User Reviews

I was lucky enough to view Tin God recently, and while it is not without it's faults, it's a solid independent film effort that has one foot firmly in the great American indie film boom of the mid to late 1990's. However, It's very dark and certainly not for everyone.

The story is very reminiscent of this sort of film, feeling much like a cross between Greg Arakki's Doom Generation and Reality Bites. Nihilistic 20 something slackers caught in their own self destructive ways looking for love and happiness. It's an old story, But writer director Jake Reedy manages to infuse it with a sense of gritty realism and a sense of melancholic fun, almost an 'angst for the memories' note to everybody's mid 20's.

The script stands out because of the dialogue. Reedy and Co-writer Rachael McMeeking have done what so many Independent films fail at and have given their characters the voice of real, 3 dimensional people. these characters speak like people you know. The dialogue is witty and sharp, without venturing into tragically hip territory. As great as the script is, it's delivered with mixed results. Tana Smith and Whitney Duff as Ethan and Sasha respectively, shine whenever they're on screen,especially together, some of their 'dating' scenes are incredibly sweet and real. Both are perfectly natural and filling the more emotional scenes with burning intensity.

Benjamin James Doolan delivers a solid performance, making a character that should be completely unlikeable verge on empathetic, especially with his great monologue confession to Sasha.

The weakest link here is the actress playing Ethan's friend Cassie. I found her unconvincing and difficult to watch. She lacked the intensity and natural charm of the other cast,and there was no chemistry between her or other cast members. As a character I'm assuming, from the story, we are meant to feel sympathy for and relate to,I felt none. In fact i would go so far as to say I felt a sense of relief when her character was killed on screen, as it returned to sole focus to the rest of the cast who could hold the screen.

The look of the film is a strange mix of almost film noir and a grungy music video/ documentary, almost like reedy has been inspired by Micheal Mann's experiments in pseudo documentary/ style. When it works, it works very, very well, but earlier in the film it seems to falter in some spots. Obviously Reedy's vision and ambition have far outstripped his budget in this project, but A good solid "A" for effort is certainly called for.

All told, Tin God is a good, solid indie effort, a darkly nihilistic look at obsessive ideas of love taken to extremes, full of emotionally broken characters you enjoy yet are capable of horrible behavior. The photography is far superior to what you normally see in an low budget drama, and if the few problems I previously stated ie: an established style, more of a budget, and a more capable actress playing one of the key characters weren't there, I'd rate this film much higher. However, i think it deserves a 7 simply for what the film makers have tried to do, and succeeded in some places, with limited resources. Hopefully they'll do another in the near future.

Gave this an 8 because I love the feel of it. It's the sort of edgy, worn out feel I like in movies like this. You get the feeling all of these characters are at the end of their rope and hanging on for dear life. I was a bit surprised to find it was shot in Australia, because it looks like it could have been made here in London, in the back streets of Liverpool or anywhere. The story is pretty dark, but the writings so good it manages to season the overwhelming sense of doom with a bit of humor here and there, with some cracking one liners. It's well done for a low budget movie, really. The 3 leads are really good, I really like that the director had the balls not to shy away from raw subject matter and nudity, because it keeps it real, which is what this film has going for it in a big way. Only real problems where some of the other actors where pretty weak, and there were some scenes that were a bit pointless early in the movie, but overall, pretty good. I'll be getting it on DVD or Blu Ray when it comes out. Would be curious to see a yak track or doco on the making of it.

I cannot believe that this movie, Tin God, for under 10 thousand dollars, I have read that it was between 3 to 5 thousand ,is as good as it is and made it all the way to Cannes and onto shelves across Australia. What an achievement! I live in Toowoomba and remember a few years ago when this was being filmed, I saw these guys shooting at Wyalla Plaza in the rain and wondered what was going on. Who knew a few years later I'd be watching it!

I love seeing indie Australian movies and this is as good as any American indie film. It's dark, funny, shocking and real. There's a few boring bits at the start but that's okay, It really gets going and starts to pull you into to the ****ed up life these characters lead. The Acting is really good and the actor that plays Ethan is really amazing. He really goes full psycho in some scenes and you wonder if he's gonna lose it. And when he does, he really loses it.

And the actress that plays Sasha was really good too, I had a crush on her by the end of the movie and the scene where she loses it at the end when Ethan walks away was really sad and raw.

Another standout moment was where Jesse tells Sasha about the kid he nearly beat to death in high school. It was a really good acting scene from Jesse and really sucked me in and made me feel sorry for his character, cause up until then you think he's kind of a jerk.

I think Tin God is great because it really inspired me to do my own movies. Jake Reedy was really smart the way he made this because he did some cool stuff with his camera work and got really good actors to make the film. Lots of times the acting in indie movies is pretty bad, but in Tin God it's really good. The writing was excellent too, the way the actors all spoke like real people. To make this for under 5 thousand dollars, He is a really smart and talented film director and really deserves his success.

I really hope to see the actors in other movies soon, because they are really talented.

I really hope more people watch this movie, especially Toowoomba people because this was made in our town and it really deserves to be seen.

Greg

Script/Plot; Extremely well written. A really good and fresh take on the love triangle story. Defies convention and the usual traps of cliché well, very heavily influenced by mid 1990 indie cinema. Films like The Doom Generation, Best Laid Plans, The Last Time I Committed Suicide, etc had a big influence on this film. Snappy dialogue delivered with varying skill from the cast, deep character development that comes off with mixed results.

Cast: Performances range from great to awful. While the three protagonists were well cast for first time actors, supporting and extra roles are a mixed bag of average to awful. Scenes that could be great fall flat due to lazy, unskilled performances from supporting cast. When there are strong actors in the lead three slots, it's essential that the supporting cast can at least match them. The best example I can give is the confrontation between Ethan and his friend Cass. If performed By an actor that could match Ethan's intensity, the scene would have been explosive. Instead it plays out like a half hearted attempt to be edgy and falls flat. Compare this scene to Ethan and Sasha's alley way confrontation, which positively explodes with fury and tension, played to the hilt by both actors. The material is there, to be sure, yet the ability to realize it's potential is not present among some cast. This ultimately stops the character of Cass from having the presence in the story she should have had. Other supporting actors fall flat as well.

Direction and cinematography: Very resourceful for a film shot on such a micro budget. The director squeezes every dollar he can on to screen and makes up for his lack of finance with some very creative camera work and lighting. His choice of locations adds atmosphere and fits the tone of the story he is trying to tell perfectly. Obviously a director of some raw talent, he does the best with what he has and is hindered by limited resources; Though he makes what he does have work, for the most part. Cinematography is better than the average independent film fare. Creative angles and a faux documentary feel work in the films favor most of the time, only faltering toward the start of the film.

Editing and Sound: Editing takes some time to find it's feet here, but settles into the style around the half four mark. Some scenes meander and plod at the start, notably the scene at the lookout which has some beautiful shots yet some dreadful edits, and the scene at the coffee house which is very superfluous to the story. The sound is good, something that is often a point of contention with independently produced films. The soundtrack is quite fitting of the mood, particularly in the scenes leading up to the confrontation between the three main characters in the car park. From the point of Sasha and Jesse's conversation on the stairs until the end is, I believe, where Tin God shows the true potential and ability of all involved. Those scenes are where you can see that cast and crew were entirely in sync and the whole film works.

Packaging: A striking and attention getting front cover for the DVD, let down by a bare bones disc. No extras, which is disappointing, I would very much like to hear a commentary track or see some interviews, perhaps even a 'making of' featurette.

In summary, A good little first effort with some problems that experience and money will no doubt correct. The talent of the three lead actors and the director carries the film and makes it a cut above most low budget Queensland productions this reviewer has seen. 5 out of 10.

A good attempt from first time director Jake Reedy. Vision and talent are there, execution not quite so much. An attention getting intro is quickly undone by long, tedious scenes of Tana Smith's Ethan moping around, making sympathy for such a self absorbed character hard to muster; Things pick up when Whitney Duff's Sasha is introduced, mainly due to her ability to hold the screen. Smith and Duff have great chemistry,which Reedy uses in his favor to play their blossoming relationship with all the hotblooded tension of young lust.

More of Ethan being emo. In fact, Ethan may be the lead, but his screen time is almost detrimental to the other characters. Both Sasha and Benjamin James Doolan's Jesse are interesting characters, but never seem to be lavished with enough character moments to flesh them out. The few they do have are quite well done, such as Sasha's self loathing shower scene and Jesse's post coital confession, but there's only so many moody moments of Ethan sulking in his bedroom we can stand.

Around the halfway point, Tin God does pick and hit the gas, with some great scenes between Ethan and Sasha, Ethan and Jesse, the neo doco/noir/grunge style really begins to work and it limps toward being a solid film. The music works with the camera to build mood and the film focuses on it's 3 leads. It's just a shame you have to suffer through the dawdling first half to get to the goods.

Had the fat been trimmed from the start, this would have been a very solid film, but long, pointlessly moody scenes of nothing mixed with pointless characters ;I am still wondering what the point of Ethans friend Cas was; and dull 'character' scenes makes for an uneven film. One must wonder if Reedy slept through the first half of the edit, and awoke to put together a stylish final act.

On the whole, better than some Independent fare Queensland film producers have thrown at us, but still not quite there. Shows potential which could improve with experience

Here's the spoiler. Jake Reedy can't make a good movie. Tin God is full of nothing but characters you hate who are all sookey grunge stereotypes, gratuitous nudity and 'super cool' dialogue. The cast are good, but it's hard to do anything good with such lousy material. I've seen others say that this is some sort of ode to the emotional difficulty of being Twenty whatever, all it seems to me is that the director, if you could call him that, has taken out all his ex girlfriend issues and dumped them on film and expected us to care. The pointless nude scenes are not daring, they're just pointless excuses to get the actresses to flash some flesh for the directors benefit and little else. I hated the writing. Why are we watching an Australian movie where no one speaks Australian? These people all talk like some stupid American movie. What genre is this? it's not a drama, it's not action, it's not thriller. It's just the directors jouernal put on film. I've read stuff about this on it's facebook page and honestly, talk about thinking your film is better than it is. How this got DVD release i don't know. Save your money and go get a good Aussie action or horror instead. Crush this tin and throw it in the recycle bin.

If this review could be the word 'Garbage' written for ten lines, it would. following the hype of the director internet presence, you may be fooled into expecting some sort of breakout debut film. And you'd be left very wanting. The characters in this film are all unlikeable. Reedy has tried to create some love letter to self destruction and instead left me watching a bunch of emo jerks. It's like an Alice In Chains or Pearl Jam video. Some body, please let the director know that the 1990's are long over!!!

The film is sloppily constructed, And in spite of the fact I hated this exercise in exorcising teen angst, I will admit, as other reviewers have, that the final act does work in building mood and tension. If you can get past the jerky camera and bad editing at the start!!!

ONE WORD: DULL!!!!

And double standard - why in a movie that is full of graphic nude scenes and language is the lead character taking a bath in his boxers at the start? I thought the Director was supposed to be a hardcore, daring rebel film maker? How is that DARING??? LOL.

This was a big, boring letdown. Maybe Bronze Priest would have been a better title.

Tin God: Also known as the low budget bargain bin cousin of Wasted On The Young or West.

Here, instead of prep school kids or inner city yobbos, we are treated to a trio of late 1990's alt rock stereotypes. Smells like teen spirit? Smells like the director wishing he'd made this film in Seattle in 97. Smells like Bull****.

Why the attempt to make a film on so little money is praised, I do not know. To be fair, there are times when Tin God starts to work. I see other people mentioning the trio of leads, as well as the final act. Yes, these things are good. But did we really need another Australian movie about woe is me youth? No, we did not.

Let's dissect this 20 something wasteland; Acting: As others have stated, slides from good to bad. The standouts for me were Jesse and Sasha, both of who are given less on screen 'moments' than Ethan, but that's to be expected when the lead is also the producer. Support roles are woeful. Script: The subject matter: Again, why? The writing itself is witty, the character development solid, motivations:clear. Why not put that into an interesting story rather than "Sulking 20 somethings wander about bemoaning how hard life is and how screwed up they are".

Direction: All I could think when watching this was that this is NOT the kind of movie Reedy should make. Film noir lighting is obviously his drug of choice, and he seems to lavish the drama and suspense of the final act. This is not the arena he should be plying his talents. I can honestly say that in a more suspense or thriller genre he may be quite a stylish film maker, but here it feels out of place. It seems as if he has forced a style he loves onto a story that did not wear it well with a budget that couldn't support it.

There are obviously some people of ability on this film. It is just a shame they put their effort into such a hackneyed idea rather than doing something groundbreaking. Though I suppose for the reported budget, You cannot expect much.

"Tin God" is a good, solid independent film. When you look at the budget, it's a great film. I was lucky enough to see a screener recently, and I can honestly say this recalls all the great indie drama/thrillers from the last 15 years. Films like 'The Doom Generation", "Best Laid Plans", even a smattering of the early works of Kevin Smith and Edward Burns are here - Check out the 'date' scene between Ethan & Sasha and tell me that's not something at home in 'Chasing Amy' or 'Brothers McMullen'. This film takes all of those elements and gives them a distinct, dark edge all of it's own. The dialogue is razor sharp and witty, though delivered with varying degrees of success, the direction is ambitious and stylish despite the infinitesimal budget and the 3 leads are beautifully real. Kudos on the casting, because these actors look and sound like real, living, breathing people, not the beautifully airbrushed stereotypes we get in so many films. The cast of this film are that dirty kind of sexy; you'd expect to find them hanging out in a smokey bar, listening to loud, crunchy grunge rock while the sexy, twisted montage from the start of this film plays. And on that subject; what a great, stylistic way to start the film: Like a twisted late night rage video, sexy girls, blood, and bizarre imagery, giving us a view into the madness that lurks under Ethans skin. The Cast; Whitney Duff is amazing on screen,making Sasha both heartbreakingly fragile and sweetly innocent. Tana Smith is explosive as Ethan, filling the character with an explosive simmering rage and self loathing, bringing out all the darker emotions of a man who's desperate to find a connection and some solace. Benjamin James Doolan brings a sense of gravitas and wry humor to a character who, had he not been cast correctly, would have truly let the film down. When you consider this was a first time film for most of these actors, it really is a testament to the writing, direction and talent of this cast that this film is as watchable as it is. The Script; Rachael McMeeking and Jake Reedy have crafted a brutally honest look at an emotionally damaged trio who have no choice to self destruct. The dialogue and story have a sense of longing that is missing in similar films, that, despite the tiny budget, Reedy has managed to capture on film with expert precision. The dialogue was the main attraction, because these characters talk like real people. No words are wasted, No melodrama or exposition forced into the characters mouths. Everything unfolds. Australian film needs more from these writers. The few issues with "Tin God" are evidently budget and experience related: certain scenes early in the film feel a little pointless and don't progress the film; certainly good character moments but overall drag, While the 3 leads are exceptional, other characters could have benefited from stronger casting, and Reedy's ambition and style would certainly be helped with a far more sizable budget, but over all, as a first film, this is an indie gem, recalling the feel of all the great independent films i once sought out on the video shelves of the 1990's. I really do hope to see the cast, writers and the director take us on another journey, because i truly think they will only give us better films. "Tin God" is an amazing start for them all.

I don't know why more people haven't seen this movie! I loved it so much i watched it 3 times before i had to return it to the store. The ending was like a punch in the guts, it was really powerful.

The acting was really good and the camera work was wicked cool with how grungy it made everything.

I really related to Ethan as a character and i reckon lots of guys will cause we all know girls like Sasha who are really screwed up but you can't help but think you love them anyways.

I thought Jesse was really cool, he had some wicked funny lines in the movie. And the actress who played Sasha was mega, mega hot hot.

I liked how everything in the movie looked real and everything, like the fights and stuff and when Cassie got killed I had to re watch it cause it looked so awesomely realistic.

This movie is just wicked and more people should see it, it's got hot chicks and cool guys and a rocking soundtrack and it really relates to being a guy and being screwed up by being in love with the wrong girl.

I give it a 7, but I hope that when the version to buy comes out it's got lots of special features and music videos, then it would be a 10, because I will definitely buy this movie!

This film is an total cinematic abortion. A tawdry little grub of a film from a tawdry little grub of a director, full of gratuitous T and A to try and cover it's lack of any artistic talent or merit. The only joy to be had is reading the other reviews on this page and laughing at them after viewing this rubbish. 'doco style' is not a validation for lousy camera work or a slap happy edit. Blunderingly sub par acting, a soundtrack straight from mundane 1990 era television, badly shot, badly lit, badly cut, badly acted, badly directed. The one 'special effects' shot in the film is so laughable it had me on my floor in stitches, yet the 'filmmaker' , a term I use laughingly, couldn't be bothered to put in muzzle flashes. Other high/low points are the fight between the two brothers or whatever they were, which was so laughable and full of over the top sound effects you might think somebody had switched films on you half way through. You can see the film that this.....thing... is trying to be, but the director simply does not have the brains or talent to get it there. Shot on five grand? I'd believe it. It certainly looks like it. Grainy and cheap looking, In every aspect, from the look of the film to the cast, this is cheap, nasty cinema at it's cheapest and nastiest.

There are a lot of good films coming out of QLD and a lot of talented film directors. This and Jake Reedy both are NOT among them. Uwe Boll has more ability than this clown. Ed Wood has more taste, class and style. If anything, pray that this dolt never makes another film again, and dies horribly and alone for inflicting this five thousand dollar bucket of offal onto the viewing world. Avoid at all costs.

I Loved this film.

My personal belief is that Jake Reedy is the most interesting and stylish film auteur to emerge from the Queensland Independent scene in many a year. No one is pushing boundaries like he,and this film is a spot of stylized darkness in the heart of the sunshine state. He, along with Co writer Rachael McMeeking have created a wonderful lament to the self destructive nature of young love and obsession. Tin God is a world of nihilism, self loathing and broken people.

Rather than a A to B story, This is an intensely brooding character study on Ethan, played to absolute perfection by master craftsman Tana Smith, a bubbling fountain of barely restrained psychosis, a similarly self obsessed, but much more rageful character to Sean Bateman from the amazing Rules of Attraction, of which Tin God shares much in the portrayal of it's broken, flawed dramatis personae.

Orbiting the emotional black hole that is Ethan is his step brother Jesse, played with a sly wit by the amazing Benjamin James Doolan, whose performance fills Jesse with a likable loathsomeness, relishing the cheek of his character and playing it with a stark honesty to Ethan's self deluded nature. In the closing moments, this is the tragedy we are keenly aware of: That Jesse has been honest with Ethan the entire time, like the friend who tells you the truth you do not want to hear.

Enabling Ethan is Joey Kingman as Cassie. Kingman's performance is so subtle and nuanced that it seems to not fit with the others, which i believe is it's strength. Through Cassie, Kingman shows us that she does not fit in with these dark, crumbling souls, and that her character is a path to redemption that is ultimately a casualty of the cycle of destruction Ethan locks himself in.

Whitney Duff as the heat breaking Sasha is not the cause of all this, but the match that starts the inferno. Duff is electric as Sasha, The girl you know is bad, yet Duff fills her full of a melancholic sadness that is like the first drops of rain upon an empty beach. Amazing acting.

One thing I adored worthy of note was the costume design. Avoiding the usual traps, There was obviously a lot of thought put into the characters wardrobe; Ethan seems to primarily be attired in black and white for most of the film, reflecting his characters world view, Sasha is the type of punk rock girl absent from Australian cinema, Jesse is in blues and blacks, reflecting the laid back nature of his character. Cassie is very warm and inviting. And the Halloween party was a visual feast of costume, particularly with Cassie and Jesse.

The lighting! What an achievement Reedy has pulled together under such adverse circumstances. The lighting and camera work are the signs of true talent, to infuse such style on such a limited budget shows the true creativity of this director. This is true cinema veritae in action, to bring the elements of what could be akin to the style of 'found footage' films, marrying it with the neo noir stylings of Sin City and Mann's Miami Vice and blend it with the dreary undertones and high drama of films such as Best Laid Plans, Gossip or Body Shots.

Over all, the true cold heart of Tin God is the uncompromising reality. The language, the nudity, all ring true.

A great film from a director and cast who will go places. I have rented twice, And I will be buying this art-house gem and urge you to do the same!