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.

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...