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Review #350 of 365
Movie Review of Opal Dream (2006) [PG] 86 minutes
WIP™ Scale: $8.00
Where Viewed: Starz FilmCenter at the Tivoli, Denver, CO
When 1st Seen: 28 December 2006
Time: 3:05 p.m.
Film's Official Website
DVD Release Date: 10 January 2007
Directed by: Peter Cattaneo (The Full Monty)
Written by: Peter Cattaneo and Phil Traill based on the novella Pobby and Dingan by Ben Rice
Featured Cast (Where You Might Remember Him/Her From):
Vince Colosimo ("The Practice") • Jacqueline McKenzie ("The 4400") • Christian Byers (debut) • Sapphire Boyce (debut)
Every so often a movie comes out that regardless of the story, production values, etc. is set in a remote location of the world, in a place most people have never seen, that provides a little insight into the lives of those inhabitants which ultimately helps to make the globe a little smaller and illustrate the universality of various aspects of our humanity. Opal Dream is just such a film. Set in South Australia, in the town of Coober Pedy and filmed actually in Adelaide, Coober Pedy and Woomera—Coober Pedy being the opal capital of the world where the world's most precious opals are mined—this unique setting gives a rare look at a part of Australia and, indeed, the world, most people have never seen. Even those fortunate enough to have been to Australia would rarely travel to the western outback where harsh temperatures make for a mostly inhospitable lifestyle choosing rather to visit the eastern cities of Sydney and Melbourne, for example.
The story focuses on a family led by opal prospector Rex Williamson (Vince Colosimo) who has staked a mining claim with opals in his eyes and hopes of fortune for his family. With narration by opening and closing the story by young son, Ashmol (Christian Byers) telling of the dreams of the opal miners, while riding his bicycle around town, the sense of open expanses in a dusty and foreboding landscape emerges. Soon after, mom, Annie (Jacqueline McKenzie) and daughter, Kellyanne (Sapphire Boyce), are introduced. Kellyanne and her two imaginary friends, Pobby and Dignan, create the dramatic tension of the story as the Williamsons must all learn to balance their collective desire for Kellyanne to abandon this childish behavior with her volatile and protective nature. Clearly, they have allowed the imaginary friends to go on too long to suddenly rip them out of her life. Ashmol, especially, takes a certain amount of teasing at school over his sister's odd behavior. Some of the townspeople, however, help fuel Kellyanne's connection by providing her with Pobby's and Dignan's favorite flavors of lolly pops for example. Of course, always present are the differences in the lives of the opal miners and the town of Coober Pedy which reminded me somewhat of a barren version of an island on the way to Key West, FL with its zillions of Opal tourist shops. On the one hand, the town is very closely knit with everyone there for the same purpose—to strike it rich in the opal business. On the other hand, the success of any single miner brings loads of jealousy just as it widens the eyes to those who are struggling with empty claims. The worst crime of all in such a mining town is to steal opals from another family's claim. Such individuals are known as 'Ratters'. It seems that ratting in this town is even worse than murder. It is certainly, as we will find out later, worse than harassment. So, as life goes on for the Williamsons, Rex and Annie grow more and more concerned about Kellyanne's lack of friendships with real children her own age, and they begin to hope that Pobby and Dignan will go away. A plan is crafted that Rex will take Pobby and Dignan with him and Ashmol to the mine on Boxer day while Annie takes Kellyanne to a neighbor's home for a pool party. Kellyanne agrees to the plan and fastens the seat belts for each in the back seat of her father's truck as they depart for the mine. But all does not go so well for Rex and Ashmol at the mine that day. They overload an explosive and cave in the ceiling of part of the cave Rex has carved out over the past few months. A neighboring miner named Sid rushes over to chastise Rex, and he and Ashmol end up departing. Upon returning, it becomes clear to Kellyanne that her father and Ashmol have failed to bring back Pobby and Dignan—which was Rex's plan in the first place. What no one can anticipate is the subsequent events based on that decision. First and foremost will be the fit that Kellyanne will throw over their loss. She practically forces her father and Ashmol to return to the mine that night to locate her lost friends. Soon after, she forces her father to check the area and he stumbles onto Sid's claim where he is almost immediately threatened at gun point for trespassing and accused as to being a ratter. The police arrive and incarcerate Rex on suspicion of ratting at Sid's request. The weeks and months that follow feature the town's reactions and harassment and even explosive property destruction of the Williamson's who also subsequently face legal action brought on by Sid and the mental and physical deterioration of Kellyanne due to the loss of her friends. As Rex and Annie slip further into desperation as to what to do to save themselves from this predicament, only Ashmol holds the family together as he seeks ways to locate Pobby and Dignan and restore the luster to his once ordinary family.
The story focuses on a family led by opal prospector Rex Williamson (Vince Colosimo) who has staked a mining claim with opals in his eyes and hopes of fortune for his family. With narration by opening and closing the story by young son, Ashmol (Christian Byers) telling of the dreams of the opal miners, while riding his bicycle around town, the sense of open expanses in a dusty and foreboding landscape emerges. Soon after, mom, Annie (Jacqueline McKenzie) and daughter, Kellyanne (Sapphire Boyce), are introduced. Kellyanne and her two imaginary friends, Pobby and Dignan, create the dramatic tension of the story as the Williamsons must all learn to balance their collective desire for Kellyanne to abandon this childish behavior with her volatile and protective nature. Clearly, they have allowed the imaginary friends to go on too long to suddenly rip them out of her life. Ashmol, especially, takes a certain amount of teasing at school over his sister's odd behavior. Some of the townspeople, however, help fuel Kellyanne's connection by providing her with Pobby's and Dignan's favorite flavors of lolly pops for example. Of course, always present are the differences in the lives of the opal miners and the town of Coober Pedy which reminded me somewhat of a barren version of an island on the way to Key West, FL with its zillions of Opal tourist shops. On the one hand, the town is very closely knit with everyone there for the same purpose—to strike it rich in the opal business. On the other hand, the success of any single miner brings loads of jealousy just as it widens the eyes to those who are struggling with empty claims. The worst crime of all in such a mining town is to steal opals from another family's claim. Such individuals are known as 'Ratters'. It seems that ratting in this town is even worse than murder. It is certainly, as we will find out later, worse than harassment. So, as life goes on for the Williamsons, Rex and Annie grow more and more concerned about Kellyanne's lack of friendships with real children her own age, and they begin to hope that Pobby and Dignan will go away. A plan is crafted that Rex will take Pobby and Dignan with him and Ashmol to the mine on Boxer day while Annie takes Kellyanne to a neighbor's home for a pool party. Kellyanne agrees to the plan and fastens the seat belts for each in the back seat of her father's truck as they depart for the mine. But all does not go so well for Rex and Ashmol at the mine that day. They overload an explosive and cave in the ceiling of part of the cave Rex has carved out over the past few months. A neighboring miner named Sid rushes over to chastise Rex, and he and Ashmol end up departing. Upon returning, it becomes clear to Kellyanne that her father and Ashmol have failed to bring back Pobby and Dignan—which was Rex's plan in the first place. What no one can anticipate is the subsequent events based on that decision. First and foremost will be the fit that Kellyanne will throw over their loss. She practically forces her father and Ashmol to return to the mine that night to locate her lost friends. Soon after, she forces her father to check the area and he stumbles onto Sid's claim where he is almost immediately threatened at gun point for trespassing and accused as to being a ratter. The police arrive and incarcerate Rex on suspicion of ratting at Sid's request. The weeks and months that follow feature the town's reactions and harassment and even explosive property destruction of the Williamson's who also subsequently face legal action brought on by Sid and the mental and physical deterioration of Kellyanne due to the loss of her friends. As Rex and Annie slip further into desperation as to what to do to save themselves from this predicament, only Ashmol holds the family together as he seeks ways to locate Pobby and Dignan and restore the luster to his once ordinary family.
"…reminiscent of another story of a young girl run amok with her imagination in Terry Gilliam's Tideland. Compared to Tideland, Opal Dream was a stroll in the park."
Some readers of the novel, upon which the film was based, suggest it is a heart-warming tale. Certainly, the ending of the film does reveal the potential for a community to rally around one of its own in an attempt to right wrongs and save a grief-stricken child which is somewhat heart-warming. Definitely, the film is more of a familh-oriented film. The acting of the principles is fairly average, with the exception of Christian Byers who does an exceptional job for a young boy. Sapphire Boyce, as the shriveling Kellyanne, also does a decent, if not over-acted, job with her role. While providing a slice of life in the Australian outback, the story fails in some ways to fully develop the characters. Ironically, Pobby and Dignan may be more well-developed than the real characters in some ways. We do get some hints as to the quality of the marriage between Rex and Annie, but only a mild sense that she may not have been as wild about leaving Melbourne for a hole in the ground. We also get no insight into the particulars for why the Williamsons have permitted their daughter to become so entangled with these imaginary friends at such a late time in her life. Psychologically, the invention of imaginary friends by children tends to provide them with defenses against troubles they see in their lives. The characters they create tend to have traits they lack or reveal problems or fears they hold. Rex and Annie seem oblivious to this and the ramifications these friends are having on the life of their child at home and at school. Her social ostracism rises daily, and they fail to do anything but tell her that her friends do not exist. Their lack of good parenting skills in this area is confusing as is their lack of awareness that they should consult a psychologist for advice. Not that this matters very much because it isn't clear that the screenwriter took any of this into account in the first place as there are no signs in the script as to why Kellyanne might have created these imaginary friends with such specific characteristics and traits in the first place. These aspects of the story are frustrating and dissatisfying to say the least.
The net result? Director Peter Cattaneo has delivered an average story about an average family that encounters some extreme drama brought on by their own lack of awareness of the psychological disturbances in their daughter and a town's eventual coming together to support her, but not in the way one would think. While I did enjoy getting to see this side of the world and the life of the opal miners, I couldn't help but be reminded of another story of a young girl run amok with her imagination in Terry Gilliam's Tideland. Compared to Tideland, Opal Dream was a stroll in the park.
The net result? Director Peter Cattaneo has delivered an average story about an average family that encounters some extreme drama brought on by their own lack of awareness of the psychological disturbances in their daughter and a town's eventual coming together to support her, but not in the way one would think. While I did enjoy getting to see this side of the world and the life of the opal miners, I couldn't help but be reminded of another story of a young girl run amok with her imagination in Terry Gilliam's Tideland. Compared to Tideland, Opal Dream was a stroll in the park.
Other Projects Featuring Opal Dream (2006)
Cast Members
Vince Colosimo
• Jacqueline McKenzie • Christian ByersSapphire Boyce
Director
Peter Cattaneo
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