A Lion Returns (2020)

After spending 18 months in Syria, Jamal is back in Sydney and wants to see his terminally ill mother, however he has to deal with his strong minded older brother Omar, his wife Heidi and son, but most importantly his unforgiving father.

Director:

Serhat Caradee

Writer:

Serhat Caradee

Stars:

Maha Wilson, Serhat Caradee, Jacqui Purvis

1 nomination.

Cast

Credited cast:
Maha Wilson	...	Maya Alamein
Serhat Caradee	...	Ahmed
Jacqui Purvis	...	Heidi Alamein
Jayne-Louise O'Connell	...	Police Officer 2
Tyler De Nawi	...	Jamal Alamein
Taffy Hany	...	Yusef Alamein
Danny Elacci	...	Omar Alamein
Frances Duca	...	Auntie Fadia
Helen Chebatte	...	Manal Alamein
Buddy Dannoun	...	Yahya Hazeem
Natalie Tesoriero	...	Featured extra
Oliver Trajkovski	...	Mahmood
Maddox Elachi	...	Khalil Alamein
Mohammad Mick Farroukh	...	Hesham
Eddie Idik	...	Police Officer 1

Storyline

Jamal has just returned to Australia after spending 18 months in Syria. No-one knows what he did or who he was with. He's back in the country and wants to see his terminally ill mother, however has to deal with his strong minded older brother Omar, his wife Heidi and their young son, but most importantly his unforgiving father. But why has Jamal really come back? Is he a militant with a cause or an easily led pawn in a bigger global picture? A story about redemption, forgiveness and the consequences of your actions on loved ones.

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Plot Keywords:

brother | terrorism | family relationships | redemption | 

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Taglines:

Some Action Are Never Forgivable

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Genres:

Drama

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Did You Know?

Trivia

Serhat Caradee shot the 90 page script in 10 days with a small crew, cast and lots of extras.

User Reviews

A monumental discourse on crafting agonizing tension with intelligent dialogue and inspired acting.

A lion returns is one of the best Australian films in recent memory. Serhat Caradee's follow up to cedar boys provides a monumental discourse on crafting agonizing tension with intelligent dialogue and inspired acting.

What would appear to be a non universal storyline of a middle eastern Muslim family and the radicalization of a returned family member, is made to be incredibly relatable with an emphasis on family and the ties that bond, with such is the masterstoke of Caradee's script, direction & the outstanding performances by each actor. Caradee's work conveys notes of Coen brothers, Tarantino & Fincher. The angst & tension builds and builds to an uneasy but necessary climax.

The success of the movie relies heavily on the acting of brothers Jamal (Tyler De Nawi) and Omar (Danny Elacci). Their execution & onscreen chemistry provides almost a documentary feel, painfully real and authentic; the actors appear as though they had lived their experiences, which is testament to how incredible their performances are.

Tyler's eyes show a pain and torture that is remarkably believable. Eyes are the window of the soul. Michael Caine once said that if an actor feels the emotion internally then it will show in the eyes, otherwise your eyes will betray you.

Danny Elacci's performance is mesmerizing. The subtlety, emotion & authenticity coupled with the incredible on screen physicality of a man carrying the entire weight of his family, one can only imagine he was drawing this from personal experience. On screen non verbal physicality is a trait highly under-utilized and straight out of the pages of Brando & Caine. It's intelligent acting and Danny shows he's a well versed and seasoned professional.

The acting by all cast members are well and truly the best of 2020. The script and direction is bold, innovative and incomparable to any Australian film in the past decade. Caradee and crew deserve alll the accolades coming their way.

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook Official website

Country:

Australia

Language:

English Arabic

Release Date:

22 April 2020 (Australia)

Also Known As:

A Lion Returns

Filming Locations:

Sydney, New South Wales, Australia

Box Office

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$9,670

Company Credits

Production Co:

Bonafide Pictures, Head Gear Films, Kreo Films FZ

Technical Specs

Runtime:

91 min

Color:

Color