Liz Watts Movies
The daughter of Nazis arrested by Allied forces ventures across Germany with her four younger siblings in hopes of reaching their grandmother, encountering a young Jewish refugee along the way who may prove to be their only hope of surviving the harrowing ordeal in this World War II drama based on Rachel Seiffert's novel The Dark Room. It's the spring of 1945. Adolf Hitler is dead and Allied forces are advancing through Germany, arresting and imprisoning Nazis as the fractured country's "final victory" slips permanently out of reach. Swept out of her opulent Bavarian home in a whirlwind by her father, an SS officer, and her embittered mother, 14-year-old Lore (Saskia Rosendahl) and her four younger siblings occupy a secluded farm; one day, their mother disappears down a long country road after telling Lore to find her way to her grandmother's house in Hamburg. Determined yet terrified, the shaken teen gathers up her siblings and sets out on a difficult journey across war-torn Germany. Later, just when it begins to seem as if all hope is lost, the weary young travelers cross paths with Thomas (Kai Malina), a young, enigmatic drifter who selflessly protects and feeds them. The fact that Thomas is Jewish challenges everything Lore has been taught to believe about the people whom the Führer despised, sparking an intense internal conflict in the confused adolescent, who will do anything to ensure the safety of her younger brothers and sisters. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
A mercenary employed by a highly secretive biotech-research company sets out into the wilds of Tasmania in search of the elusive Tasmanian tiger -- an animal assumed to be extinct by scientists, yet rumored to have been spotted in the area in recent years. Adapted from the novel by author Julia Leigh, The Hunter follows Martin (Willem Dafoe) as he ventures out on his mission and arrives at the home of Lucy Armstrong (Frances O'Connor), who has been heavily depressed since her husband vanished into the surrounding wilderness months ago, and who now lives alone with her young daughter Sass (Morgana Davies) and taciturn son Bike (Finn Woodlock) - who have volunteered to host him in their home during the course of his research excursion. Shortly after arriving in Tasmania, Martin is accompanied to the edge of the wilds by Jack Mindy (Sam Neill), an old friend of Lucy's who has kept watch over her family and balks at the newcomer's decision to navigate the rough terrain unaccompanied. In the wake of a clash with hostile local loggers, Martin gradually begins to learn more about Lucy's family and develops a tenuous friendship with her two young children. But later, just as Martin begins to feel as if his goal is finally within reach, an unexpected development sends his mission into a tailspin and causes him to question the motivations behind capturing such a strange and majestic creature. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
- Starring:
- Willem Dafoe, Frances O'Connor, (more)
A youngster is given an inside look at a criminal empire that also happens to be his family in this independent drama. Teenage Joshua Cody (James Frecheville) is suddenly on his own after his mother's drug habit catches up with her, and he's taken in by his grandmother Smurf (Jacki Weaver), usually regarded as the black sheep of the family. Joshua quickly learns Smurf's reputation is well deserved; she and her four sons are members of a mid-level crime syndicate that operates out of her home in Melbourne. Baz (Joel Edgerton) looks after the money and is urging Smurf to move into something legit, Pope (Ben Mendelsohn) is a criminal jack-of-all-trades who never lets go of a grudge, Darren (Luke Ford) is an enforcer with an unfortunate weak streak, and Craig (Sullivan Stapleton) is a drug dealer who has become addicted to his own product. When Baz is murdered, the family's voice of reason is gone, and the unstable Pope takes the lead in the family's hierarchy; as suspicions fall on Joshua, the quiet newcomer is moved out of the house to keep him safe. Nathan Leckie (Guy Pearce) is a police detective who has found out who Joshua is and what he knows, and he tries to convince the teenager to help him put the Cody family behind bars, though Joshua isn't certain about his loyalties to these outlaws who are also his blood. The first feature film from director David Michod, Animal Kingdom was an official selection at the 2010 Sundance Film Festival, where it received the World Cinema Jury Prize for Best Dramatic Feature. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
- Starring:
- James Frecheville, Ben Mendelsohn, (more)
- 2007
A combination of circumstance and poor life choices turn to young children into the caretakers for their unstable mother in writer/director Tony Ayres' semi-autobiographical family drama. As aging writer Tom (Darren Yap) sits down to pen a screenplay detailing his life story, memories quickly transport him to the Shanghai nightclub where his single mother Rose (Joan Chen) would captivate Western servicemen. A beautiful thrush with a magnificent voice, Rose eventually packed up children Tom (Joel Lok) and May (Irene Chen) and set off for Australia after accepting a marriage proposal from Melbourne sailor Bill (Steven Vidler). When the relationship between Rose and Bill withered after just one week, the mother set her sights on Sydney. In the following seven years, Rose and her two young children would bounce between a series of "uncles" as stability continued to elude the trio. Though desperate Rose would eventually return to Melbourne with her children and attempt to rekindle her relationship with Bill, that too would eventually result in failure when the impulsive woman entered into a heated affair with local restaurant employee Joe (Qi Yuwu). Enraged when younger lover Joe takes note of May's blossoming beauty, Rose once again begs Bill's forgiveness though his generosity finally seems to have been exhausted. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
A former drug-addict in her early thirties attempts to put her shady past to rest while paving the way for a brighter future in director Rowan Woods' tale of love, trust, and redemption in modern-day Australia. Tracy Heart (Cate Blanchett) hasn't lived her 32 years so much as she has simply survived them. Ravaged by the drug-addiction and determined to redeem herself in the eyes of her overworked single-mother Janelle (Noni Hazelhurst), Tracy makes a personal vow to open her own business and turn her life around before it's too late and life has passed her by. Tracy's plan is complicated, however, when three men from her past reappear with their own plans for the future. In addition to the troubling re-appearance of her ex-boyfriend Jonny (Dustin Nguyen), her criminal-minded brother Ray (Martin Henderson) seems hell-bent on making a name for himself in the underworld, and the emotional demands of troubled family friend and ex-football star Lionel Dawson (Hugo Weaving) have left the emotionally vulnerable Tracy shaken and confused. When Tracy's modest dreams of a happy life catch the attention of feared criminal kingpin Bradley "The Jockey" Thompson (Sam Neill), she is forced to place her fragile trust in the hands of her skeptical mother and take one last trip into the past to confront her greatest fear.
~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
- Starring:
- Cate Blanchett, Sam Neill, (more)
- 2003
Directed by Rachel Ward, this short feature centers around 15-year-old Martha (Matilda Brown), whose frustration with the trappings of small-town life reaches a breaking point after her would-be birthday excursion to the beach is canceled. Determined to distance herself from her mother's (Lisa Hensley) lackadaisical attitude and string of no-good boyfriends, Martha, along with her sister Elsie (Alycia Debnam-Carey) decide to go to the beach by themselves, and hope to find their long-absent father in the process. Screened at the 2003 Brisbane Film Festival, Martha's New Coat also features Daniel Wyllie and is based on a script from Elizabeth J. Mars. ~ Tracie Cooper, Rovi
- Starring:
- Matilda Brown, Alycia Debnam-Carey, (more)
Australian filmmaker Tony Ayres makes his feature-film debut with the psychological drama Walking on Water. Terminally ill Gavin (David Bonney) is nursed by his housemates Charlie (Vince Colosimo) and Anna (Maria Theodorakis). Gavin's mother, Margaret (Judi Farr), and brother Simon (Nathaniel Dean) come to stay at the house to say goodbye. After Gavin's death, the group turns to drinking, drugs, and various affairs. Anna starts seeing Simon, who is married to Kate (Anna Lise Phillips), while Charlie struggles with his relationship with Frank (Nicholas Bishop). Walking on Water won several award from the Australian Film Institute and won Best Feature Film at the Berlin Film Festival. ~ Andrea LeVasseur, Rovi
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