will stop at nothing. He kills whoever gets in his way and though extremely brutal these scenes can be rather light, even funny, in this increasingly bleak film. Pearce is mostly silent and speaks when only absolutely necessary.

This is probably Robert Pattinson's best performance, but I've only seen him in two movies including this one (Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire being the other). He plays Rey, a young American, who once you figure out is a little slow becomes rather endearing. Like Eric he struggles to get used to the fact that you have to kill people to survive in this world.

The film handles it's subject matter with a pretty blunt approach. Michôd is unapologetic in his depiction of the violence and brutality. Nor does he skirt around the issues of a country selling it's own resources offshore. I viewed it almost as a cautionary tale of what would come if Australia kept selling it's resources and land the way it is now.

Michôd also explores the ideas of knowledge. Pearce delivers an incredible speech about what we truly know as opposed to what we are just told to accept as the truth. This permeates throughout the film in it's imagery. The film is also extremely bleak and we are shown that we just have to accept life as it comes.

On top of everything this is a beautifully cinematic film. The countryside is amazing to look at and we get some fantastic cinematography. There are endless shots of Pearce driving but you never get tired of looking at them.

Verdict: An extremely bleak film that endlessly rolls throughout the country. At the end it you'll understand that it all makes sense.