(unfinished) EMIRI'S NON-EXHAUSTIVE, POSSIBLY BIASED REC LIST OF AUSTRALIAN FILM & TV
Before you read: Where applicable, I will be putting content warnings in reviews, but whiting-out ones that I consider to be spoilers. If you are concerned about possible content warnings more than spoilers, highlight the white text at your own risk! If you are not overly concerned about content warnings but worried about spoilers, do not highlight the white text. Easy!
PLEASE ALSO NOTE that I am just one person who has her own biases, so I may have missed some content warnings on account of simply not even thinking about them, or not having seen the movie in so long I forgot about it. If that happens at any point, please feel free to drop me a line. Additionally, being both white and cis, I'm aware I am not an authority on racism or trans issues. If I've overlooked anything or overstepped my bounds in any of these reviews, please do tell me.
Nothing expressed here is fact except the parts I have labeled "movie synopsis." Everything else is opinion. I have a lot of yelly, Capital F Feelings about things, but at the end of the day I'm just one person. Take everything I say with a grain of salt. I'm no media critic. If you have a wildly differing view of a movie from mine, that's fine! In fact, please sound off if you have differing opinions in the comments, and maybe we can have a discussion about it! I occasionally enjoy being proven wrong about things. (No, that's a lie. I hate being proven wrong about things, but it's probably good for me. Or something.)
PLEASE NOTE THE TITLE OF THIS POST. It would probably be better titled as "Stuff What I Personally Like." This is not an unbiased review post of all Australian media ever. Basically: if you trust my taste and opinion on things, you will probably like the things on this list! If we have wildly differing tastes, you will probably not. Simple. I AM NOT AN AUTHORITY ON AUSTRALIAN FILM, NOR DO I WORK FOR THE FILM INDUSTRY. I AM JUST AN AUSTRALIAN. WHO LIKES STUFF. That's all!
If you have not noticed by now, I am a wordy motherfucker who likes the sound of my own voice and has trouble being both concise and coherent at the best of times. So sorry, not sorry. Strap yourselves in and buckle up motherfuckers, because this is going to be a long-ass post. Hope you like word-vomit.
As a final aside, if you do decide to watch any of these films and subsequently enjoy them, I hope that you'll leave a comment or hit me up on plurk (exclamationmarks) or gchat (athousandsmiles) or tumblr (emirin or cassaru) or twitter (ecphonemes) somewhere to tell me your thoughts!! I LOVE seeing/reading people's reactions to things. ALWAYS. Even when they're not always good!
Right! Now that that's all cleared up, without further ado:
1. Rabbit Proof Fence (2002) [movie]
Synopsis: Rabbit Proof Fence tells the true story of three Aboriginal girls who are forcibly taken from their families in 1931 to be trained as domestic servants as part of an official Australian government policy. They make a daring escape and embark on an epic 1,500 mile journey to get back home-- following the rabbit-proof fence that bisects the Australian continent-- with the authorities in hot pursuit.
Emiri says: IF YOU CAN PICK ONLY ONE MOVIE TO WATCH OFF THIS ENTIRE LIST, IT SHOULD BE THIS ONE. I cannot underline that strongly enough. There is a reason I have put it up the top. Please. Please watch Rabbit Proof Fence if you haven't already. I recall it did make something of a splash internationally when it came out over a decade ago. As it should have done. This movie is so important, and also nothing short of fantastic. The child actresses are all brilliant. The main characters in the film are all people of colour, and most of them are women. More importantly, this film is incredibly moving, well acted, well directed, and super important to understanding a large part of Australian history that we all like to largely ignore.
If you think you are the sort of person who is going to pursue more movies on this list, this is a fairly important one to start with because it is a good historical primer on the Stolen Generation and Australia's shitty treatment of our Aboriginal peoples. Several other titles on this list either revolve around or at least have some reference to the repercussions of that in later decades. So! This is a good intro, being based on a true story. Unfortunately, it may also RUIN you for every other movie on this list, because it is so, so good. But I ain't sorry.
Content warnings: Textual racism every which way, child abuse, forced child separation from family, allusions to the sexual assault of non-main-characters. Ultimately this is a PG-13 family film though, so nothing is ever graphic or gratuitous.
2. The Sapphires (2012) [movie]
Synopsis: Based on a true story, The Sapphires follows four vivacious, young and talented Australian Aboriginal girls from a remote country mission in the 1960s as they learn about love, friendship and war when their all girl group travels to Vietnam to sing for the U.S. troops in search of adventure and fame.
Emiri says: This movie was basically marketed as the Australian version of Dreamgirls and I don't know that that's all together accurate but it has a lot of similar ingredients. All-female WOC singing group! 1960s! Drama! Shitty racism! Musical numbers!! So basically if you were looking at Rabbit Proof Fence and thought "That looks good but I need something tonally lighter right now," go this one. It is very tongue in cheek in parts-- as all good Australian shit should be. This movie is delightful and I adore it.
Content warnings: Loads of in-text racism.
3. Mao's Last Dancer (2009) [movie]
Synopsis: Based on the autobiography of the same name, the ballet life of Li Cunxin begins when he is 11-- spotted for his flexibility and then taken from his family in rural China to train as a dancer in Beijing. As a young man, he longs to see his family again, but instead he takes the opportunity to train in America on a cultural exchange. However, problems begin to arise for him when the political tension between the two countries becomes apparent.
Emiri says: If it wasn't apparent by now, my two big film weaknesses are 1) music and 2) biographical dramas.
In any case, I think perhaps this is the only Australian movie on this list that isn't actually set in Australia. Most of this movie is actually set in America, albeit filmed in Australia. (Which makes for some interesting dissonance when watching the outdoor scenes, lol.) Since the film's budget was relatively small, they only manage to avoid the obviously Australian-and-not-American backdrop being readily apparent by having most of the scenes take place indoors. (Though there is one scene where it is hilariously obvious to me that it's not filmed in America because one of the streets they filmed on is near where I live, and when I saw that particular scene in the local cinema, everyone burst out laughing because they all recognised the street. BUT HOPEFULLY THAT WILL NOT HAPPEN TO YOU. BECAUSE YOU WILL NOT BE A LOCAL.) That aside! Honestly I love this movie a lot. It is just genuinely heart-warming?? I can't really do it any justice with words but I promise you will be moved. If not by anything in the story, then certainly by the music and the beautiful ballet.
Content warnings: ??? I can't remember anything worthy of warning for but someone please correct me if I'm wrong. My recollection is that this is a family-friendly film.
4. Please Like Me (2013 - ongoing) [television]
Synopsis: After breaking up with his girlfriend, Josh comes to the realization that he is homosexual. With the support of his now ex girlfriend Claire, and his best friend and house mate Tom, Josh must help his mother with her battle with depression and the rest of his family embrace his new found lifestyle.
Emiri says: THIS SERIES. This series this series. This series is great. The humour is incredibly Australian-- by which I mean, terribly self-deprecating, deadpan, and occasionally dark. BUT I LOVE IT. I feel like this show understands me, because it was made by someone like me. It is a show that captures what it's like to be a flailing, anxiety-ridden, lgbt 20-something in today's current white middle class suburban Australia better than anything else I've ever seen. It is semi-slice of life, semi-drama, semi-humour, semi-autobiographical. It is hard to describe other than just being very real. It deals with issues of mental health really, really well, though coming hand in hand with that I should mention that as such it also goes hand in hand with casual talk of suicide on a fairly regular basis. I don't feel like that one deserves a spoiler white-out because mental health issues are basically one of the show's front-running themes. DESPITE THAT, I found season one to be genuinely delightful and am looking forward to watching seasons two and three when I have the time.
Content warnings: Mentioned above!
5. Tracks (2013) [movie]
Synopsis: A young woman goes on a 1,700-mile trek across the desert of Western Australia with only four camels and her faithful dog.
Emiri says: Man. This movie. This was the movie I didn't think I was going to like. My best friend dragged me to see this movie and I really didn't want to go, because I thought it would be boring. It was not. I wouldn't never had seen it had she not taken me to see it, and I'm glad she did. I will warn you going in that this is not a movie you see for a fast paced action romp. This is a Slow Movie. But it has to be. It is the true story of a woman trekking through the desert on her own. But if you think that sounds boring, think again. I was completely, totally captivated throughout-- and I will be the first to admit that I have a short attention span. I can almost never abide slow-paced movies. I usually get distracted and wander off or fall asleep. But this movie somehow manages to avoid that. I can't explain it. It's just beautiful. Also, there's something in the main character's total misanthropic desire to be away from other people that I could relate to. And it never once judges her for that.
Mia Wasikowska's acting in this is really, really amazing. But you know, it's more than just the story of one woman's journey, to me. To me, this is a film about duality. Of two sides to everything. The comfort and yet also the struggle of solitude. The breathtakingly beautiful but also harshly cruel desert landscape of Australia. The way other people can be hell, but also sometimes angels. So if you hadn't guessed already, this is a mood piece. That's your warning: tread carefully. But gosh, what a wonderful mood it evoked from me.
Content warnings: I also seem to recall this one being fairly sensitive to all subjects but I would put in a small warning for [spoiler]animal death.[/spoiler] I would exercise caution if you are strongly affected by animal-related stories.
6. Looking for Alibrandi (2000) [movie]
Synopsis: An Australian teenage girl deals with the dramas of everyday life. These include her difficult relationship with her single mother, the unexpected return of her long-lost father, the disapproving nuns at her strict Catholic school, the acceptance of her schoolmates, trying to graduate from high school, and the struggles of belonging to an immigrant family in a primarily-white area.
Emiri says: I feel like there's probably an American alternative to this movie-- you know, the modern day coming-of-age novel-turned-into-famous-movie that every kid in high school studies before they graduate? In Australia, that's this movie! But I actually lucked out, because I somehow never had to study this movie (or the novel it was based on, which is EQUALLY GOOD IF NOT BETTER) for high school and therefore got to enjoy it without studying it to death.
Anyway. This is the first movie on this list that is not a biography, though ELEMENTS of it certainly come from the original author's life. Unlike most of the prior movies on this list, this is not your "Super Beautiful, Well Directed, All The Feels" movie. But it's a movie about being the daughter of a single mom and struggling with being part of an immigrant family and being in your last year of high school in a strict Catholic school. (Side note: if you live in America and are thinking "Emiri, Italian people are white, they're not discriminated against," please do some research into Australian history! Italian immigrants in Australia were DEFINITELY on the receiving end of a lot of shitty racism for many decades over here, all the way up until the late 90s.)
It deals with a lot of typically-found-in-adolescent-coming-of-age-movie themes. It's not NEW. But I enjoy the fuck out of it. Part of it is that I do occasionally get sick to death of watching The American High School Experience in all my media, because my high school experience did not resemble anything like that. If anything, this movie strikes a lot closer to home in terms of school dynamics. Anyway! I haven't watched this since I was about 18 or so, so I have no idea if it stands the test of time or not. I haven't been game to rewatch it and find out. But I'm standing by my 18 year old self on this one as a good rec. IF IT'S A SET TEXT IN SCHOOL IT CAN'T BE ALL BAD, RIGHT?
Content warnings: Discussion of suicide, [spoilers]suicide, death of a main character.[/spoilers]
7. Mary and Max (2009) [movie]
Synopsis: A tale of friendship between two unlikely pen pals: Mary, a lonely, eight-year-old girl living in the suburbs of Melbourne, and Max, a forty-four-year old, severely obese man living in New York who struggles with isolation and severe anxiety and other various mental health issues on a daily basis.
Emiri says: AND NOW FOR SOMETHING ENTIRELY DIFFERENT. I can't really explain this movie in words better than the synopsis does, and as far as the Australian film landscape goes, it never really got famous enough to have really matter. But you know what? This movie is as heartwarming as it is distressing, and I love it a lot, ok? I love it a lot. There are some very "too real" depictions of mental health problems in this movie. Also, the stop-motion animation is really well done. Just breathtaking. SUPPORT TRADITIONAL ANIMATION AND INDIE ANIMATION COMPANIES OKAY. Okay.
Content warnings: Depictions of alcoholism, many discussions of mental health issues including but not limited to: anxiety, autism, depression, suicidal ideation, some end-of-life stuff. That said, it's treated all kind of treated in a semi-light-hearted yet simultaneously darkly-comedic-humour kind of way. You know, the way you do when you joke about your suffering to downplay its' seriousness. Despite all that. Just trust me on this one. It's good. Watch it.
8. Muriel's Wedding (1994) [movie]
Synopsis: Socially awkward Muriel Heslop wants nothing more than to get married. Unfortunately, due to her oppressive politician father, awkward odd-duck social tendencies and low self-esteem, Muriel has never even been on a date. Ostracized by her more socially adept but cruel friends, Muriel finally runs into fellow outcast Rhonda, and the two decide to move away from their small Australian town to the big city of Sydney to escape their old lives. There, Muriel changes her name and begins the arduous task of redesigning her life to match her fantasies.
Emiri says: Boy does that synopsis not do this movie justice. DO NOT BE PUT OFF BY THE 1994 RELEASE DATE. This movie absolutely 100% stands the test of time, and I am not just saying that because of nostalgia goggles. However, despite that, it absolutely boggles the mind for me to think that this movie has gone down in history with the genre labels of "romance" and "comedy." This movie belongs to neither genre, in my opinion. You might be fooled by looking at the poster-- a jubilant-looking Muriel in a wedding dress and a shower of confetti! Surely a rom-com! But let me tell you straight up: anyone sitting down to watch this and expecting a frothy feelgood romance will be in for a rude surprise.
Muriel's Wedding is not a rom-com. In some ways I think that Muriel's Wedding is the anti-rom-com. It takes a good hard look at the consequences of defining your happiness and success through other people's value systems rather than your own. It's a movie about growing up, about friendship, about selfishness, about learning to be true to yourself because sometimes what society values is not what is right for you. Yes, it is often littered with dark humour, and nothing is ever presented as gratuitous or too heavy. But it's still a movie about dysfunctional family systems, about how trauma and shitty coping mechanisms and values are passed down from parent to child, about the impact of the emotional abuse and neglect that ensues when one parent is a narcissist and the other parent is spineless and emotionally unavailable. It's a movie about family, but also about finding your own family.
Muriel is not, for about 90% of the movie, a sympathetic lead or heroine. She is, as stated famously by her sister, a terrible person. She lies and she steals, and all for what? To impress people who hate her. But you can't help but root for her anyway-- not in the hopes that she succeeds in impressing others, but in the hopes that she will one day understand that she doesn't need to do anything to impress other people. That she will one day be able to stand up to the people who constantly tear her down. And that feeling, I suspect, is something that most of us can relate to.
This movie is incredibly close to my heart if you hadn't figured it out already, and I don't really know what else there is to say. Please just watch it.
Content warnings: ABBA. The 90s. Some very tame sexual content-- honestly not nearly enough to justify the R rating it got slapped with. More seriously, there is an underlying theme of depression & other mental health issues running through the background of this movie, so if things relating to that concern you then I must issue a content warning for [spoiler]the death of a family member and brief discussion of suicide[/spoiler].
1. Tomorrow When The War Began (2010) [movie]
Synopsis: Seven Australian teenage friends from a small country town go on a camping trip for the weekend. During their retreat in total isolation, they see military aircraft fly overhead, but think nothing of it. What they didn't know was that their country was being invaded. Upon returning home, they discover that they are at war.
Emiri says: Ahhh, hmmm, idk on this one. IDK. This is hard, because this movie is personally very near and dear to my heart, so I think that it is impossible for me to be objective about it. It was adapted from an Australian YA lit series that I read as a teenager and loved so much that I've re-read it to the death. But I think that... just possibly... as a stand-alone movie, it is probably... not very good. As much as it pains me to admit it. I don't think it's TERRIBLE, it's just... not amazing, either?? Some of the acting and direction choices are... questionable. But other parts are truly great?? So I guess, it's up to you. To be honest though, if the plot synopsis intrigues you, you'd do better to read the books.
(Honestly, yeah, do that. Read the books. THEY ARE TRULY AMAZING AND THAT IS A REC I WILL STAND BY UNTIL THE DAY I DIE. I re-read them usually once every two years. They're like if someone wrote The Hunger Games but took all the problems I had with The Hunger Games OUT. But that's for a different rec post!)
Content warnings: War, violence, guerrilla warfare, depiction of teenagers participating in terrorism/violence/war.
2. The Castle (1997) [movie]
Synopsis: A working-class family from Melbourne, Australia fights city hall after being told they must vacate their beloved family home to allow for infrastructural expansion.
Emiri says: GREAT MOVIE. QUINTESSENTIALLY AUSTRALIAN. QUOTED BY EVERYONE TO THE POINT OF HAVING ENTERED THE CULTURAL VERNACULAR EVEN BY PEOPLE WHO HAVEN'T WATCHED IT. SUPER EXCELLENT. REALLY CLEVER WHILE LOOKING REALLY STUPID. HAS SOME GOOD ON-POINT POLITICAL COMMENTARY DISGUISED IN THERE ABOUT OUR TREATMENT OF ABORIGINAL PEOPLE THAT IS STILL RELEVANT TODAY. SUPER FUNNY. However. However. It is possible that it's totally inscrutable and not funny at all to non-Australians. I really don't know. You have been warned. Perhaps someone can test and report back to me. ????? (ETA:![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
annarti reports that a shared viewing with British friends yielded positive results, so there you go. Poms at least, you are fine. Jury is still out on Americans.)
Content warnings: Rampant Australianisms. The 90s.
3. Frontline: Breaking News (1994-1997) [television series]
Synopsis: Based on the making of a fictitious Australian current affairs/news broadcasting show, Frontline blends invented events with real life current political and social events to create a sharp satire of today's underhanded media tactics.
Emiri says: Second verse, same as above. Half of the jokes on this show are sort of semi-reliant on you a) being Australian and b) being old enough to have been cognizant of what was going on in the news in the 90s, so I'm not sure if this will translate well across time and continents. But if you are game to take a crack at it, I cannot recommend it highly enough as a great news satire show, even dated as it is. The only text I ever studied in high school that high school did not ruin for me and can even stand endless repeat viewings of.
Content warnings: Rampant Australianisms. The 90s.
4. Galipoli (1981) [movie]
Synopsis: Two Australian sprinters face the brutal realities of war when they are sent to fight in the Gallipoli campaign in Turkey during World War I.
Emiri says: I waffled over on putting this one on the list for so many reasons, not in the least of which is that it's been over a decade since I saw it, and I can't actually remember if it's any good or not. I watched it in modern history class. I also hate Mel Gibson with a burning passion. But this movie is also supposed to be a classic part of Australian film history, as well as being an iconic part of Australian history, so?? Idk. I'm wary, because in recent years I've become more aware of how the politics of Galipoli are way more complex than we were taught in high school, and I don't really remember enough about this movie to recall if it treats it with any of that complexity or if it's just another piece of ANZAC day memorabilia. Anyway. I guess my final note on this is that if you enjoy Mel Gibson and/or period pieces or WWI films, there's a good chance you will enjoy this. If you have concerns about the quality of the movie further than that, you are probably better off doing a more thorough google search.
Content warnings: It is a war movie.
1. 52 Tuesdays (movie)
2. Redfern Now (television)
3. Ruben Guthrie (movie)
4. Red Dog (movie)
5. Priscilla, Queen of the Desert (movie)
6. Puberty Blues (television)
7. Japanese Story (movie)
8. Animal Kingdom (movie)
9. Samson & Delilah (movie)
10. Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries (television)
11. Underbelly (television)
12. The Dish (movie)
13. Mr & Mrs Murder (television)
1. Oddball (movie)
2. The Dressmaker (movie)
1. Australia (2008) [movie]
Synopsis: Set in northern Australia before World War II, an English aristocrat who inherits a sprawling ranch reluctantly pacts with a stock-man in order to protect her new property from a takeover plot. As the pair drive 2,000 head of cattle over unforgiving landscape, they experience the bombing of Darwin, Australia, by Japanese forces firsthand.
Emiri says: Please. Love yourself. Do not watch this movie. It saddens me that this warning probably comes years too late for most, because out of every movie on this list I'm sure that it is the only one that almost everyone will have heard of and perhaps seen, because it was really well advertised and had Hugh Jackman in it and Baz Lurhmann directed it, etc etc etc. BUT IF THIS WARNING SAVES TWO HOURS FROM EVEN ONE PERSON'S LIFE THEN IT WILL BE WORTH IT. NOT EVEN HUGH JACKMAN CAN SALVAGE THIS HOT MESS.
Look, it's possible I'm being overly harsh here. I'm sure there are people out there who enjoyed Australia! I am not one of them. If you suspect that you may be in the category of people who will enjoy this film, please scroll past the rest of this review right now and go find a review from someone who actually liked it so I don't pee in your cheerios or whatever, because the fires of my hatred for this movie are positively vitriolic. I don't know if it's possible to have ever been so excited for a movie and then so disappointed.
This movie just... it SHOULD be good. It has so many good ingredients of things I like and yet... still somehow manages to be a total dog's breakfast. The pacing is a mess, the movie itself drags on for about 90 minutes too long, the movie beats are weird and feel like they are shoving three separate movies into one, and worst of all for all it's beautiful acting, costuming, set designing, score and cinematography... it just has no heart. As far as I'm concerned that is the worst possible movie sin you can commit. I can forgive anything else if the movie has heart.
But no. Watching Australia, I was just relentlessly bored by everything that happened from start to finish. I didn't care for anyone. I found myself praying for a swift and merciful death at several points during the screening just because it was so trite and cliche.
What's mind-boggling to me is that it was created by a crew of Australians and SET in Australia and yet somehow the end result STILL somehow came out with a shiny sheen of Hollywood varnish: stripped of everything unique. It felt like an American had been asked to make an Australian film, and they'd done all the right historical and cultural research, but missed all the subtleties and in-jokes that one can only get when one grows up with that culture. Spew. Thanks for NOTHING, Bazza. And you call yourself an Australian. I want my $16 back.
2. Little Fish (2005) [movie]
Synopsis: Set in the Little Saigon district outside of Sydney, a woman (Blanchett) trying to escape her past becomes embroiled in a drug deal.
Emiri says: Interestingly enough, this movie seems to be really polarizing. I say interestingly enough, because I hated it. But it has a fairly decent IMDB rating, and from what I can discern, people tend to be either firmly in the LOVE IT or HATE IT camp. Those in the LOVE IT camp have praised this movie for being a subtle and realistic portrayal of the perils of drug addiction and tying yourself to people with drug addictions.
As for me, I actually fell asleep three quarters of the way through this movie, totally and utterly bored out of my skull. This movie dragged and dragged and dragged. None of the characters seemed to me to be interesting or sympathetic in any way, shape or form. No insult to Cate Blanchett's acting-- I seem to recall her doing the best with what she was given, but I also recall that not being very much. When you have made criminals and drugs boring, you have a problem. HOWEVER, considering that it was about... 8? 9? years ago when I watched this and I never saw it through to the end, I may consider a re-watch of this in the future, in the interests of fairness. ... Maaaybe. In the far-off future. When I have nothing else to do.
What makes a film "Australian"?
I have no hard and fast rule of percentages or anything, but it has to be financially backed and produced by Australians in the majority. For example, I would not count most of Baz Lurhmann's films (save Australia) because even though he himself is Australian, they are usually wholly or partially backed by Hollywood and typically involve a non-Australian cast and crew. (Also at this point his films are so famous they don't really need to be backed by me anyway-- see below.)
Why is [title] not on this list?
See a title I've forgotten? Great! Comment with all the titles you think should be on here that I've left out because I'm sure there's HEAPS, and I'll add it if I can! I'M ONLY ONE PERSON, OKAY. Anyway, if it's not on here, it's probably because of one of the following reasons:
1. I forgot about it, or didn't know it was Australian. If that's the case, I'll whack it on here straight away if you bring it up.
2. I haven't heard of it! Rec it to me, and I'll put it on my to-watch list! Provided it doesn't fall into the next two categories:
3. I have heard of it, but the reviews I've heard of it are Not Good. So it hasn't gone on the "To Watch" list, but having not personally seen it and judged it for myself, I also don't feel comfortable putting it on the "Do Not Watch" list. (See: The Water Diviner, and Ned Kelly.) Feel free to try to change my mind.
4. I have heard of it, and despite reviews being good, I have ABSOLUTELY NO INTENTION OF WATCHING IT EVER, because it has content that does not align with my interests, and thus I cannot personally recommend it. (See: Wolf Creek. WATCH THIS ONE FOR A GOOD TIME, I HEAR. And by good time, I mean never ever sleeping again. No thanks, not for me.)
5. It's so famous at this point that everyone overseas has heard of it and doesn't really need me yelling about it any more-- which is really the whole point of this list. (See: the Mad Max franchise, Babe, Happy Feet, everything by Baz Lurhmann ever, etc.)
6. I'm aware that my reaction to it is so heavily filtered through the lens of the Australian cultural cringe phenomenon that, despite loathing it, I don't feel like I can write about that loathing objectively or fairly. (See: Neighbours, Home and Away, H2O: Just Add Water, MacLeod's Daughters, Kath and Kim, The Ja'mie related series, Blue Heelers, etc. All common Australian television soaps/dramas/comedies that I absolutely loathe, but seem to have done well with other audiences. My ingrained knee-jerk reaction to them is so sharp that I am not a good judge of what is Actually Terrible and what is not.)
7. I'm really basically ambivalent on it and have no strong feelings either way. Sorry.
8. It's impossible to find anywhere on the internet or outside of Australia and sometimes inside of Australia due to simply being old and not famous. (See: Napoleon.)
9. I once loved it but upon recent rewatching realised it was not as good as I once thought. (See: The Chaser's War on Everything.)
You haven't seen [title]? AND YOU CALL YOURSELF AN AUSTRALIAN?
There's actually a lot I haven't seen. I'll openly admit to that. That's why this is called the NON-exhaustive list. And really why I made the list in the first place! So I can keep track of what I've watched and what I want to watch and also get recs from other people and spread stuff my country has done around that I'm proud of! SPREAD HYPE. SUPPORT MY COUNTRY'S FILM INDUSTRY. MAKE PEOPLE INTERESTED!! And then maybe the struggling Aussie film industry could get better funding! And then maybe we could create more films! FUCK YEAH!!!!!!!!!!!
You forgot or didn't include a content warning for [x, y, z] on [title]!
My apologies! Drop me a line and I'll correct it.
Can I leave my own rec or review on the comments of this post if it's a title you haven't reviewed yet, or one you have no intention of reviewing?
ABSO-FUCKING-LUTELY. Go wild.
Why do you like capslock so much?
BECAUSE I JUST DO, OKAY. I HAVE A LOT OF FEELINGS. ABOUT STUFF. AND I WROTE MOST OF THIS AT 3 AM. LEAVE ME ALONE. GO WATCH A MOVIE.
PLEASE ALSO NOTE that I am just one person who has her own biases, so I may have missed some content warnings on account of simply not even thinking about them, or not having seen the movie in so long I forgot about it. If that happens at any point, please feel free to drop me a line. Additionally, being both white and cis, I'm aware I am not an authority on racism or trans issues. If I've overlooked anything or overstepped my bounds in any of these reviews, please do tell me.
Nothing expressed here is fact except the parts I have labeled "movie synopsis." Everything else is opinion. I have a lot of yelly, Capital F Feelings about things, but at the end of the day I'm just one person. Take everything I say with a grain of salt. I'm no media critic. If you have a wildly differing view of a movie from mine, that's fine! In fact, please sound off if you have differing opinions in the comments, and maybe we can have a discussion about it! I occasionally enjoy being proven wrong about things. (No, that's a lie. I hate being proven wrong about things, but it's probably good for me. Or something.)
PLEASE NOTE THE TITLE OF THIS POST. It would probably be better titled as "Stuff What I Personally Like." This is not an unbiased review post of all Australian media ever. Basically: if you trust my taste and opinion on things, you will probably like the things on this list! If we have wildly differing tastes, you will probably not. Simple. I AM NOT AN AUTHORITY ON AUSTRALIAN FILM, NOR DO I WORK FOR THE FILM INDUSTRY. I AM JUST AN AUSTRALIAN. WHO LIKES STUFF. That's all!
If you have not noticed by now, I am a wordy motherfucker who likes the sound of my own voice and has trouble being both concise and coherent at the best of times. So sorry, not sorry. Strap yourselves in and buckle up motherfuckers, because this is going to be a long-ass post. Hope you like word-vomit.
As a final aside, if you do decide to watch any of these films and subsequently enjoy them, I hope that you'll leave a comment or hit me up on plurk (exclamationmarks) or gchat (athousandsmiles) or tumblr (emirin or cassaru) or twitter (ecphonemes) somewhere to tell me your thoughts!! I LOVE seeing/reading people's reactions to things. ALWAYS. Even when they're not always good!
Right! Now that that's all cleared up, without further ado:
AUSTRALIAN TITLES YOU SHOULD DEFINITELY WATCH THAT I CAN PERSONALLY VOUCH FOR, LIKE, RIGHT THE HELL NOW:
1. Rabbit Proof Fence (2002) [movie]
Synopsis: Rabbit Proof Fence tells the true story of three Aboriginal girls who are forcibly taken from their families in 1931 to be trained as domestic servants as part of an official Australian government policy. They make a daring escape and embark on an epic 1,500 mile journey to get back home-- following the rabbit-proof fence that bisects the Australian continent-- with the authorities in hot pursuit.
Emiri says: IF YOU CAN PICK ONLY ONE MOVIE TO WATCH OFF THIS ENTIRE LIST, IT SHOULD BE THIS ONE. I cannot underline that strongly enough. There is a reason I have put it up the top. Please. Please watch Rabbit Proof Fence if you haven't already. I recall it did make something of a splash internationally when it came out over a decade ago. As it should have done. This movie is so important, and also nothing short of fantastic. The child actresses are all brilliant. The main characters in the film are all people of colour, and most of them are women. More importantly, this film is incredibly moving, well acted, well directed, and super important to understanding a large part of Australian history that we all like to largely ignore.
If you think you are the sort of person who is going to pursue more movies on this list, this is a fairly important one to start with because it is a good historical primer on the Stolen Generation and Australia's shitty treatment of our Aboriginal peoples. Several other titles on this list either revolve around or at least have some reference to the repercussions of that in later decades. So! This is a good intro, being based on a true story. Unfortunately, it may also RUIN you for every other movie on this list, because it is so, so good. But I ain't sorry.
Content warnings: Textual racism every which way, child abuse, forced child separation from family, allusions to the sexual assault of non-main-characters. Ultimately this is a PG-13 family film though, so nothing is ever graphic or gratuitous.
2. The Sapphires (2012) [movie]
Synopsis: Based on a true story, The Sapphires follows four vivacious, young and talented Australian Aboriginal girls from a remote country mission in the 1960s as they learn about love, friendship and war when their all girl group travels to Vietnam to sing for the U.S. troops in search of adventure and fame.
Emiri says: This movie was basically marketed as the Australian version of Dreamgirls and I don't know that that's all together accurate but it has a lot of similar ingredients. All-female WOC singing group! 1960s! Drama! Shitty racism! Musical numbers!! So basically if you were looking at Rabbit Proof Fence and thought "That looks good but I need something tonally lighter right now," go this one. It is very tongue in cheek in parts-- as all good Australian shit should be. This movie is delightful and I adore it.
Content warnings: Loads of in-text racism.
3. Mao's Last Dancer (2009) [movie]
Synopsis: Based on the autobiography of the same name, the ballet life of Li Cunxin begins when he is 11-- spotted for his flexibility and then taken from his family in rural China to train as a dancer in Beijing. As a young man, he longs to see his family again, but instead he takes the opportunity to train in America on a cultural exchange. However, problems begin to arise for him when the political tension between the two countries becomes apparent.
Emiri says: If it wasn't apparent by now, my two big film weaknesses are 1) music and 2) biographical dramas.
In any case, I think perhaps this is the only Australian movie on this list that isn't actually set in Australia. Most of this movie is actually set in America, albeit filmed in Australia. (Which makes for some interesting dissonance when watching the outdoor scenes, lol.) Since the film's budget was relatively small, they only manage to avoid the obviously Australian-and-not-American backdrop being readily apparent by having most of the scenes take place indoors. (Though there is one scene where it is hilariously obvious to me that it's not filmed in America because one of the streets they filmed on is near where I live, and when I saw that particular scene in the local cinema, everyone burst out laughing because they all recognised the street. BUT HOPEFULLY THAT WILL NOT HAPPEN TO YOU. BECAUSE YOU WILL NOT BE A LOCAL.) That aside! Honestly I love this movie a lot. It is just genuinely heart-warming?? I can't really do it any justice with words but I promise you will be moved. If not by anything in the story, then certainly by the music and the beautiful ballet.
Content warnings: ??? I can't remember anything worthy of warning for but someone please correct me if I'm wrong. My recollection is that this is a family-friendly film.
4. Please Like Me (2013 - ongoing) [television]
Synopsis: After breaking up with his girlfriend, Josh comes to the realization that he is homosexual. With the support of his now ex girlfriend Claire, and his best friend and house mate Tom, Josh must help his mother with her battle with depression and the rest of his family embrace his new found lifestyle.
Emiri says: THIS SERIES. This series this series. This series is great. The humour is incredibly Australian-- by which I mean, terribly self-deprecating, deadpan, and occasionally dark. BUT I LOVE IT. I feel like this show understands me, because it was made by someone like me. It is a show that captures what it's like to be a flailing, anxiety-ridden, lgbt 20-something in today's current white middle class suburban Australia better than anything else I've ever seen. It is semi-slice of life, semi-drama, semi-humour, semi-autobiographical. It is hard to describe other than just being very real. It deals with issues of mental health really, really well, though coming hand in hand with that I should mention that as such it also goes hand in hand with casual talk of suicide on a fairly regular basis. I don't feel like that one deserves a spoiler white-out because mental health issues are basically one of the show's front-running themes. DESPITE THAT, I found season one to be genuinely delightful and am looking forward to watching seasons two and three when I have the time.
Content warnings: Mentioned above!
5. Tracks (2013) [movie]
Synopsis: A young woman goes on a 1,700-mile trek across the desert of Western Australia with only four camels and her faithful dog.
Emiri says: Man. This movie. This was the movie I didn't think I was going to like. My best friend dragged me to see this movie and I really didn't want to go, because I thought it would be boring. It was not. I wouldn't never had seen it had she not taken me to see it, and I'm glad she did. I will warn you going in that this is not a movie you see for a fast paced action romp. This is a Slow Movie. But it has to be. It is the true story of a woman trekking through the desert on her own. But if you think that sounds boring, think again. I was completely, totally captivated throughout-- and I will be the first to admit that I have a short attention span. I can almost never abide slow-paced movies. I usually get distracted and wander off or fall asleep. But this movie somehow manages to avoid that. I can't explain it. It's just beautiful. Also, there's something in the main character's total misanthropic desire to be away from other people that I could relate to. And it never once judges her for that.
Mia Wasikowska's acting in this is really, really amazing. But you know, it's more than just the story of one woman's journey, to me. To me, this is a film about duality. Of two sides to everything. The comfort and yet also the struggle of solitude. The breathtakingly beautiful but also harshly cruel desert landscape of Australia. The way other people can be hell, but also sometimes angels. So if you hadn't guessed already, this is a mood piece. That's your warning: tread carefully. But gosh, what a wonderful mood it evoked from me.
Content warnings: I also seem to recall this one being fairly sensitive to all subjects but I would put in a small warning for [spoiler]animal death.[/spoiler] I would exercise caution if you are strongly affected by animal-related stories.
6. Looking for Alibrandi (2000) [movie]
Synopsis: An Australian teenage girl deals with the dramas of everyday life. These include her difficult relationship with her single mother, the unexpected return of her long-lost father, the disapproving nuns at her strict Catholic school, the acceptance of her schoolmates, trying to graduate from high school, and the struggles of belonging to an immigrant family in a primarily-white area.
Emiri says: I feel like there's probably an American alternative to this movie-- you know, the modern day coming-of-age novel-turned-into-famous-movie that every kid in high school studies before they graduate? In Australia, that's this movie! But I actually lucked out, because I somehow never had to study this movie (or the novel it was based on, which is EQUALLY GOOD IF NOT BETTER) for high school and therefore got to enjoy it without studying it to death.
Anyway. This is the first movie on this list that is not a biography, though ELEMENTS of it certainly come from the original author's life. Unlike most of the prior movies on this list, this is not your "Super Beautiful, Well Directed, All The Feels" movie. But it's a movie about being the daughter of a single mom and struggling with being part of an immigrant family and being in your last year of high school in a strict Catholic school. (Side note: if you live in America and are thinking "Emiri, Italian people are white, they're not discriminated against," please do some research into Australian history! Italian immigrants in Australia were DEFINITELY on the receiving end of a lot of shitty racism for many decades over here, all the way up until the late 90s.)
It deals with a lot of typically-found-in-adolescent-coming-of-age-movie themes. It's not NEW. But I enjoy the fuck out of it. Part of it is that I do occasionally get sick to death of watching The American High School Experience in all my media, because my high school experience did not resemble anything like that. If anything, this movie strikes a lot closer to home in terms of school dynamics. Anyway! I haven't watched this since I was about 18 or so, so I have no idea if it stands the test of time or not. I haven't been game to rewatch it and find out. But I'm standing by my 18 year old self on this one as a good rec. IF IT'S A SET TEXT IN SCHOOL IT CAN'T BE ALL BAD, RIGHT?
Content warnings: Discussion of suicide, [spoilers]suicide, death of a main character.[/spoilers]
7. Mary and Max (2009) [movie]
Synopsis: A tale of friendship between two unlikely pen pals: Mary, a lonely, eight-year-old girl living in the suburbs of Melbourne, and Max, a forty-four-year old, severely obese man living in New York who struggles with isolation and severe anxiety and other various mental health issues on a daily basis.
Emiri says: AND NOW FOR SOMETHING ENTIRELY DIFFERENT. I can't really explain this movie in words better than the synopsis does, and as far as the Australian film landscape goes, it never really got famous enough to have really matter. But you know what? This movie is as heartwarming as it is distressing, and I love it a lot, ok? I love it a lot. There are some very "too real" depictions of mental health problems in this movie. Also, the stop-motion animation is really well done. Just breathtaking. SUPPORT TRADITIONAL ANIMATION AND INDIE ANIMATION COMPANIES OKAY. Okay.
Content warnings: Depictions of alcoholism, many discussions of mental health issues including but not limited to: anxiety, autism, depression, suicidal ideation, some end-of-life stuff. That said, it's treated all kind of treated in a semi-light-hearted yet simultaneously darkly-comedic-humour kind of way. You know, the way you do when you joke about your suffering to downplay its' seriousness. Despite all that. Just trust me on this one. It's good. Watch it.
8. Muriel's Wedding (1994) [movie]
Synopsis: Socially awkward Muriel Heslop wants nothing more than to get married. Unfortunately, due to her oppressive politician father, awkward odd-duck social tendencies and low self-esteem, Muriel has never even been on a date. Ostracized by her more socially adept but cruel friends, Muriel finally runs into fellow outcast Rhonda, and the two decide to move away from their small Australian town to the big city of Sydney to escape their old lives. There, Muriel changes her name and begins the arduous task of redesigning her life to match her fantasies.
Emiri says: Boy does that synopsis not do this movie justice. DO NOT BE PUT OFF BY THE 1994 RELEASE DATE. This movie absolutely 100% stands the test of time, and I am not just saying that because of nostalgia goggles. However, despite that, it absolutely boggles the mind for me to think that this movie has gone down in history with the genre labels of "romance" and "comedy." This movie belongs to neither genre, in my opinion. You might be fooled by looking at the poster-- a jubilant-looking Muriel in a wedding dress and a shower of confetti! Surely a rom-com! But let me tell you straight up: anyone sitting down to watch this and expecting a frothy feelgood romance will be in for a rude surprise.
Muriel's Wedding is not a rom-com. In some ways I think that Muriel's Wedding is the anti-rom-com. It takes a good hard look at the consequences of defining your happiness and success through other people's value systems rather than your own. It's a movie about growing up, about friendship, about selfishness, about learning to be true to yourself because sometimes what society values is not what is right for you. Yes, it is often littered with dark humour, and nothing is ever presented as gratuitous or too heavy. But it's still a movie about dysfunctional family systems, about how trauma and shitty coping mechanisms and values are passed down from parent to child, about the impact of the emotional abuse and neglect that ensues when one parent is a narcissist and the other parent is spineless and emotionally unavailable. It's a movie about family, but also about finding your own family.
Muriel is not, for about 90% of the movie, a sympathetic lead or heroine. She is, as stated famously by her sister, a terrible person. She lies and she steals, and all for what? To impress people who hate her. But you can't help but root for her anyway-- not in the hopes that she succeeds in impressing others, but in the hopes that she will one day understand that she doesn't need to do anything to impress other people. That she will one day be able to stand up to the people who constantly tear her down. And that feeling, I suspect, is something that most of us can relate to.
This movie is incredibly close to my heart if you hadn't figured it out already, and I don't really know what else there is to say. Please just watch it.
Content warnings: ABBA. The 90s. Some very tame sexual content-- honestly not nearly enough to justify the R rating it got slapped with. More seriously, there is an underlying theme of depression & other mental health issues running through the background of this movie, so if things relating to that concern you then I must issue a content warning for [spoiler]the death of a family member and brief discussion of suicide[/spoiler].
AUSTRALIAN TITLES I AM ON THE FENCE AS TO WHETHER YOU SHOULD WATCH OR NOT, BECAUSE WHILE I LOVE THEM, I AM WELL AWARE THEY WILL NOT APPEAL TO ALL. VIEWER DISCRETION ADVISED.
1. Tomorrow When The War Began (2010) [movie]
Synopsis: Seven Australian teenage friends from a small country town go on a camping trip for the weekend. During their retreat in total isolation, they see military aircraft fly overhead, but think nothing of it. What they didn't know was that their country was being invaded. Upon returning home, they discover that they are at war.
Emiri says: Ahhh, hmmm, idk on this one. IDK. This is hard, because this movie is personally very near and dear to my heart, so I think that it is impossible for me to be objective about it. It was adapted from an Australian YA lit series that I read as a teenager and loved so much that I've re-read it to the death. But I think that... just possibly... as a stand-alone movie, it is probably... not very good. As much as it pains me to admit it. I don't think it's TERRIBLE, it's just... not amazing, either?? Some of the acting and direction choices are... questionable. But other parts are truly great?? So I guess, it's up to you. To be honest though, if the plot synopsis intrigues you, you'd do better to read the books.
(Honestly, yeah, do that. Read the books. THEY ARE TRULY AMAZING AND THAT IS A REC I WILL STAND BY UNTIL THE DAY I DIE. I re-read them usually once every two years. They're like if someone wrote The Hunger Games but took all the problems I had with The Hunger Games OUT. But that's for a different rec post!)
Content warnings: War, violence, guerrilla warfare, depiction of teenagers participating in terrorism/violence/war.
2. The Castle (1997) [movie]
Synopsis: A working-class family from Melbourne, Australia fights city hall after being told they must vacate their beloved family home to allow for infrastructural expansion.
Emiri says: GREAT MOVIE. QUINTESSENTIALLY AUSTRALIAN. QUOTED BY EVERYONE TO THE POINT OF HAVING ENTERED THE CULTURAL VERNACULAR EVEN BY PEOPLE WHO HAVEN'T WATCHED IT. SUPER EXCELLENT. REALLY CLEVER WHILE LOOKING REALLY STUPID. HAS SOME GOOD ON-POINT POLITICAL COMMENTARY DISGUISED IN THERE ABOUT OUR TREATMENT OF ABORIGINAL PEOPLE THAT IS STILL RELEVANT TODAY. SUPER FUNNY. However. However. It is possible that it's totally inscrutable and not funny at all to non-Australians. I really don't know. You have been warned. Perhaps someone can test and report back to me. ????? (ETA:
annarti reports that a shared viewing with British friends yielded positive results, so there you go. Poms at least, you are fine. Jury is still out on Americans.)Content warnings: Rampant Australianisms. The 90s.
3. Frontline: Breaking News (1994-1997) [television series]
Synopsis: Based on the making of a fictitious Australian current affairs/news broadcasting show, Frontline blends invented events with real life current political and social events to create a sharp satire of today's underhanded media tactics.
Emiri says: Second verse, same as above. Half of the jokes on this show are sort of semi-reliant on you a) being Australian and b) being old enough to have been cognizant of what was going on in the news in the 90s, so I'm not sure if this will translate well across time and continents. But if you are game to take a crack at it, I cannot recommend it highly enough as a great news satire show, even dated as it is. The only text I ever studied in high school that high school did not ruin for me and can even stand endless repeat viewings of.
Content warnings: Rampant Australianisms. The 90s.
4. Galipoli (1981) [movie]
Synopsis: Two Australian sprinters face the brutal realities of war when they are sent to fight in the Gallipoli campaign in Turkey during World War I.
Emiri says: I waffled over on putting this one on the list for so many reasons, not in the least of which is that it's been over a decade since I saw it, and I can't actually remember if it's any good or not. I watched it in modern history class. I also hate Mel Gibson with a burning passion. But this movie is also supposed to be a classic part of Australian film history, as well as being an iconic part of Australian history, so?? Idk. I'm wary, because in recent years I've become more aware of how the politics of Galipoli are way more complex than we were taught in high school, and I don't really remember enough about this movie to recall if it treats it with any of that complexity or if it's just another piece of ANZAC day memorabilia. Anyway. I guess my final note on this is that if you enjoy Mel Gibson and/or period pieces or WWI films, there's a good chance you will enjoy this. If you have concerns about the quality of the movie further than that, you are probably better off doing a more thorough google search.
Content warnings: It is a war movie.
AUSTRALIAN TITLES THAT ARE ON MY TO-WATCH LIST BUT CANNOT PERSONALLY VOUCH FOR. BECAUSE I HAVE NOT YET WATCHED THEM.
1. 52 Tuesdays (movie)
2. Redfern Now (television)
3. Ruben Guthrie (movie)
4. Red Dog (movie)
5. Priscilla, Queen of the Desert (movie)
6. Puberty Blues (television)
7. Japanese Story (movie)
8. Animal Kingdom (movie)
9. Samson & Delilah (movie)
10. Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries (television)
11. Underbelly (television)
12. The Dish (movie)
13. Mr & Mrs Murder (television)
AUSTRALIAN TITLES THAT ARE ON MY TO-WATCH LIST THAT LOOK GOOD BUT HAVE NOT YET BEEN RELEASED. PLEASE KEEP AN EYE OUT FOR A RELEASE NEAR YOU SOON:
1. Oddball (movie)
2. The Dressmaker (movie)
AUSTRALIAN TITLES I PERSONALLY LOATHE AND THEREFORE CANNOT IN GOOD FAITH RECOMMEND, BUT SEEM TO HAVE BEEN ENJOYED OR APPLAUDED ELSEWHERE BY OTHERS NOT ME:
1. Australia (2008) [movie]
Synopsis: Set in northern Australia before World War II, an English aristocrat who inherits a sprawling ranch reluctantly pacts with a stock-man in order to protect her new property from a takeover plot. As the pair drive 2,000 head of cattle over unforgiving landscape, they experience the bombing of Darwin, Australia, by Japanese forces firsthand.
Emiri says: Please. Love yourself. Do not watch this movie. It saddens me that this warning probably comes years too late for most, because out of every movie on this list I'm sure that it is the only one that almost everyone will have heard of and perhaps seen, because it was really well advertised and had Hugh Jackman in it and Baz Lurhmann directed it, etc etc etc. BUT IF THIS WARNING SAVES TWO HOURS FROM EVEN ONE PERSON'S LIFE THEN IT WILL BE WORTH IT. NOT EVEN HUGH JACKMAN CAN SALVAGE THIS HOT MESS.
Look, it's possible I'm being overly harsh here. I'm sure there are people out there who enjoyed Australia! I am not one of them. If you suspect that you may be in the category of people who will enjoy this film, please scroll past the rest of this review right now and go find a review from someone who actually liked it so I don't pee in your cheerios or whatever, because the fires of my hatred for this movie are positively vitriolic. I don't know if it's possible to have ever been so excited for a movie and then so disappointed.
This movie just... it SHOULD be good. It has so many good ingredients of things I like and yet... still somehow manages to be a total dog's breakfast. The pacing is a mess, the movie itself drags on for about 90 minutes too long, the movie beats are weird and feel like they are shoving three separate movies into one, and worst of all for all it's beautiful acting, costuming, set designing, score and cinematography... it just has no heart. As far as I'm concerned that is the worst possible movie sin you can commit. I can forgive anything else if the movie has heart.
But no. Watching Australia, I was just relentlessly bored by everything that happened from start to finish. I didn't care for anyone. I found myself praying for a swift and merciful death at several points during the screening just because it was so trite and cliche.
What's mind-boggling to me is that it was created by a crew of Australians and SET in Australia and yet somehow the end result STILL somehow came out with a shiny sheen of Hollywood varnish: stripped of everything unique. It felt like an American had been asked to make an Australian film, and they'd done all the right historical and cultural research, but missed all the subtleties and in-jokes that one can only get when one grows up with that culture. Spew. Thanks for NOTHING, Bazza. And you call yourself an Australian. I want my $16 back.
2. Little Fish (2005) [movie]
Synopsis: Set in the Little Saigon district outside of Sydney, a woman (Blanchett) trying to escape her past becomes embroiled in a drug deal.
Emiri says: Interestingly enough, this movie seems to be really polarizing. I say interestingly enough, because I hated it. But it has a fairly decent IMDB rating, and from what I can discern, people tend to be either firmly in the LOVE IT or HATE IT camp. Those in the LOVE IT camp have praised this movie for being a subtle and realistic portrayal of the perils of drug addiction and tying yourself to people with drug addictions.
As for me, I actually fell asleep three quarters of the way through this movie, totally and utterly bored out of my skull. This movie dragged and dragged and dragged. None of the characters seemed to me to be interesting or sympathetic in any way, shape or form. No insult to Cate Blanchett's acting-- I seem to recall her doing the best with what she was given, but I also recall that not being very much. When you have made criminals and drugs boring, you have a problem. HOWEVER, considering that it was about... 8? 9? years ago when I watched this and I never saw it through to the end, I may consider a re-watch of this in the future, in the interests of fairness. ... Maaaybe. In the far-off future. When I have nothing else to do.
FAQ:
What makes a film "Australian"?
I have no hard and fast rule of percentages or anything, but it has to be financially backed and produced by Australians in the majority. For example, I would not count most of Baz Lurhmann's films (save Australia) because even though he himself is Australian, they are usually wholly or partially backed by Hollywood and typically involve a non-Australian cast and crew. (Also at this point his films are so famous they don't really need to be backed by me anyway-- see below.)
Why is [title] not on this list?
See a title I've forgotten? Great! Comment with all the titles you think should be on here that I've left out because I'm sure there's HEAPS, and I'll add it if I can! I'M ONLY ONE PERSON, OKAY. Anyway, if it's not on here, it's probably because of one of the following reasons:
1. I forgot about it, or didn't know it was Australian. If that's the case, I'll whack it on here straight away if you bring it up.
2. I haven't heard of it! Rec it to me, and I'll put it on my to-watch list! Provided it doesn't fall into the next two categories:
3. I have heard of it, but the reviews I've heard of it are Not Good. So it hasn't gone on the "To Watch" list, but having not personally seen it and judged it for myself, I also don't feel comfortable putting it on the "Do Not Watch" list. (See: The Water Diviner, and Ned Kelly.) Feel free to try to change my mind.
4. I have heard of it, and despite reviews being good, I have ABSOLUTELY NO INTENTION OF WATCHING IT EVER, because it has content that does not align with my interests, and thus I cannot personally recommend it. (See: Wolf Creek. WATCH THIS ONE FOR A GOOD TIME, I HEAR. And by good time, I mean never ever sleeping again. No thanks, not for me.)
5. It's so famous at this point that everyone overseas has heard of it and doesn't really need me yelling about it any more-- which is really the whole point of this list. (See: the Mad Max franchise, Babe, Happy Feet, everything by Baz Lurhmann ever, etc.)
6. I'm aware that my reaction to it is so heavily filtered through the lens of the Australian cultural cringe phenomenon that, despite loathing it, I don't feel like I can write about that loathing objectively or fairly. (See: Neighbours, Home and Away, H2O: Just Add Water, MacLeod's Daughters, Kath and Kim, The Ja'mie related series, Blue Heelers, etc. All common Australian television soaps/dramas/comedies that I absolutely loathe, but seem to have done well with other audiences. My ingrained knee-jerk reaction to them is so sharp that I am not a good judge of what is Actually Terrible and what is not.)
7. I'm really basically ambivalent on it and have no strong feelings either way. Sorry.
8. It's impossible to find anywhere on the internet or outside of Australia and sometimes inside of Australia due to simply being old and not famous. (See: Napoleon.)
9. I once loved it but upon recent rewatching realised it was not as good as I once thought. (See: The Chaser's War on Everything.)
You haven't seen [title]? AND YOU CALL YOURSELF AN AUSTRALIAN?
There's actually a lot I haven't seen. I'll openly admit to that. That's why this is called the NON-exhaustive list. And really why I made the list in the first place! So I can keep track of what I've watched and what I want to watch and also get recs from other people and spread stuff my country has done around that I'm proud of! SPREAD HYPE. SUPPORT MY COUNTRY'S FILM INDUSTRY. MAKE PEOPLE INTERESTED!! And then maybe the struggling Aussie film industry could get better funding! And then maybe we could create more films! FUCK YEAH!!!!!!!!!!!
You forgot or didn't include a content warning for [x, y, z] on [title]!
My apologies! Drop me a line and I'll correct it.
Can I leave my own rec or review on the comments of this post if it's a title you haven't reviewed yet, or one you have no intention of reviewing?
ABSO-FUCKING-LUTELY. Go wild.
Why do you like capslock so much?
BECAUSE I JUST DO, OKAY. I HAVE A LOT OF FEELINGS. ABOUT STUFF. AND I WROTE MOST OF THIS AT 3 AM. LEAVE ME ALONE. GO WATCH A MOVIE.