MovieTime

Review

by Jason Di Rosso

It's 1944 in rural New South Wales, and a World War I veteran turned farmer (Jai Koutrae) finds a Japanese POW—one of a group just escaped from the nearby Cowra camp—on his remote property. At gunpoint he takes the man back to his tin shack and there they wait the night for an army patrol, striking up a stilted conversation. We see flashbacks to brutal battle scenes and we learn how both men are haunted by guilt and fallen comrades.

Director Brad Haynes and screenwriter Dacre Timbs have created a strong statement about how war corrodes and corrupts. It's beautifully shot—sparse and atmospheric—but it often seems so preoccupied with the message, it forgets about creating drama. I enjoyed the ideas here, and the mood, but struggled to find a connection.

Director: Brad Haynes
Cast: Jai Koutrae, Shingo Usami, Kentaro Hara, Kuni Hashimoto, Sam O'Dell, Mark Redpath, Robin Queree, Rudi Baker, Steve Dodd
Producer: Sasha Huckstepp, Brad Haynes
Script: Dacre Timbs
Cinematographer: Anthony Jennings
Editor: Hayley Lake
Music: Matteo Zingales
Running time: 93
Australian distributor: Jacka Films
Language: English
Classification: MA15+