The 2006 I.F. awards for Alice Bell's script and for lead actress Emily Barclay (In my Father's Den) already cements Suburban Mayhem's place as one of the more challenging Australian films of recent years. Ms Barclay's nod over Candy's Abbie Cornish gives credence to the power of her performance. To say that her character, 19 year old Kat is gutsy is on par with saying that the Terminator has a few strong points.
Kat has balls of steel and isn't afraid to use them. Even though she is already a mother with a supportive boyfriend, she has other ideas about her suburban existence. She is out of control and anyone in her path is fair game. Her antics can make you laugh, but that's only to contain the anxiety. As highlighted in The Boys, such people do exist in suburbia; they could be living next door. In this communication driven age, we are led away from face to face contact and our fears of our neighbors are allowed to manifest. Bell plays on this beautifully.
Kat has support around her, yet nothing can quell her demons. Are we products of our environment or we doomed to live according to our genetic predisposition? Paul Goldman's direction is tight, with a distinctive style and builds the tension to breaking point, though his use of music is sometimes over bearing and feels like merely a device to cover the slower scenes. By using the old plot device of showing the conclusion at the beginning, we always know where this is going, and sometimes it feels as though we're simply waiting for the film to catch up.
Goldman has surrounded Barclay with a strong cast, particularly Mia Wasikowska as unfortunate participant Lilya and Michael Dorman as a frustrated romantic with more heart than sense. However it is Barclay's scenes with her father, Robert Morgan which oozes truth and holds the film together. We feel his frustration and hope that something will get through.
However, its all too obvious. Kat is on a mission. This is part of her problem. She borders on the one dimensional, and yet it is to Barclay's credit that she inspires some little hope for her character where the scriptwriter seemingly had none. If only we had something to relate to in Kat, this might have lifted Suburban Mayhem from being a good Australian film, to one of the greats.
And yet, you leave the cinema thinking that she and others like her might still be out there, somewhere. Be afraid? Very
Kat has balls of steel and isn't afraid to use them. Even though she is already a mother with a supportive boyfriend, she has other ideas about her suburban existence. She is out of control and anyone in her path is fair game. Her antics can make you laugh, but that's only to contain the anxiety. As highlighted in The Boys, such people do exist in suburbia; they could be living next door. In this communication driven age, we are led away from face to face contact and our fears of our neighbors are allowed to manifest. Bell plays on this beautifully.
Kat has support around her, yet nothing can quell her demons. Are we products of our environment or we doomed to live according to our genetic predisposition? Paul Goldman's direction is tight, with a distinctive style and builds the tension to breaking point, though his use of music is sometimes over bearing and feels like merely a device to cover the slower scenes. By using the old plot device of showing the conclusion at the beginning, we always know where this is going, and sometimes it feels as though we're simply waiting for the film to catch up.
Goldman has surrounded Barclay with a strong cast, particularly Mia Wasikowska as unfortunate participant Lilya and Michael Dorman as a frustrated romantic with more heart than sense. However it is Barclay's scenes with her father, Robert Morgan which oozes truth and holds the film together. We feel his frustration and hope that something will get through.
However, its all too obvious. Kat is on a mission. This is part of her problem. She borders on the one dimensional, and yet it is to Barclay's credit that she inspires some little hope for her character where the scriptwriter seemingly had none. If only we had something to relate to in Kat, this might have lifted Suburban Mayhem from being a good Australian film, to one of the greats.
And yet, you leave the cinema thinking that she and others like her might still be out there, somewhere. Be afraid? Very