Birdeater

I was so bored watching this, this is certainly a VANITY project - made by filmmakers for themselves, Aussies dont even care what an audience will think or FEEL in this case - you feel nothing because no surpises but there isnt a PLOT here. PLOT = STORY- this has none of that , a bunch of disjointed svcenes with mubbling dialogue is NOT a story. I implore the filmmakers and the people at BREATHLESS to study screenwriting. 30 minutes in and nothing has really happened.

But then searching online I find the guy who started the SFF Sydney Film Festival is a cofounder of the production company. So, the fact that all BREATHLESS film were accepted into the festival Not based on their merit is a CONFLICT of interest. And there have been far superior films made in SYDNEY that didn't get into the festival - explain that? Thid film is trying to be artistic, trying too hard to be different, so it has a unique voice. BUT to do that you need STORY, and this lacks that as well as the super loud sound design and music that drowns out the mumbling dialogue. On that note that sound design is too weird it wrecks the atmosphere of an already doomed picture. There is no strong anything here at all, the actors seem uncomfortable and the chemistry between the 2 leads is so awkward and is bad casting. And once again we are in the middle of the bush with a bunch of white people with the one token black girl, no diversity at all. The lead is not chiasmatic or interesting or engaging, just wooden and 2 dimensional. The film is shot well, so that's all I can give marks for. And 2 hours for this is way too long when you have no story to tell, using the film reference Wake in Fright as inspiration or in Homage to is just so wrong as it doesn't even come close. In the final 10 minutes the film tries to invoke a LESSON but it's too late when there was no story to begin with. People will say that you didn't understand the film but that's rubbish, in closing don't waste your time. Read my other reviews to see how supportive I am of the film-industry in Oz, I go and rent and buy all Aussie films and even go out to all the Q&A's so read my reviews and you will see what the very best of OZ Cinema has.

I don't know what that was all about.

I normally can point a few good things out but this time can't. I even read the other comments to understand this movie but that was in vain I'm sure anyone rating it higher than a 4 worked on the film.

I wasn't behind the scenes, I wasn't writing it nor directing. But you would think at the first audition or table read that someone did not put their hand up and say " I don't get"?

Some directors, writers just can't seem to make a decent enjoyable movie without it being overly over the top "complicated."

It might have worked worked as a short movie rather than 1 hour and 55 minutes.

What happened to the characters? Why was that woman dancing in nude. How about that ending ( scratches head).?

I read it was their first time directing or writing but you're only as good as your last film. I hope they getter better for a mainstream audience. However this TEAM has the skills and tools to do a better film. The actors I hope to see more off.

All the best on your next project.( make sure your audience can understand what's coming from your mind to script.

OK, where do I begin?

At the beginning of the movie they have a warning to the audience saying that there's toxic masculinity and an acknowledgment to the aborigines people that they were on their land or something?

I had read this was a horror movie. There was no horror in the movie. I also read a couple of articles where the journalists were apologizing for the toxic masculinity in the film. I didn't see any of that either.

This is one of the weirdest films I have ever seen in my life. This is one of the stupidest films I've ever seen. 99% of this "horror" movie is a group of kids sitting around talking.

Please save yourself nearly 2 hours. You'll thank me later.

1/10 very odd movie.

Very difficult to understand what anyone saying in this film because the dialogue is so muffled. At first I thought it was a British film. I got so excited when I heard the Australian accents because I adore Australian cinema. This is an exception to that rule. The plot had no direction whatsoever. Very confusing. There was no protagonist which makes this film even more uncomfortable. You don't know who you're supposed barrack for. They're all very strange undesirable characters. I didn't like one of them. So had no interest at all in one of them. It annoying to watch because of this and in all a poor attempt at film making.

Billed as an Australian psychological thriller, whose inspiration clearly and proudly comes from one of the great grandfathers of iconic Oz cinema in the form of Wake in Fright (eagle eyed viewers will spot that films poster appearing in this film), filmmakers Jack Clark and Jim Weir herald in their directional debuts with the impressive if equally frustrating experience that is Birdeater.

Celebrating successful festival runs over the last 12 months and launching recently into select Australian cinemas, Birdeater embraces its "feral" moniker in parts as a planned to be quiet bachelor/bucks party weekend goes off the rails when past and present trauma between soon to be married couple Louie and Irene comes to the surface in a stereotypically boys only environment that has on this occasion become something else.

Building its early foundation with a great set-up, with Clark and Weir beginning their debut affair with some fantastic mood setting courtesy of memorable work by DOP Roger Stonehouse and some hugely atmospheric score work by composer Andreas Dominguez, Birdeater really races out of the blocks with a narrative loaded with potential but sadly the narrative juice at the core of this exploration of toxic relationships, mental health, male fragility and psychological warfare runs out of steam well before the half-way mark, a huge problem for this two hour exercise that is unable to sustain its early momentum.

There's still a lot to like here and it's not hard to see why the film became an audience favourite with attendees at festivals such as SXSW Austin, the Melbourne International Film Festival and the Sydney Film Festival as Birdeater is unafraid to tackle some fairly weighty (if perhaps overly used themes in Australian products) and the performances and filmmaking craft on display here are undeniably above average for a low-budget independent film made on Australian shores.

Getting a lot to work with in a feature that prioritizes dialogue above all else, all cast members of Weir and Clark's darkly comedic dramatic thriller acquit themselves well with leads Mackenzie Fearnley and Shabana Azeez in particular standing out with some well-rounded performances while Ben Hunter as wildcard and the slightly unhinged Dylan making a mark as a character that you're never sure of motivational wise or ability wise.

Standing out from a crowded marketplace filled with similarly aimed independent offerings that often struggle to find notice in Australia's not always welcoming local marketplace, Birdeater can be commended in a multitude of ways but there's no escaping that there's a noticeable inability to maximise what could've been as this initially gripping feature gives way to one you will be anticipating finishing more than once throughout.

Final Say -

There's a lot to like about Birdeater and there's evidence on display here that Jack Clark and Jim Weir have what it takes to make a mark locally and abroad but after a bright starting point, their film becomes more of what could have been not a contender, disappointingly failing to become a must-see it at times showcases to be.

3 dinner toasts out of 5

Jordan and Eddie (The Movie Guys)