Sweet Country (2017)

Australian western set on the Northern Territory frontier in the 1920s, where justice itself is put on trial when an aged Aboriginal farmhand shoots a white man in self-defense and goes on the run as a posse gathers to hunt him down.

Director:

Warwick Thornton

Writers:

Steven McGregor, David Tranter

Stars:

Bryan Brown, Luka Magdeline Cole, Shanika Cole

11 wins & 19 nominations.

Cast

Credited cast:
Bryan Brown	...	Sergeant Fletcher
Luka Magdeline Cole	...	Olive
Shanika Cole	...	Lucy
Matt Day	...	Judge Taylor
Tremayne Doolan	...	Philomac
Trevon Doolan	...	Philomac
Anni Finsterer	...	Nell
Natassia Gorey Furber	...	Lizzie
Gibson John	...	Archie
Ewen Leslie	...	Harry March
Lachlan J. Modrzynski	...	Constable Campbell
Hamilton Morris	...	Sam Kelly
Sam Neill	...	Fred Smith
Sotiris Tzelios	...	Picture Show Man
Thomas M. Wright	...	Mick Kennedy

Storyline

Australian western set on the Northern Territory frontier in the 1920s, where justice itself is put on trial when an aged Aboriginal farmhand shoots a white man in self-defense and goes on the run as a posse gathers to hunt him down.

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Plot Keywords:

flash forward | australian aborigine | court | legality | police officer | 

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Taglines:

Justice seen to be done just isn't enough.

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Genres:

Adventure | Crime | Drama | History | Thriller | Western

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for violence, bloody images and for language throughout

Details

Official Sites:

Adelaide Film Festival Investment Fund Bunya Productions

Country:

Australia

Language:

English Aboriginal

Release Date:

6 April 2018 (USA)

Also Known As:

Doce País

Filming Locations:

Lake Gairdner, South Australia, Australia

Box Office

Gross USA:

$95,609, 3 June 2018

Company Credits

Production Co:

Bunya Productions, Sweet Country Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

113 min

Sound Mix:

D-Cinema 48kHz 5.1

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Third major theatrical feature film in eight years to have support, funding, and investment from the South Australian Film Corporation (SAFC) and to feature the word "country" in the movie's title. The previous two pictures were Dark Frontier (2009) and Charlie's Country (2013). For each of the three movies, there is a four year interval between each production, from Dark Frontier (2009), then to Charlie's Country (2013), and then to Sweet Country (2017). Moreover, the unrelated similarly titled short film, Sweet, Sweet Country (2013), debuted in the same 2013 year as Charlie's Country (2013), and further, Sweet Country (2017) director Warwick Thornton's first dramatic feature film, Samson and Delilah (2009), premiered in the same 2009 year as Dark Frontier (2009).

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Quotes

Fred Smith: We're all equal here. We're all equal in the eyes of the Lord.

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Connections

Referenced in Sweet Country: Behind the Scenes (2018)

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Soundtracks

(There ll Be) Peace In The Valley (For Me)
Written by Thomas A. Dorsey (as T Dorsey)
(© Hill and Range Soundwind Music
Licensed courtesy of BMG AM Pty Ltd)
Performed by Johnny Cash
Courtesy of Columbia Nashville
By arrangement with Sony Music Entertainment Australia Pty Ltd

User Reviews

A great movie about the Australian sins of the past

I've read here two reviews by Australians, one hated the film, the other loved it. I've seen the film in the company of two other Australians, they both loved it. Yes, I agree to the point made, by the hating reviewer: the movie does judge the past according to modern morals and sensibilities. But this would be a valid point if we were discussing an academic paper or a movie that was made back then. This is neither it's a movie about Australian past that was made at the present and it feels so true it hurts. It hurts because the only way we can see it is with our modern eyes. Saying people thought differently back then, is true but it's beside the point. We, the viewers are here and now and that's the only time and place we can watch it.

So lets speak about other aspects of the film: cinematography, acting and story telling are superb. But I liked most of all the editing, with these tiny flashes forward and backward throughout the movie, flashes we can fully understand only when we've seen the movie all the way through. Please do, I think you won't regret it.