The Rage in Placid Lake

I found this movie to be pretty good. While the jokes weren't hilariously funny, they were still worth a fair few laughs.

The acting was quite good, surprisingly including the singer Ben Lee;

The cinematography worked quite well with the general mood. Some of the camera work was imperfect, but that sort of added to the character of the film. Some of the shots were actually quite good

So it didn't do so well in the box office. It wasn't the sort of film you associate with box office takings. This is a film that makes you laugh and then makes you think. I really like that, and I love how much I felt for the characters at the end. For me, that character empathy is what makes a movie good, not how many dollars it made

Overall, an interesting film that throws an interesting twist on the teen movie and the Australian comedy

I really enjoyed this movie. I won't lie to you though it isn't uber-brilliant, deep or ultra-funny. It is the sort movie you watch late at night when your expectations are low. If you're looking for a movie that doesn't make you think too much this is it.

That being said I did find it funny, if somewhat puerile at times. I could relate to the main protagonist. The story moved along at a good pace and didn't get bogged down. I really wanted to see how it would end up.

I like that it didn't suffer from the usually Australian movie problem of "lets show you how uniquely Australian we can make this film" it just let itself be. It showed a side of Australia that wasn't purely rural or suburban.

Also Rose Byrne is absolutely gorgeous. I think I want to marry her!

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 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.

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".