Amy (1997/II)

Director:

Nadia Tass

Writer:

David Parker (writer)

Release Date:

27 August 1998 (Australia)

Genre:

Drama | Music

Tagline:

You've heard nothing until you hear her song.

Plot:

Amy is a story of a young girl who witnesses her dad's death on stage at a rock concert. She becomes mentally mute/deaf after this...

Plot Keywords:

Deaf Mute | Electric Shock | Father Daughter Relationship | Compassion | Child Custody

Awards:

10 wins & 4 nominations

Cast

Alana De Roma	...	Amy Enker
Rachel Griffiths	...	Tanya Rammus
Ben Mendelsohn	...	Robert Buchanan
Nick Barker	...	Will Enker
Kerry Armstrong	...	Sarah Trendle
Jeremy Trigatti	...	Zac Trendle
William Zappa	...	Bill Trendle
Torquil Neilson	...	Luke Lassiter
Sullivan Stapleton	...	Wayne Lassiter
Mary Ward	...	Mrs. Mullins
Susie Porter	...	Anny Buchanan
Frank Gallacher	...	Dr Urquhart
Malcolm Kennard	...	Brian Cosgrove
Jan Friedl	...	Susan Hammett
Jeremy Kewley	...	Maurice Reitman

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for some domestic violence, disturbing images and brief language.

Runtime:

104 min

Country:

Australia

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Malaysia:U | South Korea:12 | Argentina:13 | Australia:M | Chile:14 | France:U | Hong Kong:IIA | Iceland:LH (video rating) | Iceland:L (original rating) | Italy:T | Singapore:PG | USA:PG-13

Filming Locations:

Melbourne, Victoria, Australia

Company:

Cascade Films

Trivia:

The venue for the concert towards the end of the film where Amy is found is the Sydney Myer Music Bowl. It is located in gardens near the centre of Melbourne and is used for a wide range of functions, including concerts and Carols by Candlelight.

Goofs:

Errors in geography: Amy's travels, when she is lost, take her through a wide range of Melbourne locations, and represent a long convoluted trip, which would most likely beyond the average 8-year-old child, requiring much walking and considerable use of public transport.

Quotes:

[Mr. Trendle tries to fondle Tanya, but she shoves him away]
Bill Trendle: Jesus, lady, you're worse than my wife!
Tanya Rammus: I'll take that as a compliment.

Quirky movie

I liked this movie but I was a bit confused as to what sort of movie it was - I would say it was a pot pourri of type. Was it a drama with quirky little pieces of dark comedy and surrealism thrown in for good measure? One wonders whether the director or producers could not make their minds up as to what type of movie it would be. Perhaps everyone got their way. It might have made more at the box office if it had been a children's story - which it probably is, if you take out the swearwords, and family violence etc. In my opinion, this great cast of actors might have been a little bit let down by the script, which could have built better stories of victory over adversity with each character, and also added a little more surrealism.

This movie certainly showed some dramatic snapshots of some of the lives and situations of people living in Australia. The coppers singing whilst searching for Amy was fantastic. Mendelsohn's 'lyrics of life' were also deep and meaningful.

Alana De Roma's performance as a singer and actor were excellent. Golly, has she got a future!

I would rate this movie as a 6.5 out of 10; well worth watching.

[Was it a touch of irony that one time Melbourne rock legend Bobby Bright played the busker on the street? Why wasn't he singing "Hitch Hiker"?]