Jindabyne (2006)

After four men on a fishing trip discover a dead body in the water, they choose to delay reporting it and continue fishing.

Director:

Ray Lawrence

Writers:

Beatrix Christian, Raymond Carver (short story "So Much Water So Close to Home")

Stars:

Laura Linney, Gabriel Byrne, John Howard

11 wins & 21 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Chris Haywood	...	Gregory
Tatea Reilly	...	Susan
Laura Linney	...	Claire
Sean Rees-Wemyss	...	Tom
Gabriel Byrne	...	Stewart Kane
Deborra-Lee Furness	...	Jude
John Howard	...	Carl
Eva Lazzaro	...	Caylin-Calandria
Maya Daniels	...	Caylin-Calandria's Mother
Bob Baines	...	Doctor #1
Max Cullen	...	Terry
Stelios Yiakmis	...	Rocco
Simon Stone	...	Billy 'The Kid'
Victoria Allen	...	Girl at Garage
Leah Purcell	...	Carmel

Storyline

Jindabyne, in the southeast section of New South Wales, was moved to its current site from its original site upon the building of a hydroelectric dam, the resulting reservoir, Lake Jindabyne, which now sits atop the original townsite. Among its residents are a group of friends who socialize together: married Stewart and Claire, a service station owner/former race car driver and a pharmacist respectively, and their adolescent son Tommy; married Carl and Jude, who have been guardians to their adolescent granddaughter Caylin-Calandria, Tommy's friend and disruptive classmate, ever since her mother's passing; Rocco and his new aborigine girlfriend, Carmel, a teacher at Tommy and Caylin-Calandria's school; and young parents Billy and Elissa, Billy who works casually as a mechanic for Stewart. Despite Stewart and Claire loving each other, there has long been disharmony in their household. Claire left for eighteen months following Tommy's birth due to post-partum depression. Then, Stewart's ...

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Plot Keywords:

fishing trip | aborigine | murder | dead body | dead body in water | 

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Taglines:

In Australia, the town of Jindabyne is about to face a moment of truth.

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | Mystery | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for disturbing images, language and some nudity

Did You Know?

Trivia

The 'P' plate that is taken by the murderer from the young girl's concealed vehicle, is one of Australia's provisional licence placards. A person who has just got their licence is on P plates for 3 years and have certain restrictions.

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Goofs

At 1.21 in Claire uses her protected right hand to open the oven door but uses her uncovered left hand to remove the contents.

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Quotes

Top Cop: We don't step over bodies in order to enjoy our leisure activities. You're a pack of bloody idiots. I'm ashamed of you. The whole town's ashamed of you.

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Connections

Featured in Getaway: Episode #15.30 (2006)

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Soundtracks

She is off to the Races
Composed by Paul Kelly
Written by Paul Kelly

User Reviews

Promising story but ultimately unsatisfying

There are similarities between Ray Lawrence's "Jindabyne" and his last movie "Lantana" – a dead body and its repercussions for already dysfunctional lives. But whereas "Lantana" offered some hope and resolution, "Jindabyne" leaves everything unresolved in a bleak way that will leave most viewers unsatisfied, perhaps even cheated.

The storyline - the aftermath of a fisherman's discovery of a corpse floating in a remote river - is based on a short story by Raymond Carver. It became an element in Robert Altman's classic 1993 ensemble "Short Cuts". Lawrence uses this theme for an exploration and exposition of relationships within a small Australian community under stress. The movie poses some moral questions "Would you let the discovery of a dead body ruin your good weekend?" and more poignantly for Australians "Would it make any difference if the dead person was an aboriginal?" The acting, especially by Gabriel Byrne and Laura Linney, is commendable. And there are elements of mysticism reinforced by haunting music, not unlike "Picnic at Hanging Rock".

If all this sounds like the basis for a great movie - be prepared for a let down, the pace is very slow and the murder is shown near the beginning, thereby eliminating the element of mystery. And so we are left with these desolate lives and a blank finale.

Details

Official Sites:

Sony Classics [United States]

Country:

Australia

Language:

English Irish Aboriginal

Release Date:

20 July 2006 (Australia)

Also Known As:

Jindabyne

Filming Locations:

Jindabyne, New South Wales, Australia

Box Office

Budget:

AUD15,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$28,298, 29 April 2007

Gross USA:

$400,438

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$6,044,112

Company Credits

Production Co:

April Films, Australian Film Finance Corporation (AFFC), Red Chair Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

123 min 123 min 118 min (DVD censored)

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1