Blueback

Along Australia's vast and beautiful ocean coastline Abby is a marine biologist assessing the health of coral reefs and fisheries. Just when the future for the ocean and its wildlife looks bleak and sad to her, Abby receives an urgent call about the health of her estranged mother, Dora. Abbey's return home brings her back in touch not only with her mom but with her roots and why she chose to study the ocean in the first place. There are flashbacks to when Abby was a girl, first learning to swim and dive with her mom, her inspirational artwork, and a friendly and sensitive blue grouper she once knew. As Abby reforges the connections with her mom, nature, the ocean, and to all their combined wonders, it renews her sense of hope.

The immense blue vistas, colorful coral reefs, and spectacular sunsets of Australia combine with interesting characters and touching relationships both human and animal. "It is a passionate call to arms to save the oceans," said director Robert Connolly who was present at this world premiere screening at the Toronto International Film Festival. Blueback is not preachy and does not take a doomsday approach, but it reveals many of the challenges that oceans face and remedies for a brighter future such as marine reserves and sustainable harvesting. The film is based on a story by Tim Winter, who is popular in Australia. The gigantic blue grouper ("groper" in the Canadian write up about the film, LOL) is a puppet and is not created through computer animation. The relationship chemistry and dialogues are cheesy at times, but overall Blueback is a well-made, timely, and inspiring film.

I feel somewhat guilty criticizing a picture that seems to have its heart in the right place but that just isn't very good. Such is the case with director Robert Connolly's latest, an earnest but schmaltzy, predictable, uneven offering that addresses noble sentiments but isn't put together well. The film tells the story of Abby (Mia Wasikowska), a marine biologist who's called away from her coral reef studies to care for her aging mother, Dora (Elizabeth Alexander), when she suffers a debilitating stroke that has left her unable to speak. Upon Abby's return home to her Western Australia coastal community of Longboat Bay, she reflects back on how her mother got her interested in oceanography, particularly through her efforts to establish a local marine preserve. This part of the story is told through extensive flashbacks featuring Abby's younger self (Ariel Donoghue, Ilsa Fogg) and a youthful Dora (Radha Mitchell) in their efforts to protect the bay from illegal fishing and potentially damaging waterfront development, especially after they meet and "befriend" a large wild blue grouper that Abby names Blueback. The film thus raises and addresses an array of issues related to environmentalism, ecological stewardship and cross-species relations, as well as following one's passions and walking one's walk. Unfortunately, the flashbacks dominate the narrative so much that the story thread that launches the picture feels more like an afterthought, one in which Wasikowska almost could have phoned in her part. And, as for the content that makes up the bulk of this release's screen time, it comes across as laudable and well-meaning but a little too obvious and preachy, playing more like the script of an "After School Special" or material based on a selection from an all-girls' Young Adult reading group. The somewhat insipid treatment of this story tends to undercut this release's other strengths, such as its gorgeous underwater cinematography and the value of the messages it's seeking to impart. Some might say the foregoing sounds cruelly and heavy-handedly cynical, but at least it's honest, all good intentions aside.

Beautiful Australian drama, based on an anonymous novel, Australia once again starring in beautiful images of its hydro system, and the marine biography, with meticulous and talented photography... And curiously the following year a Blue Grouper known as Gus, who swims alongside divers, was mercilessly killed by a man with a spear who was only fined US$500, a beautiful and necessary film, simple and efficient...

Abby is a child who becomes friends with a magnificent wild Blue Groper while diving. When Abby realizes that the fish is under threat, she is inspired by her activist mother, Dora, and faces poachers to save her friend. Thus begins her long journey to save the coral reefs.

The foremost criticism of Blueback is the same one everyone makes when they've read the book first: why are some things left out (to save time, supposedly), then other things added in. This is a general thing that's annoying about movies, so not singular to this movie. With that out of the way, it's a pretty good adaptation of Tim Winton's book. It conveys the story accurately, has the main scenes you're waiting to see, has the same message, etc. The cinematography is excellent. Breathtaking natural footage, which really fits with Winton's message, that the ecosystem here is beautiful and should be cherished and cared for. Bravo.

Celebrated Australian novelist Tim Winton is one of those literary figures whose work just never quite seems to translate wholly successfully from the page to the screen. Arguably Simon Baker's 2017 adaption of Breath, may be the exception. But Robert Connolly's Blueback, follows Gregor Jordan's 2020 adaption of Dirt Music, in being a terrific film to look at, whilst simultaneously lacking dramatic heft. And this is despite Winton himself being given a co - screenwriting credit along with director Connolly, whose last film, The Dry, I loved.

The cinematography both above and under the water is exceptional. The acting is competent without anyone particularly standing out. Ostensible lead Mia Wasikowska as the adult Abby Jackson is rarely ever challenged to get out of first gear, as is Eric Bana, in very much a support role as Mad Macka. Radha Mitchell perhaps contributes most obviously in her energetic portrayal of activist mum of Abby, Dora, in her younger years. I personally found the largely classically - inspired musical soundtrack too reminiscent of countless mid twentieth century Disney wildlife documentaries. But the big weakness was rather ironically perhaps considering the screenwriters, the storyline. With just a few exceptions, this is a film in which not a great deal happens during its 100 minute running time, despite constant time shifts and flash backs.

Whereas the mother / daughter* relationship is way overplayed (*In the book Abby is Able ... a boy.) Erik Thomson's "villain" Costello, is so lightly treated and gets so little screen time, we never fully understand the enmity between the Jacksons and him. BTW Abby only seems to have been made female in order to experience an interracial teenage romance, which again, doesn't seem to go anywhere in terms of the general narrative. It just serves as filler content, which didn't appear in the literary source.

It's only fair to add that the film, despite the changes mentioned, does stick very closely to its source material's welcome environmental and domestic relationship themes. Thankfully too, it does manage to coalesce into a genuinely moving climax. It's just that Blueback's storyline unwinds at such a languid pace, there are precious few thrills and unexpected excitements in getting there.

Blueback is a frequently charming and completely inoffensive and wholesome family film. (I have no idea why its Australian Classification is M - mature audiences.) But for this punter, its lack of a genuinely engaging screenplay, made for an overall underwhelming cinematic experience.