Suburban Mayhem (2006)

User Rating:

5.8/10   

Director:

Paul Goldman

Writer:

Alice Bell (written by)

Release Date:

26 October 2006 (Australia)

Genre:

Drama

Tagline:

There are some things in life you can't control. Fame. Lust. Murder . . . And Katrina.

Plot:

Why does a 19 year-old girl plot to kill her own father? Katrina Skinner is stuck in suburbia with her toddler daughter and her devoted dad...

Plot Keywords:

Murder | Mayhem | Suburb | Fractured Narrative | Family Relationships

Awards:

8 wins & 13 nominations

Cast

Emily Barclay	...	Katrina Skinner
Steve Bastoni	...	Detective Andretti
Laurence Breuls	...	Danny
Michael Dorman	...	Rusty
Anthony Hayes	...	Kenny
Geneviève Lemon	...	Auntie Dianne
Robert Morgan	...	John Skinner
Susan Prior	...	Christine Andretti
Mia Wasikowska	...	Lilya
Lawrence Aitchson	...	Welfare Man (as Lawrence Aitchison)
Rod Ansell	...	Angry Neighbour
Christine Armstrong	...	Defence Lawyer
Phillip Ayoub	...	Sergeant Harris
Callan Boys	...	Random Guy
Nigel Castellum	...	Junior Policeman

MPAA:

Rated R for strong sexual content, pervasive language, some violence and drug use.

Runtime:

Australia:95 min | UK:89 min | Canada:90 min (Toronto International Film Festival)

Country:

Australia

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Certification:

UK:15 | Australia:MA | New Zealand:R16 | France:-12 | USA:R

Filming Locations:

Maitland Gaol, Maitland, New South Wales, Australia

Company:

Australian Film Finance Corporation (AFFC)

Trivia:

Alice Bell was Emily Barclay's body double for the film. Driving, texting and snorting cornflour instead of speed.

Quotes:

Rusty: What's going on here? Is he going to kill your dad for you? Is that what you and him is about?
Katrina: I don't know what you're talking about. You're crazy.
Rusty: I'm crazy? You're having sex with a disabled!

Movie Connections:

Features "Mr. Squiggle and Friends" (1959)

Soundtrack:

Double Dare

Shootin' to thrill in thigh-high boots..

A darkly comic tale of desperation in the land of discount bourbon and Holden versus Ford. I'm somewhat at a loss to understand the negative reaction in some of the comments posted; understanding the foibles and peculiarities of Australian suburbia is important to seeing the film in its correct context. Emily Barclay sinks her teeth into Katrina with such enthusiasm that as she careens across the landscape with baby in tow over gullible men, naive women, impotent police and her well-meaning father we're tempted more than once to suspend the moral judgement we should be making and simply sit back to enjoy the ride. Questions are asked of the audience as much as of the film's characters, making us uneasy and showing Katrina's real power to manipulate. How much does the need for excitement in our lives stop us from making decisions about what is right or wrong? Is Bailee the get-out-of-jail free card that entitles Katrina to salvation as we find that crime sometimes does pay? A fresh, upfront production that along with recent films like "Kenny" and "Footy Legends" lends confidence to the recovery of the Australian movie industry from the ball and chain of film-school textbook orthodoxy.