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Jindabyne [2007]
from Revolver Entertainment
starring Laura Linney, Gabriel Byrne, Deborra-Lee Furness, John Howard
directed by Ray Lawrence

Features:

• PAL

Editorial Review:

With its subdued emotional tone and superbly subtle performances, Jindabyne is the kind of film you have to be in the right mood for. If you get onto its low-key but ultimately powerful wavelength, you'll find much to admire in this Australian adaptation of Raymond Carver's short story "So Much Water So Close to Home." The same story (available in the Carver collection What We Talk About When We Talk About Love) was previously adapted as a segment of Robert Altman's Short Cuts, but here it's been given a decidedly indigenous spin, focusing on the emotional fallout that occurs when four men discover the half-naked body of a 19-year-old Aboriginal woman while fishing in a remote river near their home town of Jindabyne, on the border of outback country in New South Wales. Stewart (Gabriel Byrne) was the one who discovered the body on a sunny Friday afternoon, but he and his buddies didn't report their discovery until two days later, resulting in a local news scandal and deep resentments from the Aboriginal locals.

Worse yet, the incident dredges up a storm of emotions in Stewart's wife, Claire (Laura Linney), who's still recovering from a marital separation and post-partum depression following the birth of their young son. Simmering guilt, familial tensions, and strained friendships threaten to tear these residents of Jindabyne apart, and director Ray Lawrence (making only his third film since 1985's Bliss and 2001's underrated Lantana) does a remarkable job of exploring mysteries of human behavior that are slowly resolved as the drama unfolds. Jindabyne is not the kind of film one watches for light entertainment--its deliberate pacing and deep-rooted themes must be appreciated with careful attention--but it's a mature and richly observant study of people in crisis, whether they're aware of it or not, or even ready to admit it. --Jeff Shannon

While on his annual fishing trip with friends, Stewart (Gabriel Byrne) discovers a dead woman (Tatea Reilly) floating in a mountain river. Deciding that there's nothing they can do to help her at this point, Stewart, Carl (John Howard), Rocco (Stelios Yiakmis), and Billy (Simon Stone) continue their weekend, calling the police only after they've finished fishing and come down from the mountain. When they return to their small town of Jindabyne in New South Wales, they're surprised when their families and the community treat them with anger and hostility for their selfish, callous behavior. Stewart's wife, Claire (Laura Linney), is particularly disillusioned, calling into question her entire relationship with Stewart and their young son, Tom (Sean Rees-Wemyss), who himself has been getting into dangerous situations hanging around with a slightly older, troubled girl, Caylin-Calandria (Eva Lazzaro). And tensions are even higher because the murdered woman was a member of a nearby Aboriginal community, sparking cries of racism. Inspired by the Raymond Carver short story 'So Much Water So Close To Home', JINDABYNE was written by playwright Beatrix Christian and directed with a subtle elegance by Ray Lawrence (BLISS, LANTANA). The film features gorgeous cinematography by David Williamson and outstanding performances all around. JINDABYNE touches on themes such as family, murder, abandonment, racism, faith, and redemption, but, at its heart, it's about the everyday choices people make in life--and how they live with the consequences.

Customer Reviews:

• Avg. Customer Rating: 3.0 / 5.0

• Beautifully Filmed, Slow, Political Correctness.
  The title says it all! The cinematography is stunning, the direction slow, the acting great but Laura Linney delivers an award winning irritating performance this one takes the golden biscuit.
  Sorry life's too short. 5 stars for the cinematography and acting, -1 for lack of a satisfactory conclusion, -2 for the irritation caused by Laura Linney.

• An Aboriginal Tale
  Fine performances all-round and if this film seems a little slow, then it must be due to the slow build up which in the end has a sting in the tail. It helps if one has an appreciation of the Aboriginal culture to understand the end.

• The last ten minutes were missing . . .
  Fine acting , nice scenery , well made film but lacks any conclusion.
  After watching this I was left with only questions . I think this is what could be called a "slice of life" story. Things are alluded to , inferred , mentioned in passing but never resolved . The film occasionally focuses on things to draw attention to them ,often giving a ominous feel to the film , but there's no followup .
  Despite this I would have enjoyed the film if there had just been some tying-up at the end , hence the... more info

• I enjoyed it
  The story of how an irish immigrant family, among others deals with a traumatic incident, with little political or social polemic.

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