Lucky Miles (2007)

Three mismatched blokes are stranded in the Australian desert.

Director:

Michael James Rowland

Writers:

Helen Barnes, Michael James Rowland

Stars:

Kenneth Moraleda, Rodney Afif, Sri Sacdpraseuth

8 wins & 16 nominations.

Cast

Credited cast:
Kenneth Moraleda	...	Arun
Rodney Afif	...	Youssif Al-Samer
Sri Sacdpraseuth	...	Ramelan (as Srisacd Sacdpraseuth)
Don Hany	...	Private Greg Plank
Glen Shea	...	Sergeant O'Shane
Sawung Jabo	...	Muluk
Arif Hidayat	...	Abdu
Deborah Mailman	...	Lisa (voice)
Majid Shokor	...	Saleh
Osamah Sami	...	Fiark
Edwin Hodgeman	...	Coote
Gillian Jones	...	Chris
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Majed Abbas	...	Hussam
Asaad Abdulrazak	...	Abbas
Don Barker	...	Pub Regular #1

Storyline

An Indonesian fishing boat abandons a group of Iraqi and Cambodian men on a remote part of the Western Australian coast. Told there is a bus over the dunes, the men are abandoned to a desert the size of Poland. While most are quickly rounded up, three men with little in common but their history of misfortune elude capture and begin an epic but confused journey drawn on by their hopes amplified by the empty desert. Pursued by an army reservist unit more concerned with playing ball sports and music, our three protagonists wander deeper into trouble, searching desperately among the harsh beauty of the Pilbara for evidence of a western, liberal democracy. Or the promised bus.

---

Plot Keywords:

desert | remote | journey | iraqi | indonesian | 

---

Taglines:

They started as strangers, by journey's end they'd nearly killed each other

---

Genres:

Adventure | Comedy | Drama

---

Certificate:

Not Rated

Did You Know?

Trivia

The picture which went into production during early 2006.

---

Quotes

Private Tom Collins: Best option would've been not to drive it into the water in the fucking first place!

---

Connections

Featured in The Background to 'Lucky Miles' (2007)

User Reviews

Unique, poignant and political

This film is without comparison. It stands outside genres because it is without formula. It demands that each viewer approaches it with our own native intelligence turned on to Go mode - as if we too are in the desert without a compass. We are compelled to sense out the tone, intention and stand point of the film with few clues other than a kind of "existential compassion". Curiously, and perhaps with a lazy dingo's ear to what the rest of the audience is doing, we find our ways with it effortlessly and quickly. We learn that the story speaks for itself through the uncompromising performances of the cast, the landscape and the narrative ("whose" performance we are reminded of in the visual use of sub titles). Added to this is a heart wrenching quality of ephemeral beauty - the quality of light, the sound track which is at times indistinguishable from the landscape, the loving clip on the ear, the joy of fresh water. It is about human rights to exist - but as measured across disinterested (is it?) geography rather than indignant legislation. That is, the measure of existence is three water bottles plus whatever happens to arrive to save the day, popping as it were, out of nowhere, and with no promises. We learn the power of endurance, cooperation, betrayal, foolishness and the synergy of happen chance. Tiny human attributes in a vast meaningless cosmology. This film has the hallmark of great artistic work: an original expression of a love of life and humanity.

Details

Official Sites:

Adelaide Film Festival Investment Fund [Australia]

Country:

Australia

Language:

English Khmer Gumatj French Arabic Indonesian

Release Date:

19 July 2007 (Australia)

Also Known As:

Célegyenes

Filming Locations:

Coffin Bay, South Australia, Australia

Box Office

Budget:

AUD3,100,000 (estimated)

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$572,171

Company Credits

Production Co:

Puncture Pty. Ltd., Blink Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

105 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1