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Review #470 of 365
Movie Review of Jindabyne (2007) [R] 123 minutes
WIP™ Scale: $12.50
Where Viewed: Starz FilmCenter at the Tivoli, Denver, CO
When 1st Seen: 13 June 2007
Time: 6:50 p.m.
Film's Official Website • Film's Trailer
Directed by: Ray Lawrence (Lantana)
Written by: Beatrix Christian based on the short story, "So Much Water So Close to Home" by Raymond Carver
Featured Cast (Where You Might Remember Him/Her From):
Laura Linney (Driving Lessons) • Gabriel Byrne (Wah-Wah) • Chris Haywood (Adrift) • Deborra-Lee Furness (The Real Macaw) • John Howard (A Man's Gotta Do) • Leah Purcell (The Proposition) • Stelios Yiakmis ("McLeod's Daughters") • Eva Lazzaro ("Blue Heelers") • Sean Rees-Wemyss (Swing) • Alice Garner ("The Secret Life of Us") • Simon Stone (Kokoda) • Betty Lucas (Feed)
Soundtrack: order the CD below
Click for 'Review Lite' [a 150-word or less review of this film]
Australian director, Ray Lawrence, transports the Raymond Carver short story "So Much Water So Close to Home" halfway around the world to New South Wales, Australia's infamous town, Jindabyne. As the film details, the original town was relocated in 1960 when a dam was constructed on the nearby Snowy River creating a huge lake that then flooded the old town. Water and its overwhelming lure on the human soul plays a huge role in the film's subtext. The story which is, arguably, overly complicated and attempts to address too much, involves a the murder and rape of a young woman traveling alone by a serial killer who then dumps her body in what he believes to be a secluded location.
"… the positives for the film outweigh…dangling negatives making it worth a look."
Her body is carried down stream to the favorite fishing spot of a group of friends that have been traveling to the area for many years. Led by Stewart Kane (Gabriel Byrne), an Irish immigrant, the band of brothers plans to relax and enjoy their time, when, their world is turned upside down by Stewart's discovery of the body floating near his fishing spot. The gut wrenching experience and total lack of powerlessness to do anything overwhelms him. He cries out for the aid of his buddies who all come running from their makeshift camp. Shock, dismay, and anger fill them. They have no clue what to do. Instincts and custom dictate quick action, but the mystical charm of the river and their plans to fish get the better of them, and the decide to fish the next day leaving the reporting of the finding of her body until the next day. This simple choice to fish versus report the find seemed so logical at the time; but, when the truth comes out the town is turned upside down taking out their disappointment on both the men and their families. For Stewart, things are more complicated than ever as his judgmental mother, Vanessa (Betty Lucas) shows up to put her nose into their business, and his wife, Claire (Laura Linney) battles the specter of her past post partum depression, this incomprehensible decision of her husband and friends to choose fishing over helping a dead person, her recent discovery of her own second prganancy, and the current preoccupation of their young son, Tom (Sean Ress-Wemyss), with death as prompted by his best friend, Caylin-Calandria (Eva Lazzaro). If all these complications were not enough, the dead woman was of aboriginal origins and her family immediately turn this issue into one of white hate. Meanwhile, the serial killer is poking around town making sure that no one is wise to him. Surely, that would be enough material for three films.
The story is engrossing and consuming offering many angles to view and dissect. It is well supported by a cast of actors that consume their roles fitting them perfectly. The setting and cinematography faithfully captures this rural town with its charm and mystery. At the core, this place is about not rocking the apple cart, and these events spiral out of control. Claire works hard to bring everyone together and achieve the closure she knows she needs and feels the others must be crying out for. Gabriel Byrne and Laura Linney are excellent in their roles despite being the major non-natives of the cast. They adapt well to the demands of the Australian desolation and rustic beauty in this region of the nation. Director Ray Lawrence has masterfully captured the reality of the lives of the people in this region. His direction of this story, while at times painfully slow and distracted, plays well helping him to challenge conventional thinking as well as confront some of it head on. The ending brings only minor resolution and some huge unanswered questions. This was probably the biggest disappointment of the film. There is some resolution, but the biggest questions of them all remain out there, still torturing the mind. Still, the positives for the film outweigh these dangling negatives making it worth a look.
The tales of the old town being flooded creates a spooky atmosphere for young Tom and Caylin-Calandria who are drawn to the lake and the mysteries it hides. The river where the body turns up also locks in the focus of the men as they choose its lure over reporting their discovery in a timely fashion. Ironically, Stewart could have hidden the body and claimed he found it two days later, rather than enduring the backlash from all corners upon his return. Worse, the townspeople seem to neglect the notion of a clear and present danger from the serial killer in favor of concern for the actions of neglect on the part of Stewart's gang. After all, they did not kill the woman, they simply found her. There is little that could have been done any differently had they reported their finding earlier. But, for the real killer, this gives him almost a sense of security that he'll never even be looked for as long as people are consumed with the callousness of the men that discovered the body vs. the one that really killed her in the first place. Meanwhile, Claire cannot rest without closure. She wants both to understand her husband, but also to help him see the error in his ways. He's stubborn, and the latter would seem to truly require a miracle.
Gabriel Byrne Buy From Art.com
The story is engrossing and consuming offering many angles to view and dissect. It is well supported by a cast of actors that consume their roles fitting them perfectly. The setting and cinematography faithfully captures this rural town with its charm and mystery. At the core, this place is about not rocking the apple cart, and these events spiral out of control. Claire works hard to bring everyone together and achieve the closure she knows she needs and feels the others must be crying out for. Gabriel Byrne and Laura Linney are excellent in their roles despite being the major non-natives of the cast. They adapt well to the demands of the Australian desolation and rustic beauty in this region of the nation. Director Ray Lawrence has masterfully captured the reality of the lives of the people in this region. His direction of this story, while at times painfully slow and distracted, plays well helping him to challenge conventional thinking as well as confront some of it head on. The ending brings only minor resolution and some huge unanswered questions. This was probably the biggest disappointment of the film. There is some resolution, but the biggest questions of them all remain out there, still torturing the mind. Still, the positives for the film outweigh these dangling negatives making it worth a look.
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Click for 'Review Lite' [a 150-word review of this film]
Click for 'Review Lite' [a 150-word review of this film]
Other Projects Featuring Jindabyne (2007)
Cast Members
Laura Linney
• Gabriel Byrne • Chris HaywoodDeborra-Lee Furness
• John Howard • Leah PurcellStelios Yiakmis
• Eva Lazzaro • Sean Rees-WemyssAlice Garner
• Simon Stone • Betty LucasDirector
Ray Lawrence
Writer
Beatrix Christian
| CD Soundtrack | DVD | VHS |
| Short Story | Related Product | Related DVD |
Jindabyne (2007) Review-lite [150-word cap]
Despite some dangling negatives, mainly an unfinished ending, Jindabyne is worth the look. When fisherman, Stewart Kane (Gabriel Byrne) and his crew find a dead body floating in their river fishing spot, they choose to tie the body up and continue fishing. This possibly callous decision, causes them insurmountable trouble when the town find out about it. Meanwhile, all of this attention, prevents the townspeople from seeing the real criminal, the real serial killer, move about unimpeded in their village. With the lure of the water in both the river and the lake, Jindabyne captures the imagination as everyone must cope with his or her demons from the past.
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