Beautiful Kate (2009)

How sad is this?

I cannot think of one single thing that I would change about this film. The acting is incomparable, the directing deft, and the writing poignantly brilliant.

A movie that not only functions as a solid scarefest but a razor-sharp satire.

The movie turns out to be a little better than the average. Starting from a romantic formula often seen in the cinema, it ends in the most predictable (and somewhat bland) way.

I have mixed feelings about this one. It gives a real taste of the harshness of outback farm life in Australia, and it is certainly well directed and produced. The acting performances are convincing, though the character of Toni seems a little over the top, or even unnecessary to the story. Speaking of which; the story is the weakness here. What could have been a psychological drama tracing taboo desires and their roots is instead allowed to develop into a father vs son struggle that we've seen too many times before.Overall: dark, fascinating, challenging, but let down in the end by a plot without the depth to really carry it over the line. Worth watching though.

Make no mistake about it, this is a BIG film. Set against the remote and beautiful backdrop of South Australia's meandering Flinders Ranges, it is the seeming remoteness, and ultimate beauty, of the central character (Ned, played nonchalantly by Ben Mendelsohn) which really dominates the film. Never afraid to confront head on its central theme of incest this is a film about a family with a guilty past of forbidden sex and tragic secrets. Not for the faint-hearted or easily offended, the characters are built to exactly the right depth to enable the viewer to assess the maturity, selflessness and moral fortitude of each member of this dysfunctional family. Even the hazy views of the distant, dark, towering ranges can't steal away the dark and brooding mood which hangs like a pall over this household. Now cared for by his youngest daughter Sally (played by a staunch Rachel Griffiths) the father, Bruce (played by that iconic Aussie actor, Bryan Brown) is a gruff, cantankerous outback pioneer who failed to achieve his political ambitions and now finds himself ailing and bed-ridden. Has he sought Ned's company just to taunt him one last time, or to try to understand the truths of the past and seek reconciliation? As Ned, a successful writer, arrives at the family's remote and scattered property, accompanied by his girlfriend Toni (played provocatively by the stunning Maeve Dermody), a gorgeous, playful but shallow waitress and aspiring actress, one senses that, quite apart from the ailing Bruce, all is not right within. The rift between father and son is clear at the outset, and the cleverly interwoven flashbacks begin to reveal the secrets that have torn the family apart and left father and son as apparent strangers. As the past reveals itself we see that following the death of their mother the four siblings look to one another for the emotional support that their father is incapable of providing. Ned and his twin sister Kate (played by a smouldering Sophie Lowe) are close whilst the older brother, Cliff (played by Josh MacFarlane) not only attracts the most opprobrium from his father but appears somewhat detached from the twins and his younger sister. It is against this backdrop that the tragic circumstances which have led up to the present day scenario unfold. Initially detached and unable to confront his demons it is difficult to empathise with the 40 year old, emotionless, Ned and much easier to sympathise with his dying father. However, as Ned's past is revealed and the truth has to be acknowledged it is Ned who appears to grow in stature. When his sister Sally (who Ned acknowledges as "beautifully made" when her selfless work with the local aboriginal people is observed) reveals her deeply held secrets, and Ned has the opportunity of a death-bed reconciliation with his father, it is upon that final discourse that the whole outcome of the film hinges. Rachel Ward has shown immense courage in tackling such a controversial subject in her debut film as a director. That she has done so in a painfully realistic and no-holds barred way is testament to her skills as a film-maker. That she has also made a beautiful film which ultimately shows us that sometimes the truth is just too painful to reveal is testament to her skills as a mature and caring human being.There is no doubt in my mind that this is one of the finest films ever to grace our screens, it's just a pity that, because it tackles a taboo topic and isn't "mainstream" enough, it will probably never achieve the full recognition it so richly deserves.

There are many good things about this film. It unsentimentally depicts the harshness and bareness of outback farm life in Australia. It has some highly creditable performances from some top Aussie actors. The cinematography does justice to the setting.The problem is the story. Instead of following through on a psychological exploration of some forbidden desires and their roots in this remote community, which is invited so longingly by the scenario, it contents itself with yet another portrayal of the struggle between a tyrannical old bastard of a father and his surviving son, whom he devalues. Both father and son conspire to turn their backs in denial of what could have been a revolutionary turn of events to match, gee, I don't know, Who's afraid of Virginia Woolf or The Homecoming.A missed opportunity.

Beautiful Kate is a beautiful movie albeit a difficult, challenging movie but one that will remain with you long after leaving the theatre. Diane and I saw this film yesterday at SX Luna and as we waited to enter a lady exited and said she did not like anything in the film and we thought she had seen another film. Now I realise what she meant although I would vehemently disagree with her. Beautiful Kate takes place in a 30s house on a small farm with South Australia's Flinders Ranges as a backdrop: it is kind of dilapidated, very dry and probably hugely depressing to people coming from more salubrious surrounds. Bryan Brown who plays a pivotal role has been made-up perfectly to fit his part as the father of his family that must live out the mental re-enactment of long past deeds. I mention Brown because his appearance (a wonderful tribute to the makeup artist's skill) is, to me at least a metaphor for the lives of the children gathered at their families' farm. This film is raw; the title may have given the woman who so disliked it the wrong idea of its substance because the movie is exactly opposite of beautiful. Personally I thought Rachel Ward, director and writer, examined the emotions of the players brilliantly. I cannot speak highly enough about this film. We have developed a movie genre that is unique to Australia and conveys ranges of nuanced emotion that can only be dreamed about in other countries. Hollywood came close with The Last Picture Show but that was almost 50 years ago and they seem not to want to return to the genre. Make every attempt to see this movie but be aware when you walk in that the vehicle is not fancy.