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Around the Block

  • 2013
  • Not Rated
  • 1h 44m
IMDb RATING
5.4/10
1.5K
YOUR RATING
Christina Ricci in Around the Block (2013)
Trailer for Around the Block
Play trailer2:03
1 Video
99+ Photos
Drama

An Aboriginal boy is torn between his unexpected love of acting and the disintegration of his family.An Aboriginal boy is torn between his unexpected love of acting and the disintegration of his family.An Aboriginal boy is torn between his unexpected love of acting and the disintegration of his family.

  • Director
    • Sarah Spillane
  • Writer
    • Sarah Spillane
  • Stars
    • Hunter Page-Lochard
    • Christina Ricci
    • Aaron L. McGrath
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    5.4/10
    1.5K
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • Sarah Spillane
    • Writer
      • Sarah Spillane
    • Stars
      • Hunter Page-Lochard
      • Christina Ricci
      • Aaron L. McGrath
    • 16User reviews
    • 9Critic reviews
  • See production info at IMDbPro
    • Awards
      • 1 win total

    Videos1

    Around the Block
    Trailer 2:03
    Around the Block

    Photos134

    View Poster
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    + 131
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    Top cast64

    Edit
    Hunter Page-Lochard
    Hunter Page-Lochard
    • Liam
    Christina Ricci
    Christina Ricci
    • Dino Chalmers
    Aaron L. McGrath
    • Joseph
    • (as Aaron McGrath)
    Elias Reese
    • Toby
    Ursula Yovich
    Ursula Yovich
    • Chrissie
    Mark Coles Smith
    Mark Coles Smith
    • Steve
    Shai Pittman
    • Tamika
    Daniel Henshall
    Daniel Henshall
    • Simon
    Anthony Gee
    • Tim
    Sam Lyndon
    • Brucey
    Guy Simon
    • Jacob
    Braydn Pittman
    • Jason
    • (as Braden Pittman)
    Nicholas Cassim
    Nicholas Cassim
    • Sergeant Todd
    Shawn Lum
    • Mentor…
    Amanda Wiltshire
    • Officer Blythe
    Jack Thompson
    Jack Thompson
    • Bill O'Donnell
    Trevor Jamieson
    Trevor Jamieson
    • Uncle Rex
    Simone Armstrong
    • Casey
    • Director
      • Sarah Spillane
    • Writer
      • Sarah Spillane
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    User reviews16

    5.41.4K
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    10

    Featured reviews

    2ozjosh03

    To Miss, With Love - Downunder

    This is an infuriatingly hackneyed entry in the idealistic-teacher-saves-disadvantaged-students sub-genre. It desperately wants to be hip and socially relevant, but is relentlessly and embarrassingly dull. It's a classic example of what happens when film funding bodies like Screen Australia become preoccupied with ticking all the politically correct boxes. Aboriginal content and cast. Tick. Female writer and director. Double tick. Lead character tailored for an American star (however awkwardly). Tick. Story geared to a younger demographic. Tick. But none of these elements ever comes together, and the result is a lame mish-mash that attempts to sell us Aboriginal students energised by Shakespeare, Christina Ricci battling racism and exploring her sexuality, and a morally confused criminal sub-plot that weirdly shifts the focus from the central characters. To make matters worse, the depiction of inner-Sydney's Redfern - which is given an LA ghetto makeover (complete with burnt-out cars and fires in the streets) - is dishonest and laughable to anyone who actually knows it.
    8bowlingforpeople

    A contemporary Hamlet, perchance?

    I'll admit I downloaded this based on the fact that Christina Ricci was the lead in it. To my surprise, it was the acting of the supporting cast that really led the way here. It is a very different character for Ricci, who has been sort of typecast as an oddball since her early Addams Family days. As a viewer, you are immediately taken in by the boy Liam who has secured the role of Hamlet in the school play. If you are a Shakespeare buff like I am, you will love the Hamlet plot lines and dynamics running throughout the film. You can see hints of that from the trailer but I didn't know just how central to the story Hamlet would be until I saw it for myself. It's a modern twist on an age-old tale, and with that, Around The Block is able to bring something new to the table.
    9jmcilhenney75

    Endearing, Heart-breaking and Rewarding

    Around The Block leans on a wide array of emotions and generates a lot of power from the relationships that the boy Liam has in his life, including the ones with his father, mother and brother. Because of the strength in those relationships, Around The Block runs so much deeper than the teacher-student relationship that the majority of the film is centered around. Hunter Page-Lochard's performance as Liam is quite simply a standout. I enjoy emotionally-charged movies and that's where this one will resonate with me. It is also a highly-stylized and vibrant film which makes it an enjoyable experience aesthetically. Despite the familiar setup, there are very interesting fault lines running under the surface of Around The Block.
    9Objectivity

    I expected nothing but was blown away

    Make no mistake - anyone who gives less than 6 to this film is prejudiced, whether they know it or not, or they are white Australians who do not want to accept that there other "Australias" within Australia.

    If you watch this film with nothing other than curiosity as to where it will take you, you cannot help but be blown away by the simple power of this film.

    Kudos to the screenplay, kudos to the director, kudos to the obvious off-the-cuff but first class acting, particularly in the prison scenes and the first rehearsal, and kudos for putting it all together as if you are watching Life rather than a film.

    It is a film with so many stories : Liam's of course, but, also, his mother's story, his teacher's story (Christina Ricci), his brother's story, his school's story, the gubba teacher's story, his brother's story, and last but not least, his father's story. All of these stories grab you by the throat but you have to not be prejudiced to "see" all those stories.

    A brilliant film.
    10bevo-13678

    Nice

    Awesome movie I reckon. It has a wonderful story and great acting and it's way better than that show the block because it doesn't have that stupid foreman Keith and that massive dick Scott Scotty cam.

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    Related interests

    Mahershala Ali and Alex R. Hibbert in Moonlight (2016)
    Drama

    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Ruby Rose told the Daily Mail in 2018 that she was very nervous when she got the part, not just because it was her first film role, but that she would be naked and having sex with movie icon Christina Ricci. Playing the role of Hannah, Ruby, who was 27 at the time, was tasked with being the "dominant" of the pair and said at the time she was blindsided by the fact that she'd be acting opposite Christina, who is six years older than her and a Hollywood veteran in comparison. "I thought it would be awkward and I was not looking forward to it. You know, being alongside Christina Ricci, who has been a famous actress since she was born, pretty much. I remember her as Wednesday in The Addams Family and [in] Casper. So I was sort of spun out on the idea of having to be this dominating person in a role with her, but she is a pro." When asked what she thought of the reaction to her role in the film, Rose said people were freaked. "No one knew what my role was, but then the trailer came out and there is the sex scene so everyone is like, 'Oh my god, you're naked, having sex with Christina Ricci!'"
    • Quotes

      [last lines]

      Dino Chalmers: [narrating] We don't choose to be born, but we choose to live. Some of us choose to love.

      Chrissie Wood: Liam! Liam!

      Dino Chalmers: And some of us, only some of us, choose to be free.

      Chrissie Wood: [as he is put into police car] Liam!

      Uncle Rex: He'll be back, mama.

    • Soundtracks
      Just To Feel Wanted
      Written by Brendan Tuckerman (as B Tuckerman)

      Performed by Brendan Tuckerman (as Tuka)

      © Source Music Pty Ltd

      Licensed courtesy of Source Music Pty Ltd

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    FAQ17

    • How long is Around the Block?Powered by Alexa

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • April 26, 2014 (United States)
    • Countries of origin
      • Australia
      • United States
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Жизненный опыт
    • Filming locations
      • Redfern, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
    • Production companies
      • Kick Pictures
      • SixtyFourSixty Pty Ltd
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Tech specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      • 1h 44m(104 min)
    • Color
      • Color

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