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:

bare breasts | scene of the crime | lying on a bed | man wears eyeglasses | serial murder | 

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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

Details

Official Sites:

Sony Classics [United States]

Country:

Australia

Language:

English Irish Aboriginal

Release Date:

20 July 2006 (Australia)

Also Known As:

Duchy Jindabyne

Filming Locations:

Jindabyne, New South Wales, Australia

Box Office

Budget:

AUD 15,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

$656,650 (Australia), 21 July 2006, Limited Release

Opening Weekend USA:

$28,298, 29 April 2007, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$399,879, 2 September 2007

Company Credits

Production Co:

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

Technical Specs

Runtime:

123 min 118 min (DVD censored)

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Gabriel Byrne accidentally stepped on a Brown Snake, one of the world's deadliest, while walking through the bush one day on the set. If he'd stepped on the other end he'd have been bitten. Gabriel Byrne told the director Ray Lawrence that he was almost killed, to which Lawrence replied: "No worries mate. You would have had 24 hours..."

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Goofs

Just before the fishing trip, Stewart dyes his graying hair black. At the river, the gray reappears, but his hair inexplicably turns jet-black again upon his return.

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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

Version of Short Cuts (1993)

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Soundtracks

Nukkanya
Written by Paul Kelly
Performed by Paul Kelly and The Stormwater Boys

User Reviews

Complex interaction of different personalities when morality is questioned

This film is about a group of 4 men who discovers a dead body during a fishing trip. They continue fishing instead of reporting it to the police. This sparks outrage in the village, and the 4 men have to deal with the aftermath.

The character development is excellent. Each character is unique and different. Laura Linney deals with the tragedy by doing good deeds to redeem herself, while Gabriel Byrne deals with it by denial. The little girl, with an unfortunately unusual name, is provocatively antisocial. Billy is the histrionic one. Each character is different from another, and the interaction of them in the film is portrayed beautifully and convincingly in the film.

Laura Linney does the best job in the film. She is so convincing in her genuine attempt to redeem her husband's wrongdoings. The frustration that results from her husband's denial is painfully portrayed. The scene where she throws the vase at the ground is also a memorable display of emotion.

A comment says the film is dull. I am afraid I do not agree. This film is about the portrayal of different personalities when morality is in danger. The characters are so intriguing and complex, that just this alone makes viewing worthwhile.