No Worries (1993) User Reviews

Best children's film in Berlin 1994 prize

[_t_ · 8/10 · 25 July 1999]

No rain. No crops. No money. The family has to move to the city. A 11-year-old daughter of Ben and Ellen Bell, namely Matilda, is suffered to leave the Australian outback where her parents face the reduction of wool price, the death of sheep by starvation, and a powerful dust storm that almost claims their lives. In the busy city, Matilda live with no words from her mouth. The situation is bad. But "No Worries" because everything is ending fine.

In my opinion, this film illustrates the Aussie spirit in the outback area. I feel sad with the characters when they leave the land. They smile, then cry, and finally smile again. I do follow this story line. Thus, it is no doubt that this movie hits my mind.

Excellent, authentic tale of displacement and loss

[fertilecelluloid · 8/10 · 29 December 2005]

Excellent, authentic, heartfelt tale of a rural family facing certain ruin in outback Australia. Aspects of this terrific film reminded me of Richard Pierce's "Heartland", Weir's "The Mosquito Coast", and even Jim Sheridan's flawed but effective "In America". All explored the themes of displacement and loss. In an inspired move, the film is shot from the perspective of a twelve-year-old girl whose life is up-ended and she is forced to deal with several harsh realities. David Elfick's direction is no-nonsense and uncluttered. Stephen F. Windon's cinematography is stunning. "No Worries" is a totally engrossing tale of courage, disappointment, optimism and processing hard realities. It is also a testament to family.

Not just for families, this is a great film about droughts and resiliance

[PeterM27 · 7/10 · 11 April 2022]

Drought, unlike fire and flood, is a slow disaster, and one that must be endured with hope and patience. This film is partly about rural life and rural communities, where people struggle individually and collectively to survive the vagaries of the weather.

The film is seen through the eyes of 11-year-old Matilda, well played by Amy Terelinck, who is a happy, resourceful kid who loves her parents, her friends at the tiny bush school, and the animals on their farm, especially her dog, Dingo. She knows all the 13 other kids at the school and all of the adults in the neighbourhood.

When a dust storm proves the final straw that drives their farm to ruin, Matilda is suddenly uprooted from her rural paradise and taken to live with an uncle and aunt in Sydney, where she is thrown into a new class of mainly migrant and Asian kids and where she doesn't know anybody.

No Worries is both moving and entertaining, and the best film I know of that captures the tragedy and trauma of drought in rural communities.

But the film is also about the resilience of the human spirit in the face of tragedy, and people's ability to get back up and try something new. Geoff Morrell and Susan Lyons are wonderful as Matilda's parents, and the supporting cast includes John Hargreaves, Steven Vidler, Ray Barrett, Harold Hopkins and many more.

Despite the difficult subject, the film, like most of the characters, somehow manages to stay upbeat and hopeful.

Australia's best family film

[ptb-8 · 9/10 · 9 November 2004]

NO WORRIES is a major Australian film adapted from the play by revered British author David Holman. His observations of the Australian farming family resilience faced with brutal yearly droughts and ruthless banks in the early 1990s is keenly reflected with maturity and in his sensitive and heartwarming play. The major economic recession of the time and hard country life ruined many rural families who had grimly held on to properties for several generations. The shock of being forced from their land is a strong theme and it is well observed through the eyes of one family's 12 year old daughter. Multi award winning local producer David Elfick (NEWSFRONT, STARSTRUCK, RABBIT PROOF FENCE) directed NO WORRIES as a film and met with appreciative applause from The Farmers Federation and the Rural Relief Funds of the time. These major Government organisations were grateful that someone with Elfick's professional clout had put their plight on to the movie screens of the nation so the city dwellers (80% of the population) could recognise and appreciate what was happening across the rural landscape to family after family. NO WORRIES was a urban sensation of the time and ran for months in some locations. The media adopted the film's stance and there was widespread lauding of the themes and the well crafted production. It traveled overseas to 13 International Film Festivals and in most cases won the children or family category first prize. Especially at The Berlin Film Festival where it won The Silver Bear. Yes there were some uninformed comments who completely missed the entire emotional substance of the film and sneered "ugh" as if it was uninteresting. Poor them. NO WORRIES had very strong emotional impact on rural Dads who found the reality of family struggle depicted so well to be a outburst they needed. I also was at a screening in rural Dubbo NSW for Farmers and their wives and many men, stoic rural workers were truly moved to speak as if they had been wanting to for years and now could not hold it all back. Basically, the family in the film become refugees in their own country and find the only people who understand their loss and plight after they are forced into the city, are a Vietnamese boat people family who have had a similar experience. This is why, in the last half hour, a friendship is struck like this. Also, the girl's connection with the sea is where she realises there are wide open spaces here too, just like once before at home in the near-desert, and this helps her stop running. Pleased do not ever be put off by dull viewers, and be reassured, NO WORRIES is a fearless and tough emotional family film, a deserved Aussie classic like the American 40s dramas THE GRAPES OF WRATH or HOW GREEN WAS MY VALLEY. This film struck all educated viewers as a true experience that can resonate with viewers of all ages. The film reviews of the time were especially good. NO WORRIES was even placed on the school syllabus as required viewing by the Board Of Studies and the Catholic Education Board. It is a multicultural family experience reflective of modern Australia. Find it and be amazed at what an excellent film this genuinely is.

My life on screen

[valakay · 23 July 2018]

Was thinking about this film tonight and I found this site. There's mixed reviews, I guess, but what hits a chord maybe depends on your life experiences. I took my 10 year old daughter to see this in 1993, thinking it might be interesting for her, she could see a bit of what my life was like as a child, and so on. After the film, I ended up having to leave her alone in the foyer for about 15 minutes while I went to the ladies and wept. It was like seeing the buried traumas of my life on the screen, I had no idea of the effect that it would have on me.

When we sold our farm, I was about the same age as the girl in the story, and so much rings true to me - even the shooting of the dogs has parallels, not exact, but there. Like her, I survived, I got over it, but it was a revelation to me how much trauma I'd buried. Not everyone would like or be interested in this film, but it has certain truths in it, I think.

Memories

[killingyouguy · 3/10 · 8 December 2006]

I was in this movie. Nothing big, just ran out of a van and up some steps and that's it. A friend of mine was in a few scenes too (trips up the main character during class I think). I remember being pulled out of class and sent down to an area where many kids were lined up to see if they'd get a part. They filmed, what I guess was the city public school scenes, at my school; Alexandria Primary School in Sydney.

I can't remember much of the movie. I think a number of us went to see a screening of it over in North Sydney. We had an introduction from the cast & crew but that's about all I remember. Oh, and the "food & drink" they put on for us consisted of a paper cup of candy popcorn & a cup of lemonade. Ritzy! Still, it got me out of quite of bit of school that day, earned me $50 and each take of my scene (and there were a few) I had to eat an éclair. Not bad.

Ugh

[TeapotBunyip · 23 November 2003]

"No Worries" was filmed in my old hometown of Gilgandra NSW (technically on the sheepfarms in the shire, as well as nearby Dubbo) and there were even a couple of girls in my class at Gilgandra Public School (as well as a friend's old house that Matilda's family lived in) who featured as extras in the film.

Having said that, I'm aware that some people might expect me to feel that the film was enjoyable. And for city folks, maybe it was. But as a country girl, I can tell ya that things were depressing enough having to struggle to make a living through the on-going drought without having had it made into a film.

(Actually, it's not like things have improved, not even now I'm living in the "city".)

We were forced to travel to Dubbo to see the film, which turned out to be the most tortuous experience of my life! It was nasty. The word for it is "UGH".

My advice to you is: don't watch it! (Unless of course, you're an insomniac. Then feel free - it'll solve all your troubles! ^_^)

But anyway, that's all I can advise. Besides all my already mentioned complaints, the fact that an 11-yr-old country girl would run away TO THE OCEAN to get home is just total...rubbish.

(Uh, that is what happened, yes? It's been so long since I've subjected myself to the horrendous experience of it all!)