Jasper Jones

Rachel Perkins has directed another terrific, simple, Australian film here. Adds to illustrious titles including Radiance and Bran Nue Day. There was certainly good material to work with, being based on the young adult book by Craig Silvey, who has also co-written the screenplay. It looks nice, still has currency today and the acting is once again terrific from most of the players. Toni Collette as usual, Hugo Weaving in a cameo role. An understated but really good Dan Wylie, and a terrific performance from young Levi Miller. All in all a really well made film.

My wife and I watched this movie at home on DVD from our public library. It is mostly unmemorable but has a number of good actors in it.

Set in a small Western Australia community, Corrigan, it is 1969 and some locals have lost sons in the war in Vietnam. This creates some racial tension with a local Vietnamese family.

Jasper Jones is a teenage boy living there, he is mistrusted because of his mixed race heritage, a white father and an Aboriginal mother. He is also angry because of the way he perceives himself.

The boys stumble upon a person hanging from a tree, they quickly assume it is the work of the old man that people whisper about.

So the movie is sort of a slice of life in this community, how people behave and react to what is going on. And the resolution of circumstances involving the deceased. Plus young Charlie's coming of age.

It is an interesting 1.5+ hour movie.

I read this book after seeing Belvoir's mesmeric stage production, which so perfectly captured the claustrophobia of a small town in Western Australia in the 1960s. No movie was ever going to manage that and, as much as I love Toni Collette and Hugo Weaving I would have loved to see the same cast in the movie as I saw onstage. That said I couldn't help but become entwined in the lives of these young people and their community. Themes of racism, domestic violence and marriage breakdown are handled openly but sensitively. This story reminds of another favourite, 'The Curious Incident of The Dog in the Night Time'. If you like this book then I recommend 'Jasper Jones'.

This is a good drama. There are some mysteries that keep it interesting, however I wish it tied things up a little more with the subplots. It left too many things unanswered. I guess for us to make our own assumptions, but I like things more buttoned up.

Great acting from Toni Collette!

I enjoyed Jasper Jones especially the lead performances by Levi Miller as Charlie Bucktin , Aaron L McGrath as Jasper Jones ,Jeffrey Lu as Charlie's best mate and Toni Collette and Hugo Weaving but in my opinion it missed being a much better movie .

I must read the book hopefully it will answer the questions the movie leaves up in the air such as why Jasper goes to Charlie for help when he's never spoken to him previously? I may be wrong but I suspect readers of the book may be disappointed not in the actors but in the Production of this movie.

I think it needed a better Director and production crew. A few obvious gaffs were Charlie suddenly wearing a pair of sandals after climbing out of his window barefoot? and the cut on his face suddenly disappearing overnight, these are trivial things I know but points to bad editing and attention to details and this story deserved more. In summary very entertaining and enjoyable but a little frustrating and plot puzzling.