Snowtown, based on a true story, takes place just North of Adelaide, Australia, where a vulnerable young man, Jamie (Lucas Pittaway), falls in with a psychopath, John (Daniel Henshall), who has an intense hatred for paedophiles, gays, the obese, and drug users. Beginning with the harassment of a perverted neighbour (by chucking kangaroo parts onto his doorstep), John, Jamie, and a couple of other cohorts escalate their attacks, turning to murder.
Unrelentingly grim from start to finish, Snowtown certainly isn't easy viewing, its authentic white trash characters and realistic 'wrong side of the tracks' setting adding to the downbeat atmosphere. Rather surprisingly, the film isn't all that gory (graphic kangaroo dismemberment aside), with even the most brutal death scene, that of Jamie's older brother Troy (Anthony Groves), being relatively bloodless. Perhaps the hardest moment to stomach is Troy sodomising his helpless younger brother: now THAT was nasty.
Director Justin Kurzel's style takes a little getting used to (the first few scenes are fairly confusing) and there are one or two scenes that I'm still not entirely sure what purpose they serve, but overall Kurzel does a passable job for his full length debut. It's no Henry Portrait of a Serial Killer, but Snowtown is worth watching at least once for those who are fascinated by the darker side of the psyche.
Unrelentingly grim from start to finish, Snowtown certainly isn't easy viewing, its authentic white trash characters and realistic 'wrong side of the tracks' setting adding to the downbeat atmosphere. Rather surprisingly, the film isn't all that gory (graphic kangaroo dismemberment aside), with even the most brutal death scene, that of Jamie's older brother Troy (Anthony Groves), being relatively bloodless. Perhaps the hardest moment to stomach is Troy sodomising his helpless younger brother: now THAT was nasty.
Director Justin Kurzel's style takes a little getting used to (the first few scenes are fairly confusing) and there are one or two scenes that I'm still not entirely sure what purpose they serve, but overall Kurzel does a passable job for his full length debut. It's no Henry Portrait of a Serial Killer, but Snowtown is worth watching at least once for those who are fascinated by the darker side of the psyche.