The Rage in Placid Lake

I can't believe I didn't hear about this film when it was released. I must have missed The Movie Show that particular week. I saw the DVD on the shelf of my local video shop, while it was in the New Releases section. I saw the cover, loved the word-play in the title, and, thinking it was American, I told myself I would get it out when it gets moved to the weekly section.

I saw it, in the weekly section, some time later, and I read the blurb on the back and thought, 'that sounds really interesting, I'll get it out someday'. Then last week, I picked it up again, and noticed the Australian Film Finance Corporation named on the back. I was in. I hired it, took it home, and loved every minute.

From the first scene, 'The Rage in Placid Lake' sets itself up to be taken only semi-seriously. The parents of Placid Lake, our hero, are, as his name would suggest, extreme New Agers. We first meet Placid at primary school, where his mother drops him off in a dress, admonishing him to challenge the other children's pre-conceived notions of sexuality. Between flashbacks to his childhood, the film follows Placid's transition from school to work, which is fraught with stresses. Having failed to achieve happiness following his parents' advice, Placid takes a new tack: he gets his hair cut like George W. Bush, buys a suit, and lands a job with an insurance company. All of which is most distressing to his best friend Gemma, and his parents, who go to great lengths to shake him out of this Capitalist madness.

Writer and Director Tony McNamara has worked primarily in theatre, and has also written for television, including Southern Star's magnificent 'The Secret Life of Us'. His background in the theatre, however, lends this film a very intimate and human touch. He had originally thought of this story as a play, but rightly judged it to be more suited to film, and made adjustments accordingly. The result is a film that stands out as something fresh, something that takes old ideas and stereotypes, and employs them to great effect.

While the characters in this film can be described as caricatures, Placid's journey into adulthood—his discovery of himself and of his relationships—resonates with such humanity that the suspension of disbelief is no effort. The pathos with which the characters are written boldly emphasises McNamara's assertion that we must be true to ourselves.

The most remarkable aspect of this film, however, remains the sad fact that so few people have seen it or even heard about it. It is an example of the magnificent films being produced in this country, and highlights the miserable plight of Australian filmmakers, overshadowed by the monstrous marketing ploys of their American counterparts. 'The Rage in Placid Lake' may not quite be as noteworthy in the history of Australian film as 'Jedda' or 'Mad Max' or 'Romper Stomper', but it makes a profound statement about humanity that sits somewhat uncomfortably in a world of Free Trade Agreements and 'Wars on Terror'. What's more, it makes that statement beautifully.

When Placid Lake was a little boy, his mother sent him to school wearing a dress, just so he could experience sexuality from a different point of view. As a result, he had the snot punched out of him and for years is constantly the victim of bullies, though he found a soul-mate in the nerdy/studious Gemma. Gemma loses her mother at 8 and her father, not quite sure how to deal with children, wants her to be a scientist. Years pass - Placid still lives with his Mum and Dad, ageing hippies with an eccentric outlook on the world and is about to finish school. Placid's idea of rebellion is to make a prize winning video of school life which will net him $10,000 and help him achieve his dream of fishing in Montana. At the official screening which turns out to be a little disasterous he falls from the school roof and undergoes a life change. This is a quirky "coming of age" flick - with a relatively unknown cast (to those outside Australia). Ben Lee in the title role is well cast as the slightly nerdy but intelligent Placid, Rose Byrne's Gemma is terrific and Garry McDonald and Miranda Richardson as Placid's hippy parents are brilliant. Take the time to see this film - it's worth it!

i have been in love with Australian cinema for years. it all started with "The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert" & "Muriel's Wedding". it then continued with films like "Love & Other Catastrophes", "Hotel De Love", "Cosi" & "Garage Days". (not sure if those were the Australian titles for all of these films or not.) the problem is that America doesn't get a lot of Australian films to choose from. even American made independent films have a hard time making it to theatres. the overload of bad Hollywood films makes it hard for anything to make it to the screen. we have to either rent them on DVD or watch them on channels like IFC or Sundance, and now we have Logo. i know Ben Lee is a household name in Australia, but in America he is still relatively unknown. (which is just unfortunate for America.) i recently saw him in concert opening for Aimee Mann. he blew me away. once i got home i checked out his website and that's when i learned about "The Rage in Placid Lake". i rented it thinking that he would have just enough charisma as an actor to make it entertaining. instead he blew me away again. i was also pleased to see Miranda Richardson in this also. she is such an incredible actress. i would love to find out about more great Australian films that i should see. so if anyone out there can recommend some, please do. and as far as recommendations go, it said somewhere on here if you liked "The Rage In Placid Lake" that you should see "Kindergarten Cop". wow, i am not sure how that conclusion was made. if you did see this and liked it, check out some of the titles i mentioned above instead. some similarly themed American films you might check out are "The United States of Leland", "Garden State", "The Battle of Shaker Heights" and yes even "Napoleon Dynamite". and if you like good music check out Ben Lee in concert (i get to see him again soon, with Ben Folds & Rufus Wainwright) or get his CD "Awake is the New Sleep".

Not to be confused with the mediocre creature feature "Placid Lake," "The Rage in Placid Lake" is a quirky romantic comedy, a fun corporate satire and a weighty coming-of-age tale. Placid Lake (Benny Lee) is a ridiculously precocious high schooler raised by new age hippie parents and is constantly picked on by bullies. In an act of "fearlessness," Placid presents a brutally honest student video at school which assuredly lands him in the hospital. Recovering from his wounds, Placid realizes a change needs to be made and formulates a plan to become normal to the disappointment of his best friend Gemma (Rose Byrne).

Originally a play entitled "The Cafe Latte Kid" by Tony McNamara, the big screen adaptation is witty, charming and strangely reflective. Indie rocker Benny Lee's occasional voice over gives the script some tongue-and-cheek humor and the story becomes unpredictably fresh as Placid's inner psyche evolves. His unique charm and unconventional good looks work in his favor as he walks the line between adolescent naivety and adulthood cynicism. Likewise Rose Byrne makes Gemma uniquely fun as a prudish overachiever constantly egged on by her stepfather. The real standouts however are the supporting cast members. Miranda Richardson and Garry McDonald tread the waters well as a hippie couple with marital problems. Though originally introduced as a caricature both manage to make the best of their parts and transcend into fleshed out characters with motivations that aren't always virtuous but human. Likewise Saskia Smith and Christopher Stollery make the best of their screen time as Placid's sexually charged, emotionally distant co-worker and his boss respectively.

Many might find the humor a bit different in this film. In most satires, characters are a logical extension of the subject up for satire but after the first third of the film most characters are treated with some level of civility. Placid's corporate boss for example is first seen as a soulless task master but near the end of the movie you find he's just a person who has lost himself in a corporate world. Unfortunately this movie's freshness starts to fade away in the third act as story holes are quickly plugged in like so much spackle on drywall and Placid receives his happy Hollywood ending.

"Rage in Placid Lake" evokes comparisons to other teen comedies like "The Breakfast Club" and "Charlie Bartlett" which attempt to mix laughs with jolts of cinematic seriousness. It certainly succeeded in the former, but not in the later. Although not as scrabbled as "Charlie Bartlett," "The Rage in Lake Placid" isn't as composed as it should be. The jokes are sometimes laugh-out-loud funny but those moments are few and far in between and the love story lacks evolution. At points it seemed Rose Byrne could have been replaced with a male friend and most of the plot points would be the same throughout (though the end kiss would be a little awkward).

I would recommend this to anyone of sound mind and body but not strongly enough to warrant required watching status. Though it has a uniqueness that sticks with you after the credits roll, it only raises to the occasion of date night filler.

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Despite the misleading title, The Rage in Placid Lake is not some ropey horror movie sequel about teenagers being chomped to death by a malformed alligator. It is a semi-satirical, light-hearted but intelligent coming-of-age comedy following the exploits of the cruelly named Placid Lake. Placid did not have a 'conventional' upbringing. His parents are two of the most over-the-top, but yet entirely believable hippies ever committed to celluloid. Their 'new age' methods of child rearing subject young Placid to humiliation time and time again, but un be known to him, give him an inner wisdom and strength to deal with life's little problems. Unfortunately, Placid doesn't concern himself with life's little problems, he rises above them. Placid leaves school and begins to worry about life's bigger problems, such as what to do with his life. Without giving away too much of the story, Plaicd formulates a plan which involves re-inventing himself in the quest to fit in, lead a conventional life and annoy the hell out of his parents in the process. Of course Placid is far from conventional and it seems the harder he tries to be 'normal' the greater the challenge becomes. The gags in this film are a mix of satirical jibes at the modern society we live in, observational humor about the trials of growing up, and some good old fashioned slapstick that the Aussies do so well.

Ultimately, this film is a great coming of age tale of a young man coming to terms with the world and himself. The acting is fantastic, Ben Lee is entirely convincing as the dead-pan and slightly unhinged Placid. His parents are over-the-top caricatures, but do a splendid job of convincing us just how well meaning (but entirely mad) they are. Rose Bryne is fantastic as Placid's foil/love interest/best friend/sole mate, and really doesn't get the screen time she really deserves. There a plenty of smaller character parts which also stand out, all contributing to this wacky, but believable film. This is a film for anyone who ever felt they didn't quite fit in, or anyone who didn't want to fit in. 8.5/10