The Snowtown Murders (2011)

Based on true events, 16 year-old Jamie falls in with his mother's new boyfriend and his crowd of self-appointed neighborhood watchmen, a relationship that leads to a spree of torture and murder.

Director:

Justin Kurzel

Writers:

Shaun Grant, Shaun Grant (story)

Stars:

Lucas Pittaway, Daniel Henshall, Louise Harris

23 wins & 22 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Lucas Pittaway	...	Jamie Vlassakis
Bob Adriaens	...	Gavin
Louise Harris	...	Elizabeth Harvey
Frank Cwiertniak	...	Jeffrey
Matthew Howard	...	Nicholas
Marcus Howard	...	Alex
Anthony Groves	...	Troy
Richard Green	...	Barry
Aaron Viergever	...	Robert
Denis Davey	...	Guitar Player
Allan Chapple	...	Prayer Reader
Beau Gosling	...	David
Brendan Rock	...	Marcus
Bryan Sellars	...	Minister
Daniel Henshall	...	John Bunting

Storyline

Sixteen-year-old Jamie lives with his mother, Elizabeth, and two younger brothers, Alex and Nicholas, in a housing trust home in Adelaide's northern suburbs. Their home is but one of many sun-starved houses crammed together to cater for a disenfranchised society. Jamie longs for an escape from the violence and hopelessness that surrounds him and his salvation arrives in the form of John, a charismatic man who unexpectedly comes to his aid. As John spends more and more time with Jamie's family, Elizabeth and her boys begin to experience a stability and sense of family that they have never known. John moves from the role of Jamie's protector to that of a mentor, indoctrinating Jamie into his world, a world brimming with bigotry, righteousness and malice. Like a son mimicking his father, Jamie soon begins to take on some of John's traits and beliefs as he spends more and more time with him and his select group of friends. The protection and guidance that John presents to Jamie is ...

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Plot Keywords:

gang | underwear | male rear nudity | male nudity | male frontal nudity | 

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Taglines:

Australia's most infamous crime story

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Genres:

Biography | Crime | Drama

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Official Sites:

Adelaide Film Festival Investment Fund [Australia] Official Facebook

Country:

Australia

Language:

English

Release Date:

19 May 2011 (Australia)

Also Known As:

The Snowtown Murders

Filming Locations:

Smithfield Plains, South Australia, Australia

Box Office

Budget:

$2,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$1,273, 4 March 2012, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$8,012, 18 March 2012

Company Credits

Production Co:

Carver Films,Screen Australia,The South Australian Film Corporation

Technical Specs

Runtime:

119 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

There was a subplot based on actual events, which revealed Robert and Barry as lovers in the past. It was cut, but it can be found on the DVD deleted scenes.

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Quotes

John Bunting: Do you like bein' fucked? Do you like bein' fucked? So why not do somethin' about it? 'Cause all I ever see you do is sook, mate. No? What didjah do about Jeffrey? Fuckin' nothin'. You see me and Robert mopin' about? Hmm? No you don't because you do that they fuck you forever. You don't want that, do you? When are you gonna grow some balls, mate?

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Connections

Featured in Snowtown Casting (2011)

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Soundtracks

Happy Birthday To You
Traditional
Written by Mildred J. Hill and Patty S. Hill (as Paty Hill)

User Reviews

Disturbing and affecting.

It is quite a well crafted film and the concepts it presents are quite disturbing. It shows the killers to be very cold, calculating and generally indifferent in the way the murders unfold.

I don't think it will be a very accessible film for most cinema goers, as the style and tone are very depressing. It is a very simple plot on the surface but the way it presents the characters is sometimes quite confusing, and i found it quite hard to follow who all the characters were and how they were related. It is appropriately photographed, the production design is correctly sparse and bleak and the soundtrack is very effective.