Watch the Sunset

I saw this fabulous Australian movie last night during the AACTA Film Festival. Whilst it was an intense & tragic tale, it was beautifully told and acted by all. I was on the edge of my seat the whole time & thourougly enjoyed the cinematography & music.

I stumbled across this Australian film on Stan, knowing nothing about it other that it was an Indie production. The performances from every actor on board were not only believable but faultless, especially the child actor. This film is very realistic and to think it was all done in one take is astounding! The work by the DOP was very clever especially at the motel using the reflection of the glass to capture a hectic moment.

The script was authentic and the plot was full of surprises which kept me glued to the screen. The fact that I am still thinking about this low budget film 24 hours later speaks volumes about all the team involved in the process. This may well be viewed as an Australian masterpiece in years to come.

Congratulations on creating a brilliant film!!! The acting was courageous, raw and truthful; the action and story was upsetting, shocking and full of passion. And then the cinematography was incredibly beautiful, skilled and unique. Please give my congrats to everyone on your team! I will be telling everyone about this film and will be voting for it as my pick in the AACTA festival. Not that you will need my vote as I am sure I am not the only one who has fallen in love with this film. It looked like it was an actors dream, getting to go through the journey from start to finish without cutting. Just wow!

'Watch the Sunset' is a gritty drama that showcases the talent of Tristan Barr in delivering Australia's first full-length feature film in one take. Danny (Tristan Barr) tries to escape his life as a Bikie Gang member after kidnapping the drugged Charis (Zia Zantis-Vinycomb) from a violent Shane (Aaron Walton). Danny then tries to repair his damaged relationship with the resistant Sally (Chelsea Zeller) so that the couple and their daughter, Joey (Annabelle Williamson) can runaway from Danny's former life.

Barr and Zeller play Danny and Sally well, with each performing their characters realistically and with depth. However, the screenplay leaves a little to be desired as problems do arise with Danny's past not being completely clear and large gaps in-between significant action as the main characters drive somewhere new. The large gaps of silence are filled by Richard Labrooy fantastic score and shrewd sound design by Steven Aram that weaves the music with the story and conversations expertly. The cinematography though sometimes jarring is incredibly innovative using the film locations to their highest potential.

This film is a fine edition to the Australian drama landscape and Tristan Barr has created a truly worthy film worthy of being Australia's first one-shot feature length movie.

Watch the Sunset opens with a variety of news footage related to drug related crimes and issues. The film that follows is a one shot eighty minute journey through the town of Kerang, Victoria. Working as the feature film debut for the Jack of all trades team that includes (deep breath) co-director/co-writer/actor/co-producer Tristan Barr, co- director/co-writer/actor/co-producer Michael Godsen, cinematographer/producer Damien Lipp, Watch the Sunset is a powerful, immersive slice of work.

Australian cinema is full of crime stories, almost to the point that there is an unconscious tendency to lionise the criminals within the pieces. In the late nineties through to the early 2000's, there was a trend to celebrate the ultra-ocker, uber-blokey crime figures within films like Two Hands, Chopper, and Dirty Deeds. Finally, the Aussie crime genre reached a pinnacle with the Underbelly series, which in turn transformed real life court trials into tabloid fodder. The focus of most of these stories seemed more focused on the thugs and crims themselves than the people affected by the drugs that they willingly push to fund their criminal lifestyle. Watch the Sunset takes the crime genre and directly puts us in the mind space of someone who is recovering from drugs and wanting to create a better life for themselves. There is a conscious effort to humanise those who are stigmatised within media and politics.

After the introductory news footage, we spend a few minutes with Danny as he's driving back in to town. This protracted time with Danny allows us to become accustomed to the quiet mood within the town. The streets of which are mostly devoid of life. A playground that Danny's daughter moves through is completely vacant. An early moment with a church choir has the sound sucked out of the scene – these are voiceless people singing a silent song into a dark church. It becomes apparent through this quiet, almost lifeless town, how drug pushing gangs would thrive. Where boredom may breed creativity, it can also foster darker forces who through peer pressure and coercion can find ways to imbed their tendrils and control people.

It's at the church choir that we see Sally trying to find her place in a world that she almost doesn't belong in. The other singers appear to be mostly elderly, a sign that many of the younger citizens within the town have long left both religion and the town behind in search of a better life. Sally has long moved on from her drug embellished life in search of a better future for herself and her daughter. No matter how deep the ties with a person or a town may be, it is sometimes necessary to break that connection for the better of ones self, and it's evident that Sally would do anything for her daughter. Mid-song, she notices that Danny has slipped in to come whisk her away, and the memories of a traumatic past immediately come flooding back.

Unfortunately for both Sally and Danny, Shane (Aaron Walton) and Russell (Michael Gosden) are on their trail and seeking the retribution that they believe Danny deserves. Shane believes in honour and mateship, and Danny's abandonment and decision to break free of living a drug-related life works in contrast to Shane's world view. He is the hero in his own story and sees no troubles in bringing them back in line, no matter what level of violence and terror that means.

Even though we are not given a thorough back story for these characters, through solid performances from the three main leads (Barr, Zeller and Walton) we get a powerful understanding of who they are as individuals. Small touches add a powerful background as to what life in this small country town is like. A scene where Danny and Sally's daughter, Joey (Annabelle Williamson), plays in a playground by herself while her parents argue in a car is given a deeper emotional thread when we see her shooting an imaginary gun against imaginary thugs. We learn about a life a child lives from how they play, and through Joey's play-style we get a grand look at the world she has grown up within. It's sobering and heartbreaking. We immediately want the best for both Sally and Joey, and are purely invested in their fates going forward.

If there's a criticism I have with Watch the Sunset, it's a later scene which involves Joey, some impactful violence and drug use. While I respect the choice to showcase violence and drug use within a story, I struggle as a viewer when those scenes include a child. The violence and drug use is never directed at the child herself, however it's hard to not question the need to include her in these scenes.

Watch the Sunset is technically a brilliant film – a high-speed shot and the closing sequence stand out as truly impressive moments. (I would be remiss to not mention the great score by Richard Labrooy as well.) However, the film would be lesser if it were simply just a technical achievement, and it's thanks to great directing, acting and writing that it is elevated above its one-shot aspect. Watch the Sunset is a great feature debut, providing a great announcement of a group of great Australian talent that will no doubt provide immersive, challenging cinema going forward.