A Sunburnt Christmas (2020)

On an outback farm ravaged by drought, the lives of a struggling family are upended when a runaway criminal dressed as Santa Claus crashes onto their property.

Director:

Christiaan Van Vuuren

Writers:

Elliot Vella, Gretel Vella

Stars:

Daniel Henshall, Natasha Wanganeen, Chris Duncan

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Daniel Henshall	...	Daryl Dunn
Natasha Wanganeen	...	Nurse
Chris Duncan	...	Corrections Officer #1
Sullivan Stapleton	...	Dingo
Alirio Zavarce	...	Leonard Schostakowski
William Walker	...	Sick Balloon Kid
Brendan Cooney	...	Corrections Officer #2
James Smith	...	Joe
Lizzie Hay	...	Maryanne
Lena Nankivell	...	Daisy Raley
Tatiana Goode	...	Hazel Raley
Matt Vesely	...	Clyde Dandy
Eadan McGuinness	...	Tom Raley
Jonathan Coleman	...	Radio Announcer #3 (voice)
Ling Cooper Tang	...	Fiona Raley

Storyline

On an outback farm that's seen hard times, a single mum and her three kids struggle to keep their life together. With Dad recently passed away and Mum slowly losing the plot, it is 14-year-old Hazel who shoulders the burden, managing the failing farm and keeping her younger siblings from careering completely off the rails. They all suspect there won't be much Christmas joy this year, but when a strange man dressed as Santa Claus crashes a van full of toys onto their property, their world is turned upside down in ways they could never have imagined..

---

Plot Keywords:

overalls | three word title | christmas in title | criminal dresses as santa claus | dressed as santa claus | 

---

Genres:

Comedy

---

Did You Know?

Trivia

Director Cameo Council Wiseman who does all the talking.

---

Goofs

The shotgun shells shown throughout clearly have a firing pin indent in the primer. That is, they have already been fired.

User Reviews

Something different to leave under the Aussie Christmas tree this season...

I loved it. It is a fun, warm and entertaining movie. It is also a bit different than your standard, typical Christmas movie, which is great. At times, I found myself laughing out loud and even shed a tear or two towards the end. The story centers around a family struggling with drought on their outback farm. As Christmas day approaches, things are upended and start to change when a runaway criminal, dressed as Santa Claus, crashes his stolen Ute into their shed. The children end up helping Santa (played by Daniel Henshall, he is great, by the way) find his 'sack' of toys (aka his bag of cash) during which he starts connecting and bonding with the family. The writers and director have done a great job developing the characters in this film. You got to love Daisy (played by Lena Nankivell), the little girl with the shotgun; Tom (played by Eaden McGuinness), the boy in the getup to protect him from the pandemic, climate change, and all other dangers; Hazel (played by Tatiana Goode), the glue that holds the family together; the single mum (played by Ling Cooper Tang) who is dealing with the loss of her husband thru an obsession with (beating) the drought on the farm, and their sheep (you gotta love the sheep). The characters, including Santa, are quirky and fun to watch on screen. I found myself quickly taken in by them and the story more broadly. The dialogue too is fun, and at times, heartfelt. There is also a twist to the story, and we even get a 'Home Alone' scene towards the end. What makes all this work on screen is, of course, the acting. Overall, the acting is outstanding. As noted above, Henshall's performance (who's character is at the heart of the story) was strong. He did a great job threading the line between a criminal looking for his cash and a man getting to know and bonding with the family. Plus, he was fun to watch on screen. The children too had fun and cute performances. What stood out to me on screen was the performance of Tatiana Goode as Hazel. She had a very convincing performance (easy to connect to, I thought). She is a very talented actor. I was also surprised, at the end of the film, when I realized that the mobster Dingo was played by Sullivan Stapleton. Did anyone else not recognize him? I watched every episode of Blindspot. So, I was a bit surprised that I did not know it was him until the end. All in all, this is an excellent Christmas movie. Something different to leave under the Australian Christmas tree this season.

Details

Official Sites:

Official Stan

Country:

Australia

Language:

English

Release Date:

4 March 2021 (USA)

Also Known As:

A Sunburnt Christmas

Filming Locations:

Adelaide, South Australia, Australia

Company Credits

Production Co:

Every Cloud Productions, Highview Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

91 min

Color:

Color