movieguy3000

This is a BIG MESS, pun intended. Let's start with the positives, it's shot well, and we all love Steve La Marquand, but he doesn't have any good writing here to work with here. The main actress who is a musical artist / singer cannot act at all, it's really cringy. The other ensemble actors are OK, but no one makes you get off your chair and notice them. Theres no real strong story here, just a really amateur style basic film with basic writing. This isnt something interesting at all. This film is NOT funny, it should have been, this should never be included as a Christmas movie, it's just too boring and quite frankly mediocre. To be transparent I don't think the director understands story or evoking emotion, this film feels below average and ordinary, the story is boring, not engaging and slow and the characters are average and lifeless. The music was below average NOT a score you would go and listen to over and over again. I've seen all the director's films, and I have NOT enjoyed any of them, BOOK CLUB was better but also flawed, unfortunately. There is a lack of care in how we tell Australian stories, and it will NEVER live up to the level of UNIVERSAL storytelling, even India can do it better. A forgettable film that you will never remember and never have the urge to watch again. Was looking forward to a good Christmas film but this is NOT it.

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.

Overall, a low budget endearing film with a light heart and genuine good intentions, unfortunately it doesn't quite land and is very cringy. The story is NOT really a story but more of a nice message. I applaud the diversity, but this is at best for senior citizens and not for a regular audience. There is no real story or conflict, the acting ranges from bad to good to mediocre. The music is absolutely terrible and cheesy, and the photography looks like a home video, and the color grade looks like a student film. Overall, the film is easy to watch but doesn't leave you with much to take away. Lex Marions was the best thing in this film.