The Snowtown Murders (2011) User Reviews

Highly Disturbing

[SnoopyStyle · 7/10 · 1 September 2013]

16 year-old Jamie lives with his mother and abusive brothers. He is taken by his mother's new lascivious boyfriend. John and his crowd of self-appointed neighborhood watch takes Jamie under their wings. They drive out the boyfriend. The relationship leads to a spree of torture and murder.

This is an Australian film based on true events. This is a highly disturbing movie. To say that they are white trash is to insult white trash. The rampant homophobia is shocking, but then it gets much much worst. I feel that I have to warn that it dives head first into pedophilia and serial torture murders. It is truly soul grindingly gruesome. It gets really tiring to one's being. I do like the atmosphere in the movie although it does drag at times. It is a tough watch, and good only for people who are willing.

Quite good, but can be confusing

[evan_harvey · 7/10 · 28 September 2011]

Before you watch this film, I recommend going to YouTube and watch a doco titled "Serial Killers - The Bodies in the Barrels". It's about 40 mins long, but fills in a lot of details that you might struggle to understand in the film.

Snowtown is actually quite a good film, but I'm not sure I would have enjoyed it without watching the doco beforehand. It focuses more on the people involved (and is quite a masterful film in that sense - great cinematography), and is quite restrained in its depiction of what actually happened. The major flaw is that you really have no context for a lot of what is happening - people, timeline etc. The doco I mention fills in a lot of the blanks and makes the film far more powerful.

The film is told from the point of view of James Vlassakis. The narrative doesn't really display the true horror of what happened precisely because it is about James, and what he saw/was involved in. He becomes involved in the killings towards the end, but they had been going on for some time. Unfortunately, I think that means that the real horror of the events go largely unnoticed. That is both good in that it really is told from the perspective of James, which I appreciated after watching the doco and also bad, in that the audience doesn't get to see just how horrific and depraved the killings were.

Because I had watched the doco prior to the film, I knew what the other killers had been doing, and at what point James became involved and why. Without that context, I think the film will feel a bit dull to a lot of people. Seeing as I knew what was happening (but is not shown in the narrative), it helped to contextualise it, and also appreciate the narrative as being told from James's point of view. The doco delves into James's character a little bit, and that helps the film.

(EDIT:) For instance, the doco points out (or at least theorizes) the reason why Bunting and the others were murdering people. The film doesn't really address this. Perhaps the truth is just too complicated for a narrative film. I can appreciate that. However, there's a lot of unanswered questions (both from the doco and the film, although the film doesn't delve into those too much). The mother of James Vlassakis was herself involved in at least one of the killings (although the film doesn't depict this). Some of the characters actually helped kill people, and then were killed themselves. The film doesn't say why.

Without some context and background info, it can be hard to sort out the characters. This is both a strength and a weakness of the film.

I can remember when this story broke, and the news all reported that the killings were motivated by money. Bunting and the others would impersonate the dead people and collect their welfare cash. The doco claims quite a different story. It notes that Bunting seemed to target suspected pedophiles, and had a "spider wall" - a chart - of suspects on his wall. This is seen in the film, but not really explained. I personally wonder if the money/fraud aspect (which did indeed happen) drew some people in to assist in the killings, whilst the core group of Bunting and others were motivated by more sinister intent.

One significant part is that after the final murder, Bunting and another man actually cooked and ate part of their victim. That's not the actions of people who are just killing to commit fraud. I don't fault the film for not showing that, but it gives an insight into the true nature of the actual events. Although I praise the film highly, I do so having previously digested and read about what happened. In that context, as I've said, the film is excellent, and one of the best Aussie films made. It's dark, gripping, harrowing and throughly compelling. (END EDIT)

It's quite slow, but has an inexorable pull to it. The acting feels quite authentic. Bunting's character seemed a little too young, at least compared to how he looks in real life.

Despite being called Snowtown, most of the murders happen in Adelaide. Snowtown was where they discovered the bodies after the killers moved them from Adelaide.

Watch the doco on youtube, and then settle in for an engrossing film that is really very good (if a little too long). Watch it without seeing the doco, and you might be bored.

7 out of 10.

Eye opening, shocking and brilliant... it made "This Is England" look like a Disney film.

[gill_hathaway · 8/10 · 17 January 2012]

This is not like any other film I've seen before, I think that it would be an understatement to say that this film was chilling and eye opening. This film terrified me, and amazed me in it's brilliance.

I don't know where to begin, but when I think back to this film I remember how I'd felt while watching it, which is also something I can't even begin to describe. I never write reviews but for this one I felt I should just because I believe that a lot of people pass on watching films that don't have a rating above 7/10. But this film, definitely deserves to be watched.

At the time when I watched the film, I only found out afterwards that it was a true story. And you won't believe how little difference that made to how I already felt, because it was that powerful already. I felt terrified, and I'm not the one to be 'scared' easily, but you should've seen what it did to people who do get scared. This film like many other brilliant films has left me with something to think about afterwards, but unlike any other movie I've ever seen before, Snowtown gave me a slap across the face to open my eyes to an obvious truth. And it felt harsh to realize it, as it probably did for anyone who's seen Snowtown. It's that murderers exist, and yes it's no surprise, but this film showed me just how desensitized we all are to murders, serial killers. That's why watching this film felt like I'd experienced something. It's like that same exciting feeling you get when you watch Avatar and you're 'experiencing' the 3-D aspects, but for this you're exhilarated and experiencing something so f"cked up and real. It made "This Is England" look like a Disney film. This is actually a quote that seemed to best summarize what we all felt as me and about 8 other people discussed the film outside the cinema. And we could still hear a hint of fear in our laughter then.

It wasn't just another film. I've been inspired by how realistic the scenes are, I can't imagine that it was just scripted scenes, it truly felt all real. The actor that played the killer was the most terrifying character or man I've ever seen on film. You must watch this, a lot of people have become obsessed with this film, and it definitely deserves a higher rating.

A harrowingly realistic portrayal of torture and murder

[seth_isurus · 3 October 2011]

Snowtown is probably the most disturbing movie I have ever seen. (Note: To back that statement up, I have watched most so called 'torture-porn' flicks, including hard-edged foreign stuff like Martyrs and Audition.)

Unlike the vast majority of horror films, Snowtown depicts torture and murder in a way that is almost documentary-like - nothing is sensationalized, which makes it all the more horrific. You are essentially a fly-on-the-wall during a real-life murder. The strangulation scene in the bath tub is almost unwatchable - and it seems to go on forever.

I found it incredibly hard to watch and it has seriously shaken me to my core. Cinema is supposed to affect us, and Snowtown certainly did, which is why I've given it 10/10.

Disturbing and affecting.

[Loader1976 · 7/10 · 19 May 2011]

It is quite a well crafted film and the concepts it presents are quite disturbing. It shows the killers to be very cold, calculating and generally indifferent in the way the murders unfold.

I don't think it will be a very accessible film for most cinema goers, as the style and tone are very depressing. It is a very simple plot on the surface but the way it presents the characters is sometimes quite confusing, and i found it quite hard to follow who all the characters were and how they were related. It is appropriately photographed, the production design is correctly sparse and bleak and the soundtrack is very effective.

Slowtown

[kosmasp · 6/10 · 3 March 2012]

After all the critical praise I read about this movie, before going in to watch, I did expect more than I got. So maybe I was a little bit preconceived and my expectations should have been lower. The actors did meet them mostly. This is a great piece to stretch your acting muscles over with.

Unfortunately the story evolves at a speed that would make a snail shake his head. It's a shame really because the themes that are being played out here, are really good. There is much to discover (if you stick with the movie that is) and it can get very disturbing. But the pace just isn't right (that's my feeling of course, you might want to check in for yourself and get a clearer picture of things). Just don't expect it to blow you off your feet (literally)

Chilling

[helraiza · 10/10 · 19 June 2011]

I don't understand why people are coming down on this film, i thought it was amazing and spectacularly represented the emotions of the people involved rather than the actions. I am glad it didn't go into all the violence into more detail even though i know the real killings were worse than depicted in the film. I think that it was not the intention of the director to have another gory wolf creek serial killer story.

I had not heard any hype about the young actor looking like heath ledger until now but had commented to my partner a few times in the movie how striking the similarity was!

I loved this film and thought it was well directed and have no idea how the actors got through some of those scenes.. well done.

Harrowing, distressing, incredibly powerful

[Leofwine_draca · 6/10 · 23 July 2014]

SNOWTOWN is a true-life story about a serial killer and his associates who were prevalent in Australia during the 1990s. A low-key production that goes for gritty realism above everything else, the film this most reminded me of was HENRY: PORTRAIT OF A SERIAL KILLER; it has the same level of harrowing and distressing subject matter while being incredibly powerful at the same time.

SNOWTOWN isn't quite up there on a level with HENRY - there are a few too many scenes of people sitting around and eating for a start - but it is an undeniably effective movie. The casual brutality of the movie will make this hard to sit through for many viewers, with the scene involving the dog being particularly gruelling; meanwhile, the bathtub sequence is one of the nastiest I've ever witnessed. Aside from these moments, the rest of the movie is surprisingly restrained, a slice-of-life exploration of how 'white trash' get on with their lives.

The acting is fine, particularly from Daniel Henshall in a star-making performance, and the script is very good. I wish there had been a little more resolution at the end but then you can't have everything. SNOWTOWN is about as far away as you can get from a mainstream Hollywood movie and it's all the more effective because of that. And I'll reiterate how incredibly grim it is: would I sit through it again? Not a chance!

You don't enjoy it; you experience it.

[pat_deayts · 9/10 · 19 May 2011]

Snowtown follows the experience of young Jamie Vlassakis as he partakes in the infamous 'bodies in the barrels' murders. Director Justin Kurzel has created a film that gradually pulls away the illusion of justified vigilantism to reveal the sadistic and evil core of John Bunting and his co-accused. The rare scenes of violence have such a profound impact that they are difficult to witness, the imagery of the Australian welfare suburb is captured with such florescent realism that you can almost taste the atmosphere. While at times fragmented, Snowtown is a rare and expertly crafted biopic that will tear at your senses and stun you into submission

A beautiful, dark story.

[to_see_you_smile_again · 7/10 · 1 June 2011]

I was incredibly impressed by this film. Especially considering that it was the director's first film debut & none of the actors were professionally trained. The film is dark & grim, but considering what actually happened, it was an easy watch. Take this for example, "Frederick Brooks received electric shocks to his penis and testicles, and had a burning sparkler pushed down into his penis; after his toes were crushed and his nose and ears burned with cigarettes, he was allowed to choke to death on his gag." Although a little dark at times, it was filmed beautifully. I love Australian movies, and I am fascinating by serial killers, so all in all, I immensely enjoyed this. If you don't have a weak stomach, and you can patiently watch a story unfold then I recommend this to you.

Relentlessly grim

[LilaInFlames · 4/10 · 20 December 2012]

If director Justin Wurzel was trying to make a movie that could be described as bleak, grim, depressing and dreary, he certainly succeeded. He also made a movie which could be described as dull, boring and tedious.

This film stretches out for nearly two hours and in that time there was no hint of a narrative nor of any fully developed characters, good or bad.

It looks as if the filmmaker was striving to create an art-film depiction of a suburban wasteland where anonymous faces are interchangeable and no one really matters; people drift in and out with no real purpose to their lives and are unable to see any purpose in anyone else's, and when neighbours start disappearing and there are whispers about what is happening, no one says or does anything to stop it.

It was in this environment that a group of dead-eyed wraiths lead by a Manson-esque psychopath, John Bunting, murdered twelve people over seven years and the scariest thing about this film is that it all really happened and was allowed to happen.

All of this should make for fascinating viewing. Unfortunately this film is so focused on tone, boring things like plot and character have been neglected. It's a series of events in dull lighting that may or may not correspond with each other. The who, what and why's of the actual events are never revealed.

Where did Bunting come from? Why were the others so in awe of him as to do his evil bidding? Who *were* the others? Who were the victims? How did all these people know each other? How were they caught? Who knows. I couldn't keep up.

Watch it if you want to throw away two hours of your life. Don't watch it if you don't (or if you love dogs).

The Boddies in the Barrels Murders.

[hitchcockthelegend · 8/10 · 28 September 2014]

The press junket and first wave of critical notices built Snowtown up as a throat ripper that will cause you nightmares. That didn't do it any favours as per expectation levels for the horror enthusiast. However, this is a superb piece of film making, a real gritty and grainy deconstruction of the human condition gone sour. As with all films of this type that are based on real life incidents, it pays to read up on the facts if you be so inclined.

Debut director Justin Kurzel doesn't shirk from the horrors of the case, but skillfully he doesn't bang everyone over the head with shock tactics to grab the attention. It's a relentlessly bleak picture, there's a continuous build of impending dread, of human devastation wrung out by a master manipulator (Daniel Henshall as John Bunting superb), the depressing story told through the eyes of the simple and confused Jamie Vlassakis (Lucas Pittaway).

Not to be watched if one is looking to be cheered up! But that doesn't mean it shouldn't be sought out as essential cinema. It's a strong and potent film, worthy of inspection by adults who understand that not all film is about entertainment. 8.5/10

The devil went down to...

[punishmentpark · 7/10 · 9 August 2013]

Based on the Australian case of 'the Snowtown murders' (1992-1999), this film stays mostly true to the facts (the relationship between Barry and Robert was cut out), be it that the viewer witnesses the story through the eyes of James Vlassakis. He becomes more and more involved in the torture, murders and disposing of the bodies.

'Snowtown' is a slow-paced, eerie drama that mostly implies the (physical) horrors, except for the torture and murder of Jamie's half-brother Troy Youde, after an hour and ten minutes and a few shorter parts (the abuse of the boys, the cutting up of a Kangaroo, the rape of Jamie). The rest of it slowly and (in a way) subtly unfolds from the moment when James and his little brothers are abused by a trusted neighbor, and shortly after, a new 'gang' moves in, wanting to take 'justice' into their own hands. Their leader, John Bunting, is a charismatic psychopath who himself was assaulted at the age of eight, though the latter is never literally mentioned in the film.

This tale never escapes the stranglehold of fear and misery (even without the murders and torture Snowtown looks like a miserable place) and there is a constant sadness surrounding Jamie, a sadness that is mainly apathetic, except for when he - somewhat 'heroical' - kills Troy in order to end the torture; I don't know how correct this is, since it is known he helped with the torture and murders of three more. I find it a weak point of the film not to adequately shed light on this.

Other than that, if you can stomach it, this is a well-made drama of the bleakest sort. The acting was completely satisfactory and finally, I must mention an effective, mostly melancholically droning, soundtrack.

A big 7 out of 10.

very tedious and confusing film

[nishy2012 · 5/10 · 27 March 2012]

I saw this film get good reviews and thought I would give it a go, like you do. I sat through it to the end even though nothing really seemed to happen and the events in the film were quite random and I did start hoping it would finish soon. I think the film-makers were assuming people would have prior knowledge of the events of the film before viewing it, as it seemed to veer from scene to scene quite randomly, i got the gist of what was happening but it was not really compulsive viewing. The story matter is based on real-life events and I found it to be grim viewing, with little reward or insight into the characters, and I felt the boy playing the lead was not very interesting to watch. I guess I expect to be entertained or gain some insight into something when I watch a film but in this case neither of these things happened. Quite dull all in all.

excellent example of gritty Australian realism

[roberts-ellen-x · 18 October 2011]

I agree with the other people who have written reviews who say that it is good to get some background on the murders as I watched this without any and was confused in parts. What is interesting is that the film makers either assumed that you would have this knowledge, or accepted that the plot would only partially be known. In that sense we really are like witnesses who aren't let in on all the facts - in a strange way keeping some of the plot details leads to the sense of claustrophobia in the film.

Snowtown is an excellent example of the genre of gritty Australian realism which includes films like The Boys and Idiot Box.

This reminded me a lot of The Boys in building tension slowly and I think the rhythm of the film was spot on. It was also similar in the sense that it suggested that poverty and a lack of opportunity lead to violence (not necessarily for Bunting but probably for the other characters). But I think this just reinforces prejudices about poverty that middle class people have.

I think that Jamie was a very good choice as a main character because he clearly had the most complex relationship with Bunting and what he was doing. As the audience we were also invited to have that relationship then

I was pretty surprised that the film only had an MA rating rather than R, particularly given the nature of the violence portrayed.

Confusing plot, but a well-made film with many strong points

[shaye22 · 7/10 · 5 January 2014]

For casual viewers who don't know anything about the real case (look it up - very interesting/disturbing), this film is VERY hard to follow. The plot is quite disjointed and it would have benefited from probably a shorter duration and a more coherent flow for those who did not know much about the case. I found myself becoming disinterested in some of the long, drawn out scenes where I did not really understand what was happening. In retrospect, after researching the case, I will probably give the film a re-watch.

Other than that the film was solidly acted and had some very impressive, raw cinematography - the film was full of very simple, banal elements like power lines, water towers, naked trees, isolated landscapes and low ceilings of clouds… and while the film is set amongst this industrial ugliness and poverty/malaise of the outer suburbs, there is a lyrical, dreamlike beauty about the way this harsh world is presented, often in saturated, dark low light reminiscent of David Lynch, the early Cohen Brothers work and the similarly themed "Boys Don't Cry" (1999), which would be worth checking out if you enjoyed this one.

7/10

Intense & angering

[smartypantsz · 7/10 · 15 February 2021]

Bleak austere drab desolate dreary depressing miserable unwelcoming gloomy disconsolate dejected sad wretched vile abhorrent repulsive disgusting revolting glum intense sickening.

Altogether, if you're ready to view grim lives and a sickening true story, it's pretty good.

An intense look at Australia's most infamous murders.

[dar_k_ling · 10/10 · 26 February 2011]

The first film to cover the horrific 'bodies in the barrels' murders, SNOWTOWN has been eagerly awaited by many fascinated Australian's; all assuming the movie would glorify the events which took place in South Australia.

Snowtown premiered, fittingly, at the Adelaide Bigpond Film Festival in Australia to much applause and approval from the audience. Several documentaries on the murders, majority of which took place in the northern suburbs of Adelaide, were very over the top. There was a lot of worry about the movie being just as graphic and violent.

Raw, confronting, and chilling in content, the movie did not cover all the murders. Many know that John Bunting and Robert Wagner would have the victims record messages for family before being killed, which was referred to as 'voices from the dead'. Instead of portraying most of the murders, the movie would just echo the recordings of the victims.

Another surprise of the movie, was the lead character being Jamie Vlassakis; who would eventually accomplice Bunting and Wagner in the murders. Even myself would have thought the movie would focus more on John Bunting.

The movie began showing the raw and impoverished lifestyle Jamie shared with his younger brothers and sick mother Elizabeth Harvey in the Adelaide northern suburbs. When a neighbour 'looks after' Elizabeth's sons, along comes John to watch over the family and begin his relationship with Elizabeth.

Jamie and John connect immediately, with Jamie taking a liking to John and the relationship he has with the family.

Unbeknownst to Jamie, John and his friends are on a killing spree, targeting homosexuals and pedophiles.

Until John shows Jamie the body of his friend Gavin, Jamie becomes reluctantly involved; taking part in the murder of Jamie's half-brother Troy, who earlier in the movie raped Jamie.

One of the only flaws this movie had were the two murder scenes portrayed. Most of the violence was off-screen, but saying this, the movie was made tastefully and is respectful to the victims families and friends, not going into too much details on the murders.

Justin Kurzel did a terrific job directing the well casted unknown actors, and was able to create a very raw, unsettling and draining atmosphere without focusing too much on the murders, but focusing more on the relationship between Jamie and John.

The real highlight of the movie was Daniel Henshall's portrayal of John Bunting. Henshall was able to bring much dark and light to the character, which made his performance as Bunting very believable and the film much more powerful.

Snowtown is definitely worth a watch, but if going to watch with little knowledge of the background of the murders, I would recommend reading up on what happened otherwise the movie may be hard to follow.

Flat and dragging plot, saved by impressive acting performances

[noutpeper-50048 · 6/10 · 4 June 2020]

Snowtown overall feels flat and tends to drag along. This is mainly because the main character is passive and doesnt display any emotion besides sadness and an occasional smile. As his life makes a turn for the worse, he just undergoes everything. After 60 minutes filled with many dramatic close ups, showing the (mostly silent) suffering of the boy, it gets old. Theres nothing more to see behind his (well acted) grimaces of pain and suffering. I lost interest when i realized he wasnt going anywhere, or wasnt going to be anything besides a victim.

However, some magnificent acting performances give the movie an overall authentic feel. Here lies its strenght. I was so impressed with the subtle, but absolutely terrifying aura of Daniel henshalls character (John), that it made me asks myself which recent performances made such a strong inpression on me. The answer; not many. This is especially impressive given the fact that this character seemed pretty flat as well.

The acting and overall convincing tone of the movie kept me watching for the full two hours. But just barely.

Suspenseful, authentic and confronting.

[rad81 · 8/10 · 25 May 2011]

Brilliant in it's authenticity and simplicity. The attention to detail, costume and set design deserve recognition and credit. As the viewer you actually feel like your in the 90s, from the Nike Air sneakers to the Sega Master System etc. There is no clear distinction between characters at the beginning of the film, who are complex to say the least.This may leave some audience members confused, but also add to the intended emotions of the film. The actual murders were committed amongst the seemingly mundane and relatively normal lower class suburbs of Adelaide. The director Justin Kurzel, does a fine job at recreating that image. I loved this film because I am some what a crime buff and have a profound interest in Australian criminal history. This movie captures the very essence that is Snowtown. Crime buffs especially will enjoy this movie. The director doesn't necessarily rely on graphic imagery to the extent some people may think. More the psychological game of fear and suspense is applied through out the feature with impeccable brilliance. My heart was racing for a majority of the time, even the quieter moments don't allow you time to relax as the suspense builds. Snowtown is definitely not for the faint hearted or squeamish, but it is for those who can appreciate gritty Aussie crime flicks.

Brutal

[jaynzsarah-561-359737 · 7/10 · 26 September 2022]

Still makes me shudder when I think of it. One of the most intensely distressing movies I have ever seen. Seriously raw stuff. Chilling in its depiction of the Snowtown murders. Recommended viewing, but not for the squeamish.

The acting is so credible that I feel like I am really in the home of these working class Australians that I have known in my childhood in the 1990s. This is a dark, dark film, but so it should be. It sticks in my mind when I think of the deepest, most nihilistic chasms of this world, and whatever we do in life, that place is always there. The crimes begin with a grain of righteous intent and spiral down into that deepest sea trench. Recommended if you can face it.

Poor Skippy!

[BA_Harrison · 5/10 · 25 September 2017]

Snowtown, based on a true story, takes place just North of Adelaide, Australia, where a vulnerable young man, Jamie (Lucas Pittaway), falls in with a psychopath, John (Daniel Henshall), who has an intense hatred for paedophiles, gays, the obese, and drug users. Beginning with the harassment of a perverted neighbour (by chucking kangaroo parts onto his doorstep), John, Jamie, and a couple of other cohorts escalate their attacks, turning to murder.

Unrelentingly grim from start to finish, Snowtown certainly isn't easy viewing, its authentic white trash characters and realistic 'wrong side of the tracks' setting adding to the downbeat atmosphere. Rather surprisingly, the film isn't all that gory (graphic kangaroo dismemberment aside), with even the most brutal death scene, that of Jamie's older brother Troy (Anthony Groves), being relatively bloodless. Perhaps the hardest moment to stomach is Troy sodomising his helpless younger brother: now THAT was nasty.

Director Justin Kurzel's style takes a little getting used to (the first few scenes are fairly confusing) and there are one or two scenes that I'm still not entirely sure what purpose they serve, but overall Kurzel does a passable job for his full length debut. It's no Henry Portrait of a Serial Killer, but Snowtown is worth watching at least once for those who are fascinated by the darker side of the psyche.

Snowtown Murders

[HumanoidOfFlesh · 8/10 · 1 November 2011]

The Snowtown Murders also known as the Bodies in Barrels murders were the murders of 11(the twelfth charge of Suzanne Allen was dropped due to lack of evidence)people in South Australia, Australia between August 1992 and May 1999.The crimes were uncovered when the remains of eight victims were found in barrels of acid located in a rented former bank building in Snowtown, South Australia on 20 May 1999.The leader of the perpetrators was John Justin Bunting.He hated paedophiles,gays,drug users and obese people.The victims were horribly tortured before death using everyday tools such as pincers,pliers and clamps.The final victim of Bunting and his murderous crew was cannibalized."Snowtown" is an unsettling crime drama based on The Snowtown Murders.The acting is great,the atmosphere of decaying landscape is bleak and there are some brutal scenes of torture,murder and animal dismemberment.8 murders out of 10.

Shock value!

[SoumikBanerjee1996 · 6/10 · 20 November 2023]

Features like these tend to bank on shock value, and I must say, whenever it reaches for the darker stuff, the narrative showcases its true value.

You get uncomfortable because of what you see on screen; it makes your stomach churn, it makes you feel disgusted and angry and sad. Suffice it to say the writing does a commendable job in that regard.

However, the rest of the screenplay is an incoherent mess plagued with inconsistencies and abrupt tonal shifts. Therefore, it fails to complement the impact of all the disturbing imagery and sickening auditory exposition.

That said, it's still a hard-hitting film if you take it at face value.

P. S. Faint hearts, please keep your distance!

Extremely disturbing

[ruth-robins1 · 2/10 · 17 May 2012]

I watched this film after hearing good recommendations for it, and I have struggled to give it a score of 2 to be honest. The only reason I have is because the acting was good and it's quite well made.

I have quite a strong threshold for violent and unsettling films, as I think many are very powerful. (I'm not referring to all the 'torture porn' ones) This on the other hand, was just on a whole new level for me personally. I still have some scenes playing on my mind, and I guess some would say at least that shows the film is 'powerful' but I didn't view Snowtown in this way at all. I think they could have still kept it gritty without the inclusion of some of the content, which seemed to be very drawn out in places. For me personally I actually felt physically sick at a few points. (Not because it was too 'gory', just the whole tone and content of the film) it was just so hard to endure, and even though you can't expect an easy watch due to the subject matter as it is, I just think this is the most vile film I can remember seeing for a very long time. I don't think I have ever felt like that to this extent before, and I have seen many unsettling films.

Certainly not a film I would be able to recommend to anyone, but there have been many positive reviews on Snowtown. I can understand people see things differently, that's why it's good to have a place where you can review films and someone will be able to make their own judgement, but I personally was so disturbed by Snowtown, and wish I had never seen it. I actually regret not turning it off, but I always like to try and see films to the end so I can base my opinion on the whole thing.