Andrew S. Gilbert Movies

Preoccupation with disasters and a growing sense of mortality threaten to derail the growing relationship between the witness of a train accident and the reporter sent to interview her in this daring drama from emerging Australian filmmaker Sarah Watt. As the weekend draws near, three troubled souls find themselves faced with pivotal, potentially life-changing events. Though the death of her father still looms heavily in her mind, Meryl (Justine Clark) is forced to cut short her bereavement in order to focus on a work-related deadline. While reporter Nick (William McInnes) awaits the prognosis after being informed that he has testicular cancer, his photographer Andy (Anthony Hayes) is preoccupied with his girlfriend's unplanned pregnancy. When a train crashes and Meryl is the sole witness to the horrifying event, Nick and Andy are sent to interview her, sparking an unusual affair between the grieving witness and the troubled reporter. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

After directing a number of major motion pictures in the United States, Australian-born filmmaker Phillip Noyce returned home to make this remarkable adventure-drama, based on a true story as well as a lamentable period in his nation's history. When European settlers first arrived in Australia, there was an almost immediate conflict between the recent arrivals and the nation's indigenous people, whose rich cultural heritage which bore little resemblance to that of the Europeans. By the mid-19th century, when white settlers had gained political control of the continent, many aborigines found themselves removed from their lands and their children taken from them, under the belief that the youngsters would be better off in a more "civilized" environment. Through most of the 20th century, it was official government policy that half- or quarter-caste indigenous children were to be taken from their families and raised as "white" children in orphanages, where they would be trained to work as domestic servants or laborers. In 1931, Molly (Everlyn Sampi) and her younger sister Daisy (Tianna Sansbury) and cousin Gracie (Laura Monaghan) were three half-caste children from Western Australia who were taken from their parents under government edict and sent to an institution, where they were subject to physical and emotional abuse as they were taught to forget their families, their culture, and their lives up to that point and re-invent themselves as members of "white" Australian society. Gracie and Daisy cling to Molly for support, and Molly decides they need to return to their parents. Molly plans a daring escape, and the three girls begin an epic journey back to Western Australia, travelling 1,500 miles on foot with no food or water, and navigating by following the fence that has been build across the nation to stem an over-population of rabbits. A.O. Neville (Kenneth Branagh), the government functionary in charge of relocating Western Australia's aborigines, takes a special interest in the case of the three girls, and brings in a veteran tracker, Moodoo (David Gulpilil) to help find them, secure in the belief he's acting in their best interest. Rabbit-Proof Fence was based on the acclaimed book by Doris Pilkington Garimara, whose Aunt Daisy was one of the three children who made the extraordinary journey and helped her with the research for the book. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

A prodigal son returns home to a decidedly unenthusiastic reception in this dryly witty comedy-drama. Eddie (Ben Mendelsohn) grew up in Coollawarra, a small fishing community along Australia's southern coast. In his teens, Eddie gained the nickname "mullet" -- referring not to the neck-warmer hair style, but to a small fish that's plentiful in local waters but no one cares to eat. One day, Eddie packed up and left Coollawarra without warning, spending three years in nearby Sydney, but just as abruptly, he returns to his hometown and sets up housekeeping in an aging mobile home. Eddie soon discovers that things have changed a bit while he was away; the local fishing spots are no longer producing much catch, his parents (Tony Barry and Kris McQuade) are arguing even more than usual, his sister Robbie (Peta Brady) isn't so sure how she feels about having Eddie back in town, and his brother Pete (Andrew S. Gilbert) has gotten married -- to Eddie's old girlfriend, Tully (Susie Porter). Mullet also features Belinda McClory as Kay, the local barmaid who narrates the story. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

Australian director Bill Bennett sets this exploration of sexual politics and cultural differences against the stunning vistas of the Trobriand Islands. In it, two anthropologists travel to a remote island in the South Pacific to study its culture in the 1930s. Evelyn (Maya Stange) is an adventurous free thinker, while her husband Phillip (Martin Donovan) is a rigid scholar bound to convention and propriety. Tension develops between the couple when Phillip fails to acknowledge what Evelyn sees as obvious: that women run this lusty culture. Tensions are upped another notch when Evelyn falls for Mick (Rufus Sewell), a macho American pearl merchant. As Evelyn's life begins to crash in around her, the Japanese army invades her island paradise and tragedy strikes her priggish husband. In a Savage Land was screened at the 1999 Vancouver Film Festival. ~ Jonathan Crow, All Movie Guide

Set amidst the eerie desolation of the Australian outback, Kiss or Kill is a superior reworking of vintage film noir materials from the veteran director Bill Bennett. Its lovers-on-the-run story focuses on Nicole (Frances O'Connor) and Al (Matt Day), a pair of petty thieves running a scam targeting married businessmen; when one of their victims accidentally dies, they flee his hotel room, absconding with his briefcase. The case contains a videotape of Zipper Doyle (Barry Langrishe), a national soccer hero, molesting a young boy; Nicole and Al soon take off for Perth, intending to blackmail Doyle -- never suspecting that he, as well as the police, are already in hot pursuit. As the two make their way across the country, they leave a trail of dead bodies in their wake; both Nicole and Al begin to suspect that the other is a murderer, and as their journey continues, their paranoia only grows. A similar feeling of mistrust and dread informs virtually every interpersonal relationship in the film, effectively gnawing at our own perceptions and expectations; a stylistically aggressive picture, brimming with jump cuts and inventive camera work, its distinctive take on the noir tradition is fresh and exciting. ~ Jason Ankeny, All Movie Guide

One disaster after another is all that the newly married Dave and Tina Dodd reap from their investment in a home to be built in a development outside of Sydney. The builder has almost gone bankrupt, largely due to his hiring incompetent job foremen (especially Kevin Grant) who can't follow a blueprint. The far from wealthy couple gradually twigs to the disatrous progress of their increasingly expensive dream home, and the strain on their marriage becomes acute as they discuss their options with their lawyers. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide