Mallboy

With a nod to Italian neo-realism, first time director Vincent Giarrusso takes us into the world of a working class 14 year old Australian boy. The result is a confronting and powerful work - never patronising to its characters - with a semi-documentary style that masks the great artistry that went behind it. The cinematography of Brendan Lavelle is brilliant - excellent because it is unobtrusive. The haunting music of Glen Bennie and the director is also fine.

And the performances of the entire cast are superb. You can't help but single out the work of Nell Feeney as Jenny (Shaun's mother), she will move you to tears. But at the heart of the film is the extraordinary performance of Kane McNay as Shaun - he is staggeringly good. For an actor so young to carry a film like this is miraculous - I think we will see a lot more of this boy in the future.

So bravo to Vincent Giarrusso (writer, director, composer) for creating this superb movie - it may not be a side of Australian life that we feel comfortable revealing to the world, but it is perhaps the most accurate depiction of that side that I have ever seen. And in the end you love these flawed but very real human beings. 10 stars.