Birdeater

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)

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.

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.

I watched this movie yesterday and have to say it was a struggle to sit through almost two hours of mind-numbing action, if you can call it that.

In a nutshell, a guy invites his fiancée to a bucks' night (along with another girl so she doesn't feel too alone); during this time, with the booze and pills flowing freely, uncomfortable 'secrets' emerge as the participants snipe at one another (when it gets heavy, they fight physically). I came away not quite understanding what their issues were - partly because they often mumbled, their dialogue often seemed meaningless, not to mention their drug-induced hallucinations.

The movie's aim is to reveal the toxic relationship of the engaged couple, but the only thing I deduced was that she was super needy and hoping to get a permanent visa through marriage. The other characters are dislikeable, unattractive, loud-mouthed (when they aren't mumbling) and often rambling on about stuff that doesn't seem to have a bearing on the plot - such as it is.

The music is dreadful, often drowning out the conversation. The plot is all over the shop, fluctuating between scenes of boys being boys, or couples fighting, and verbal attacks coming from nowhere with no apparent reason. And then of course the hallucinatory scenes.

At the end, we aren't quite sure what has transpired and the end result, because everyone is being incomprehensible and moody. As for the title, does anyone know what the significance is? There is a scene with birds in the first half, but that doesn't give a clue.

To sum up, one star - because it ends, eventually.

"Birdeater" a new indie Australian film making its feature debut, presents an interesting but slightly messy journey. The movie skillfully blends different genres while tackling the tough subject of a toxic relationship, leaving viewers feeling a bit uneasy yet engaged.

The standout moments come from its captivating fever dream sequences, adding a fantastic visual layer to the story. The plot follows Irene, who joins her fiancé Louie's unorthodox buck's party weekend, leading to unexpected and unsettling events. Louie's groomsmen's actions take the celebration into a wild, drug-induced ride, painting a darkly humorous and thought-provoking picture of young Australian men.

Although "Birdeater" isn't flawlessly executed, its willingness to explore challenging themes and the imaginative use of fever dream sequences make it a noteworthy contender in the indie film realm. For those intrigued by boundary-pushing storytelling that blends genres, this movie might just be worth checking out.