West of Sunshine

In the tradition of Aussie larrikin yarns, with a soft touch for a bit of a loser in this life. Boisterously active yet on-the-button for locales and character. Often it is a mistake for a new director to use 2.35 widest screen, but this time it works. Oh those gliding shots of veteran cars. Good to see Kaarin Fairfax on big screen. If you liked The Dish or The Castle or the young Bryan Brown, this is a delight for you, and Not Too Long in run time. Good entry on a career, it seems to me.

If there was meant to be a redeeming quality in our "protagonist" it was lost on me. So you cut your sons hair. The man has the opportunity at all times through the film to set things right. Is this a movie about child abuse? Imagine going through everything they went through that day then coming home with a smile on your face for mummy. I am missing something. It doesn't have to be a happy ending but surely you want this to end better off than how it started.

This is a beautiful and sensitively told story of fatherhood, shot with exquisite cinematography, tightly edited and with superb writing. Highly recommended. A wonderful movie.

Clever low(er) budget drama set in the western suburbs of Melbourne, Australia. Having protagonist as a courier was a great device for us and the character's son to see different parts of the multicultural Melbourne. Don't get me wrong, it's fairly tense throughout. When the father has just found his way out of some trouble you're hoping he doesn't do what you think he's gonna do. What does he do? Well, there's a great look captured in slow motion on the face of actor Damian Hill that gives it away. Top supporting cast and disciplined script. Smart cinematography.

I really enjoyed this movie. Apart from the fact it was a low budget debut film from an unknown Australian director - these factors alone already have my attention - I thought it was a tremendous effort to produce what they did on the limitations of budget and resources. It's a great story and the performances held together nicely. Would love to see more films from the director. Australia is producing a wealth of emerging indie directors lately and I'm very proud to be a part of this new wave of creatives. Congratulations to all on the production.