Erskineville Kings (1999)

Director:

Alan White

Writer:

Marty Denniss (writer)

Release Date:

23 September 1999 (Australia)

Genre:

Drama

Plot:

Barky, 25, lost soul, left home two years ago to escape his abusive father leaving behind everything in the world that was important to him; now that his father's dead, he thinks it's safe to come home.

Plot Keywords:

Independent Film

Awards:

1 win & 2 nominations

Cast

Marty Denniss	...	Barky
Hugh Jackman	...	Wace
Andrew Wholley	...	Coppa
Aaron Blabey	...	Tunny
Joel Edgerton	...	Wayne
Leah Vandenberg	...	Lanny
Marin Mimica	...	Kane
Lauren Clair	...	Ruby
Louise Birgan	...	Natasha
Roy Billing	...	Ticket Officer
Roxane Wilson	...	Lady
John Alansu	...	Hairdresser
Mercia Deane-Johns	...	Barmaid
Bob Gould	...	Book Store Owner
Paul Dawber	...	Father

Runtime:

90 min

Country:

Australia

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Certification:

Australia:M

Filming Locations:

Enmore, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia

Company:

Radical Media

Dead bore in the boondocks

Erskineville Kings

Avoid this one.

Erskineville is an inner suburb of Sydney near the bottom of the social scale (or at least it was in the 1970s when this movie is apparently set.) Young man returns home on father's death. To greet him are a couple of dissolute mates, a nice ex-girlfriend and a brother eaten up with bitterness after having to look after the old boy in his declining years. Mum shot through many years ago and brother is pretty bitter about that too. Young man was driven out by Dad's drunken violence and doesn't understand why the brother is so hostile. He finds out eventually, but we're past caring.

One or two good performances, especially Aaron Blabley as one of the noxious mates. The whole thing was too thin even for a short (80 minute) feature and the camera spends too much time slowly scanning the crumbling Victorian buildings of Esrkineville. Maybe it would have worked as a 30 minute piece. As it is, a dead bore.