Holidays on the River Yarra

Some of the reviews of this film are quite scathing. It is no Oscar winner, but an enjoyable film nonetheless. How anyone could not feel sorry for poor old Eddie is beyond me. The kid just wants something to do and needs direction. I applaud his dreams and his hopes as it is plain he has bugger all chance of achieving anything at all. To be doomed at such a young age is a waste, yet there are many working class boys in the same situation. He just needed someone sane and decent to give him a hand.

Sooooo...it's an entertaining flick, depressing and flat, and you need to be a bit of an idealist and romantic to enjoy films like this.

So you pay to subscribe to cable television, and you can't expect too much. Perhaps the odd decent movie and some classic reruns of your favourite old series... but overall, generally speaking you don't expect too much.

I came across this movie late one night on cable, and began to watch. Interesting idea... two no hoping kids get an opportunity to go to Africa with some other no hoping political army to fight some war bla bla bla, let's see how we go (and if they get to go).

To cut a long story short...

Thirty minutes in, not much happening.

An hour in, are they going or what?

The organisers want five hundred from both of them... Let's go and mug people for the money! Why didn't I think of that earlier!

Finally, the day before departure. Oh, I don't want to go anymore. What? I've killed someone to get this money! Still, I'm not going anymore, I said God damn it!

Well my mate's not going, so I'll just jump in the Yarra and go for a swim.

Is this movie supposed to have some hidden, subtle message? Is it supposed to be deep and complex? What the hell does this movie mean, if anything? Poor old Claudia Karvan... at least she makes an attempt to envoe some kind of meaning (just).

So as I was saying, you don't expect too much from cable television movie channels, but you'd expect more than this!

With the best will in the world, I couldn't force myself to continually watch this Yarra Riverful of garbage and I ended up channel surfing. That's how bad it was. I couldn't work up any sympathy for the two main characters, for poor Claudia Karvan struggling mightily to do some "acting", or for any of the production team. When one of our heroes ended his troubles in the Yarra, I felt compelled to cheer that at least the movie was nearly over, and wondered why the reels of this film didn't follow him in. . Possibly the worst Australian "movie" (if that's what it was) that I have seen. Well, almost seen.

It's the river our two teenage boys want to sail on for their ticket out of a restless hot summer where their naivety is abused by a local gang of red necks out to change the world with their right wing views. The gang offer the boys a trip to an African island where white supremacists will rule and gain wealth. The only catch is that they need to come up with $500 to join the boat load of ignorant bastards. The film chronicles their hopeless search for the money and their final desperate act to be part of the dreams. The boys know no better, racial issues has never entered their conscience and they only want a fair go in life. The film has important issues to deal with but does so in a clumsy manner. The dialogue is stilted along with the unconvincing performances. There are a few brilliance in direction but the image loses power once the mouths are opened.

I think this is a great movie. The negative reviews here are way too harsh. I also think they don't understand what the movie is trying to do. It is not trying to be a realistic film. It is a film about a boy who is trapped in a boring life, dreaming of a way to escape. I also really like the way the film keeps shifting tone. It starts like a bored teenager film, then shifts into black comedy, then gets a lot more serious as the story unfolds. I think the shifts in tone are very well handled and give the film an original feel. A highlight of the film is the way it captures the urban landscape of a part of Melbourne that is little seen. Great cinematography and some of the scenes are very skilfully directed. A couple of the minor actors' performances are a bit uneven but the two leads are terrific. Totally recommended if you are interested in something a bit different.