Nitram

Caleb Landry-Jones somehow is able to mimic an Australian accent which would have fooled me if I hadn't read a synopsis before watching the film. Nitram is an outcast with no friends who is mocked by others and it builds to a resentment of a society of so-called "normal" people. Circumstances lead to a horrible real life tragedy Down Under. The cast is superb and story well told. So far, Nitram is one of my ten best movies of the year.

*Watched at Cannes 2021 World Premiere*

The career of Australian director Justin Kurzel, still very much in an early phase, has been one filled with drastic ups and downs. Kurzel broke onto the scene in 2011 with his feature debut, "The Snowtown Murders," which played as part of the Cannes Critics Week. That film's success immediately gave him the confidence to helm a much more violent and haunted adaptation of Shakespeare's "Macbeth", with Michael Fassbender and Marion Cotillard in the lead roles. He also was given the promotion of competing in the main competition of Cannes.

After that film's critical success, Hollywood came knocking as he was offered, and accepted, to direct the big-screen adaptation of the popular video game franchise "Assassin's Creed", which allowed him to reteam with Fassbender and Cotillard. However, Kurzel wasn't able to make the leap into studio filmmaking, as the film was a critical and commercial bomb. He tried to recompose himself a few years later by going back to his roots with the Australian true-crime-thriller "The True History of the Kelly Gang." The relative success of that film didn't prompt Kurzel to return to the big studios, instead, he has doubled down on his newfound career path with "Nitram", which premiered in competition at the Cannes Film Festival.

The film tells the life story of Tasmanian native Martin Bryant, who eventually was responsible for the largest massacre by a single person in Australian history after he killed 36 people at Port Arthur in 1996. From the very start, Bryant was beset with mental problems that made him act aggressively towards others and hold little concern for human safety. After he was sentenced to life in prison (where he remains to this day), Bryant was diagnosed with Asperger's Syndrome and deemed to have an IQ of 66, roughly the same as an eleven-year-old.

The title of the film (which is Martin spelled backward) comes from the nickname Bryant was given by childhood bullies, further hindering him from forming any human connections. American Caleb Landry Jones plays the titular character with brilliance, showcasing how far someone can go down the rabbit hole. Jones has made a small name for himself by playing supporting parts as sleazy weirdos in films such as "Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri" and "Get Out". In his first major leading role, he has knocked it out of the park. He produces the fear one gets from a horror movie villain while still bringing enough authenticity to fit the film's grounded tone. His win for Best Actor at Cannes was well deserved, and some Oscar buzz should be in order.

Also within the cast is frequent Kurzel collaborator Effie Davis, who plays Bryant's much older companion Helen, who lives alone in a rundown mansion with fourteen dogs and several dozen cats. Bryant and Helen formed a connection based on their status as social outcasts, which Jones and Davis are able to explore. Their interactions together are awkward and fractured, and never answer the question of exactly what kind of relationship they share.

Anthony LaPaglia and Judy Davis, both of whom are superb, portray Bryant's parents, who have differing perspectives on how they should keep their son safe. LaPaglia prefers to give Bryant a bit of freedom in hopes that he will figure out the world for himself, while Davis feels that he is incapable of doing such a thing and must be kept on a short leash.

Making a biopic about a country's worst human offender brings with it a lot of trap doors, such as vindicating the perpetrator or glorifying the harm that they caused. Thankfully, Kurzel avoids those errors as he approaches the film with a matter-of-fact style that only wants to illustrate how this event was allowed to happen. Abandoning the flashy style he is known for, Kurzel lets the actors and simple camerawork tell the story. I was reminded of Gus Van Sant's "Elephant" while watching the film at its world premiere. There is not one singular grand answer as to why this happened and how it could have been stopped, simply because there isn't a one-size-fits-all response. All we can do is look back on what happened and see what can be done for the future, which Kurzel doesn't seem to have much hope for as his postscript explains how the gun laws enacted as a result of Bryant's actions have not been properly enforced, opening the possibility of this happening again.

Justin Kurzel's "Nitram" was one of the best films out of the Cannes Film Festival as it explores a real-life tragedy with both grace and severity. While my body hated the experience of watching the film because of the stiff muscles I was left with due to the intensity, my mind was left with a better understanding of this dark chapter in human history.

The fragility of serenity, shattered by hostility, insanity and marginiality, supported through ineffective laws, ignorance and depravity. An awful story of disbelief with performances that leave you aghast at the events that took place, the processes that led up to them, and wondering just how far away we are from the next one and if anything could ever be (genuinely) done in prevention.

Tackling one of the rawest subject matters in Australia history, Nitram is an unnerving yet delicately made and acted drama exploring the life of infamous Tasmanian mass murderer Martin Bryant, a man who is responsible for the cold blooded and nightmarish Port Arthur massacre of 1996.

An incident that shocked the usually peaceful lands down under and forever changed the gun laws of the nation, Bryant's horrific act isn't an incident many would care to revisit but thanks to the work of director Justin Kurzel and his awards worthy leading man Caleb Landry Jones, Nitram never veers into territory that is aimed at pure shock value or an exploration that tries to offer a sympathetic few to what made Bryant into the man he became.

Refraining from venturing deep into the actual incident itself or the aftermath of Bryant's actions, Nitram (the name used sparingly throughout the film for Jones's character) is about as delicate as a film could be about the life of a tormented and lonely soul, one who was clearly unable to live an everyday life with his parents (played well by Australian icons Judy Davis and a nearly unrecognizable Anthony LaPaglia) and then in his friendship with fellow recluse Helen (played by Essie Davis).

Similar in style and tone to Kurzel's most revered work, his exploration of another dark chapter in Australia's history, Snowtown, Nitram is an unflashy film built around its carefully constructed dialogue and everyday humans that for all intents and purposes are battling too stay afloat mentally and physically but while Kurzel finds himself back in form after the misguided Assassin's Creed and the rather disappointing True History of the Kelly Gang, the work of Landry Jones in his most difficult role to date should go down as one of the best in an Australian production in the last decade.

Often relegated to key bit parts in memorable films like Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri, Get Out or The Florida Project, it might not be a joyful role but Jones is a revelation in his portrayal of Bryant as the Texan born actor morphs into the skin of a character that wouldn't have been easy to come to terms, with the talented performer deserving of his Cannes Film Festival Best Actor win earlier this year.

Some may wonder no matter what at why exactly Nitram needed too be made but while it will undoubtedly be a film some need to avoid watching, Kurzel has created the Australian film of the year with a carefully considered and haunting examination of a human soul lost beyond repair.

Final Say -

It's not easy viewing and may be too real and raw for some but Nitram manages to tackle an extremely controversial subject matter in a masterful way and features a career defining performance from Caleb Landry Jones.

4 1/2 surfboards out of 5.

The main actor did an amazing job with the Aussie accent, as well as conveying so much while barely speaking. If you're not into arty, slow, quiet films then this won't be for you.