Gillian Jones Movies

A family struggling with the loss of a loved one may have found him in a rather unusual place in this drama from writer and director Julie Bertuccelli. Dawn (Charlotte Gainsbourg) is a stay-at-home mother to her four children -- Tim (Christian Byers), Lou (Tom Russell), Simone (Morgana Davies), and Charlie (Gabriel Gotting) -- and a loving wife to her husband, Peter (Aden Young). Peter is out of town on business when he suffers a fatal heart attack; Dawn is emotionally shattered by the news, and isn't sure at first how to get by on her own. The children are supportive to their mom, Tim gets a part-time job to help bring in some extra cash, and Dawn begins working at a plumbing supply store run by kind-hearted George (Marton Csokas), but while they're all trying to move on, they still wish they could have Peter back in their lives. Simone, who is eight, has taken to climbing the big tree in front of the family's house, and she soon explains why to Dawn -- she says she can hear the voice of her father rustling through the leaves. Before long, Simone builds a tree house and spends most of her time listening to her father's phantom voice, and while Dawn understands how she feels, she's not sure how to get her daughter to let go of her father's ghost, especially when Simone reacts poorly to the news that Dawn and George are dating. The Tree was adapted from the novel Our Father Who Art in the Tree by Judy Pascoe. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

This intellectual, witty Australian drama offers an intriguingly sophisticated look into adultery. Too say too much about this plot would give away the secrets and surprises that gradually unfold, so what follows is the barest sketch. The story features two couples from Melbourne (both played by the same actors) whose lives and romantic troubles seem to overlap or perhaps intertwine in unexpected ways. University lecturer Christopher and his wife Sorrel comprise the main couple. A recent trip to Europe seems to have brought their marriage close to ruins. Avery and Gillian also experience marital turmoil when Avery gets involved with an older French seductress, Catherine. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

Mick (Noah Taylor) is just 16, but he would rather hang out with Sally (Gillian Jones), who is 43, rather than his friends. Sally originally hired him to cut her grass. Now they are lovers. Mick gets really dejected when she replaces him with a more age-appropriate lover. When he discovers that the older man has been beating her up, he challenges him, with fatal consequences. ~ Clarke Fountain, Rovi

Maria McEvoy (Wendy Hughes) deals with the death of her beloved father and discovers her attorney husband George (Steven Jacobs) is a philandering louse in this romantic drama. At the suggestion of a friend, Maria takes a vacation in Thailand, where she falls for Raka (John Lone), an exiled dancer from Bali. She also wonders about the sexual ambiguity of fellow Australian Terry (Rod Mullinar), the expatriate who runs the vacation resort. The film gives Hughes ample opportunity to show the full range of human emotions in her role of the grieving daughter and wronged wife. ~ Dan Pavlides, Rovi

This production of the Bard of Avalon's famous stage comedy is based on a successful Australian stage production from the mid-1980s. It is a story of love, shipwreck, disguises and mistaken identities, and relies for much of its wit (and believability) on the willing suspension of disbelief. This is, by all accounts, much more easily achieved in the live theater than on film, which is such an intensely visual and "realistic" medium. Thus, the mistaken identify of the twins Viola and Sebastian, the crux of the plot, becomes somewhat difficult to credit when the role is played by the impeccably feminine Gillian Jones -- despite which, Ms. Jones won great praise from the critics for her acting. Aside from that small complaint, this is a spirited and lively production which is set in a present-day never-never land, performed by some of the keenest thespians on any side of the globe. ~ Clarke Fountain, Rovi

Based on John Embling's book Tom, the Australian Fighting Back is set in a hellhole of a slum school. Most of the teachers have given up on the "unreachable" students. Not so idealistic John (Lewis Fitz-Gerald), who channels all his energies into elevating the intelligence and self-confidence of unruly 13-year-old Tom (Paul Smith). The latter actor is so good that it's hard to believe that Fighting Back was his first film. This sincerely-intentioned drama should not be confused with the like-vintage American actioner Fighting Back (aka Death Vengeance). ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi