I saw this film at the Sydney Film Festival, and thought it was a decent film. I was impressed by two things - the cinematography of Robert Humphries and the acting performance by Abby Cornish.
Firstly, Humphries' cinematography is visually breathtaking. His hand-held work is probably the best I've seen from both him (I've seen Mullet, Walking on Water and Delivery Day), and from any cinematographer in Australia for the past year. It's very controlled - yet still moving. The colours of Jindabyne are reflected in deep reds and blues - and is certainly unique to Australian film.
Secondly, Abby Cornish's performance is unrestrained. She is certainly an actress of the future I believe, and I was impressed overall with her work in this film. She has a natural "animalistic" quality on screen which is very seductive to watch.
Overall, this is a decent film. It's probably not as powerful and moving as The Finished People or Lantana, but much better than Japanese Story and the whole swag of Australian comedies. There are several story strands that are too neatly resolved which lets it down, but overall it's worth watching.
Firstly, Humphries' cinematography is visually breathtaking. His hand-held work is probably the best I've seen from both him (I've seen Mullet, Walking on Water and Delivery Day), and from any cinematographer in Australia for the past year. It's very controlled - yet still moving. The colours of Jindabyne are reflected in deep reds and blues - and is certainly unique to Australian film.
Secondly, Abby Cornish's performance is unrestrained. She is certainly an actress of the future I believe, and I was impressed overall with her work in this film. She has a natural "animalistic" quality on screen which is very seductive to watch.
Overall, this is a decent film. It's probably not as powerful and moving as The Finished People or Lantana, but much better than Japanese Story and the whole swag of Australian comedies. There are several story strands that are too neatly resolved which lets it down, but overall it's worth watching.