Great Australian crime-drama. Set in Australia, Animal Kingdom follows the story of "J", a young man who is taken in by his Granny after the sudden death of his junkie Mother. While in the company of his Grandmother and Uncles "J" finds out that they are involved in some of the worst crimes that have been taking place in Melbourne, in the eighties. What now stays in front of him is to try and find his way out of their clan or become one of them. The film delivers a great deal of realistic energy and feel of realism. This realism is achieved through the unfolding story whose logic is unrelentingly factual, and the extraordinary acting of a number of the players, including Jacki Weaver, James Frecheville, Ben Mendelsohn and Guy Pearce. Although violent, the film is to be commended for not celebrating crime and violence. The scenes of violence are short, unexpected, energetic, delivered briskly without lingering on unnecessary gore effects and details. The characters and violence are simply what they are, and all the more authentic for it. Great first feature debut by David Michod as a director. Highly recommended.
Reviews
3 Reviews
Lantana
(2001)
Treat For The Heart and Mind
2 February 2016
This is a great Aussie film! A very strong, emotionally demanding story of love and trust and longing, set in what seems to be a suburb out of Sydney. Supposedly a suspense thriller, Lantana is in fact a psychological drama about several middle-aged couples whose paths cross, and who are experiencing various degrees of marital and family problems. These interrelated stories form a credible plot that skillfully examines the emotional havoc and pitfalls experienced by many people who are in their forties-fifties, and which at the same time provides an entertaining mystery. The acting is superb, particularly Anthony LaPaglia who portrays a policeman, a complex man who is having an affair amidst his mid-life crisis. All of the characters are believable and fully fleshed out. The screenplay is beautifully written; the direction and the cinematography are superb. More than happy to give it 8 stars and recommend it.
Missing in the Land of Gods
(2012)
On the Path to Acceptance
2 February 2016
Warning: Spoilers
What chances do two Western parents have of finding their twenty-something year old son six years after he has gone missing without trace in India? For Di and Jock, the middle-aged couple from a small town in South Australia, this is the journey of their lives. Armed with Ryan's missing posters, unverified information about the alleged sightings, and guided by a cryptic message he left in his diary that reads: "If I'm gone don't worry, I'm gone out to free minds, but first I have to free my own", they return to the country of one billion people for their last search. We watch them travel from one place to another, hunting for their youngest son in the land where religion is deeply rooted in consciousness of the people, where thousands of westerners flock to meditate, look for spirituality, or just buy drugs available at every corner. So what do Jock and Di find that has happened to Ryan? Has he become a Baba and chose a solitary life in the wilderness of the Himalayas? Has he found "the mind" he was looking for? Or has he become so consumed by his quest for godliness that it killed him? The film gives us a few possible scenarios, some of them quite likely, some of them scary, but it never establishes what actually happened to him. His fate remains a mystery. This isn't a flaw, as the film is really about his parents whose search for him gradually turns into a journey for their own spiritual change and peace of heart. The focus stays on their unconditional love for him, and their acceptance of him as a person and his troublesome journey, whichever way it may have ended. Brooding, subtle and beautiful are the words for Missing in the Lands of Gods, and I highly recommend it.
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